8.2 Megapixel CMOS Sensor
Canon's large-area CMOS (complementary metal oxide semiconductor) sensor captures images with exceptional clarity and tonal range, and offers the most pixels in its class. This APS-C size sensor (22.5 x 15.0mm) has the same 3:2 ratio as film cameras, enabling an effective angle of view that is 1.6x the normal EF Lens focal length. The EOS 30D has an extensive ISO range (from 100 to 1600 plus ISO 3200 in extended mode), which is selectable in 1/3-stop increments. The sensor features a newly developed set of narrow-gap microlenses and noise reduction circuits to improve performance at high ISO values, and optimized photodiode configurations for improved performance at all ISO values. This results in larger, clearer, sharper and more detailed photographs right from the start.

DIGIC II Image Processor
The EOS 30D is the product of Canon's extensive in-house development: The DIGIC II Image Processor was designed specifically for Canon digital SLRs and enhances every aspect of image capture. Information captured by the CMOS sensor is processed and assembled into images of exceptional quality. With the DIGIC II Image Processor on board, photographers can expect natural color reproduction, precise white balance in any number of lighting situations and unparalleled clarity. The DIGIC II Image Processor employs sophisticated signal processing algorithms and works at greater speeds, all while consuming less energy. The entire processing chip - not just the software that drives it - is dedicated for use in a digital still camera.

The EOS 30D is one of the fastest cameras Canon has ever produced. Incorporating the fast operation of the EOS 20D, the 30D allows users to specify high-speed 5 fps or a new low-speed 3 fps continuous shooting for more controlled shooting and/or to save space on the CF card. And it can capture up to 30 JPEG and 11 RAW (or 9 RAW + JPEG) files in one burst. Whether it's the 0.15-second startup time, the high-speed mirror drive, the nearly instant 65-millisecond shutter release lag time or the predictive AF focusing at speeds up to 5.0 frames per second, the EOS 30D will amaze and delight photographers who don't want to wait for their camera when they're ready to shoot.

The EOS 30D has a brilliant 2.5 inch LCD monitor with approximately 230,000 pixels. Adopted from Canon's professional EOS SLRs, this monitor not only displays more information, it can also be viewed at a greater angle (170°) than many conventional LCD monitors. The full-featured shot information screen not only provides an RGB histogram, it can display the AF frame used. Magnification has never been faster. Magnification zooms to the focus point rather than the center of the image to check exposure and critical focus. It is also simple to jump quickly in image intervals up to 100. Menus are accessed at the touch of a button and feature larger text that is easier to read. Whether changing color parameters, setting up custom functions, organizing folders or setting white balance, the EOS 30D helps photographers get to their information quickly, so they never miss a shot.

"Picture Style" settings
The EOS 30D incorporates Canon's Picture Style settings, which simulate the characteristics of different film styles, allowing photographers to customize their shooting to their personal taste or needs. These include Standard, for punchy, print-from-the-camera color, Portrait, for softer, more natural skin tones, Landscape, for vivid blues and greens and overall sharpness, and Neutral, Faithful and Monochrome, which can be customized to emulate color filters with black and white film.

Strong and durable
The EOS 30D has a solid, substantial feel that complements its compact dimensions. The camera body is constructed of magnesium-alloy, known for its lightweight and ultra-rigid strength. It has an improved high-speed and durable shutter unit, designed to perform flawlessly and reaching a top shutter speed of 1/8000 second with a remarkable 100,000-cycle shutter life.

Metering precision
At the request of many users, the EOS 30D adds a spot metering function that meters roughly 3.5% of the center of the image. This new metering function, in addition to Canon's impressive evaluative, center-weighted average and partial metering modes, gives the photographer even more choices for custom-tailored shooting.

The EOS 30D has a high-precision, 9-point wide area AF system that uses both normal and high-precision focus depending on the aperture and available light. The 9 focus points can be chosen automatically or manually-selected using the 30D's intuitive, thumb-operated multi-controller.

PictBridge-advanced camera direct capabilities
The EOS 30D lets you print beautiful photos with minimum time and effort - directly from the camera. It's compatible with Canon's SELPHY Compact Photo Printers, desktop PIXMA Photo Printers, and even third-party PictBridge-compatible printers.

Software
The EOS 30D comes bundled with the Canon EOS Digital Solution Disk (Version 12.0) , which features powerful software programs designed to extend the EOS experience to the computer. These include Canon's ZoomBrowser EX for Windows® (Version 5.6), ImageBrower for Macintosh® OS X (Version 5.6), or Digital Photo Professional (Version 2.1), Canon's EOS Utility (Version 1.0) and PhotoStitch (Version 3.1). Each application is designed to perfect captured images, and streamline the digital workflow.

Digital Photo Professional (Version 2.1) provides easy-to-use RAW conversion tools, including high-speed RAW image processing, high-speed previewing for real-time image adjustment and support for sRGB, Adobe RGB and Wide Gamut RGB color spaces. Since it's CMS (Color Management System) compatible, Digital Photo Professional allows for easy image layout and printing in Adobe RGB in conjunction with Easy-PhotoPrint and PictBridge printers.

Canon's new EOS Utility software (ver.1.0) for Macintosh or Windows handles the connection between the camera and computer, whenever they're connected via USB. It allows remote controlled shooting from the computer, handles downloading of images from the camera to the computer, and allows seamless linking to either Canon's ZoomBrowser/ImageBrowser or Digital Photo Professional software once images have been copied to the hard drive. Furthermore, it's used to upload settings back into a USB-connected camera, from Picture Style files to the user-named file. There's also a new folder monitor - ideal to check and display images being transmitted by the optional WFT-E1A wireless transmitter.

Canon's ZoomBrowser EX for Windows and ImageBrowser for Mac OS X are the easy, user-friendly options for viewing and editing of JPEG and even RAW image files. Both allow viewing of numerous types of images including finished TIFF and BMP files. Both also have a variety of search options for finding images, allow re-naming of single images or batches of files, and offer a variety of options for printing without using a separate image-editing program.

EF & EF-S Lenses
The EOS 30D is compatible with all Canon lenses in the EF lineup, ranging from ultra-wide angle to super telephoto lenses, and including Canon's EF-S series lenses, manufactured specifically for Canon's APS-C sized digital sensor. Canon lenses employ advanced optical expertise and micron-precision engineering to deliver unprecedented performance in all facets of the photographic process. Aspherical optics and fluorite elements, for example, are featured in the universally acclaimed L Series lenses, and Canon's Image Stabilizer technology in select lenses minimizes the effect of camera shake. Through Canon lenses, photographers can truly maximize the quality and liberating performance of the EOS 30D.