Hi, all.
Yes, I've recently purchased a digital camera, the Can*n EOS-300D (aka
Digital Rebel). This is not intended to be my main camera (that's what the
OMs are for!), but a tool for testing/Internet/shareable pics. The kit
included the 18-55mm lens (approx. 28-90mm equiv.), but I got the OM->EOS
adapter, so this post won't be fully OT ;-)
Since I have no plans of heavy usage of this camera, build quality is OK
for me. Obviously *not* in the same league of an OM-1, but looks better
than the typical entry-level wonderbrick -- at least, the mount is made of
metal, not plastic! I would dare to compare it with the OM-PC...
The bundled lens is a totally different matter -- absolute crap.
Lightweight as a feather, it's fully made of plastic, *mount included*.
Zoom action is quite irregular, and manual focusing is sort of a nightmare
-- that tiny, undamped ring usually throws off focus after removing the
hand. Its noticeable play may also shift the image a bit :-( Optically,
this lens is so-so, but good enough for Internet or snapshooting.
Surprisingly flare-resistant, though. At least, the zoom range with the
smaller sensor (about 15 x 22.5 mm) is much nicer than any other 35mm zoom
-- that's why I got it.
This is my first AF SLR, and this crappy lens is likely to be my only
AF-capable lens. I have almost no experience with AF systems, but most
times this one works quickly. In very dim light, there is a delay (about
half a second) between half-pressing the shutter release and the actual
movement of the lens. This motion is usually very quick, unless it has to
go to/from a really nearby object (MOD is 0.28m, less than a ft.).
*Sometimes* the lens does some 'searching' (1-2 seconds) -- if ever manages
to focus at all!
The viewfinder is bright and contrasty, but rather small -- not necessarily
a bad thing for those who wear eyeglasses, though. The built-in adjustable
diopter is a plus. Due to small size and lack of split image/microprism,
manual focusing in dim light is somewhat difficult. Unexpectedly bright
with a slow lens (like the supplied f/3.5-5.6), apertures wider than f/2.8
don't seem to make a noticeable increase in viewfinder brightness.
Now, picture quality: in terms of resolution, I don't think *any* digital
is able to compete with 35mm -- *when* exploited to the full, which means
excellent gear *and* technique. However, at higher ISO settings, I find the
signal-to-noise ratio much better than film, but the look is different,
with rather 'dirty' shadows. Compared with the E-1, IMHO the 300D has less
noise at the same ISO (at least in the 800-1600 range), but I find the E1's
'grain' more film-like. BTW, the MP difference is not an issue, just a
consequence of the different aspect ratio.
Here's a 777 x 586 crop of a pic at ISO 1600 and maximum sharpness setting.
The whole uncropped picture was 3072 x 2048 pixels. I don't think a 35mm
film of such speed would perform nearly as good (think about this
enlargement as a 22x33" print!):
<http://217.216.177.119/etc/EOS300D/crop_0489.jpeg>
And now, metering and the Zuikos:
>From: "Wayne Culberson" <waynecul@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
[snip]
>lastly, the latest Can*n DSLR (300D?). The DSLR with the supplied lens is
>the first digital camera that may fit in my budget, and which at last feels
>like a real camera (for example, read real viewfinder, etc). So the question
>is, in simple terms, how does the metering work if I were to get the adapter
>that allows use of OM mount lenses? What I need is a simple explanation of
>the steps to taking a pic with an OM lens mounted.
From the several exposure modes, when using the adapter the only useful
ones are 'M' (metered manual) and 'Av' (aperture-priority). Viewfinder
indications (except aperture setting, of course) remain the same with an
adapted lens. Metering mode is fixed to each mode: centre-weighted for M,
evaluative for Av. Pressing the AE-lock button switches (in both modes)
into 'Partial' metering -- a rather wide spot (10% area vs. 20f the
OM-4). Be warned that this AE-lock does *not* work like the OM-4's spot on
Auto: once you get a reading, the indicated speed will remain the same even
if you change the aperture, thus altering exposure. Pressing again the
AE-lock replaces the previous reading for the current 'Partial' one. In
order to return to evaluative or CW, you must either wait 6 seconds
(without pressing the release) or do something weird like selecting the AF
zone (the button next to AE-lock) and then touching the shutter release...
When a Zuiko is mounted, if you select 'P' (program) or 'Tv'
(shutter-priority), it's likely to overexpose -- the camera 'thinks' it
would be able to get a smaller shooting aperture, but no way. The 'basic'
preset modes (sports, portrait, etc) get a blinking viewfinder display,
indicating that something's "wrong", but no warning is shown on P or Tv. On
the other hand, when the crappy lens is mounted, the usual mode is 'P',
which allows to change between the several equivalent combinations of
speed/aperture, just turning the dial.
Metering with a Zuiko is not difficult. In Av, just turn the aperture ring
while checking shutter speed indication -- with a permanent depth-of-field
preview ;-) In M, display is in a way similar to the OM-3/4, with a +/- 2
stops bar graph in 1/3 stop increments, plus selected (via the usual dial,
in 1/3 stop increments) shutter speed. This works fine at usual apertures
(f/2.8 to f/11), but at the widest f-stops there's some overexposure: about
2/3rds of a stop at f/2, and 1 1/3 stop at f/1.4. At f/16, it seems to
underexpose by a mere third of a stop. This is easily corrected by the
exposure compensation (turning the dial while pressing a button), but don't
forget to return it to the normal position after shooting -- easy to forget
even though compensation is always shown with the same bar graph of M!
On the other hand, the built-in flash (GN 13 m / 43 ft.) does *not* work
well with Zuikos, and I'm afraid than a fully dedicated flash won't too...
the manual is not clear about this (pun intended), but this camera seems to
support only the 'E-TTL' flash control, not the classic TTL nor the 'A-TTL'
present in other Can*n flashes -- I'm not sure, but it seems to need some
kind of camera-lens interaction, thus misleading the exposure (usually
dark) with our beloved Zuikos. Fortunately, a non-dedicated flash ("normal"
Auto) will work flawlessly -- tried the Metz 40MZ-3i and Oly T-20. BTW,
'Av' is the mode for slow-sync flash. 'M' is usually the way to go, and the
shutter is quoted to X-sync up to 1/200 (nice!), but I can go to 1/250 or
even 1/320 without any visible dark stripe (nicer!).
Just for fun, a (very bad) quick selection of pics taken during the last
lunar eclipse, with the Zuiko 300mm F4.5 and either a Kenko x2 or a Kiron
x1.5 teleconverter: <http://217.216.177.119/atachaos/eclipse/>
Enjoy,
...
Carlos J. Santisteban
<cjss@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
<http://cjss.galeon.com>
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