Thanks! That means a LOT to me, and don't worry, I have loads more I want to do! And I can reveal my next two videos will be the Nikkor 50mm f1.4 A-s , then the Canon EOS 10D.
@@DinoBytes I remember the same being the case with my old 550D and 60D when I lived and worked in South Korea. It's an unforgettable experience to cut your photographic teeth in a beautiful, new, foreign land, with a cutting-edge (at the time) camera.
A nice review, what is the best method for removing those out rubber coating that go sticky I have tried a number of solutions but often ending up scrapping it off with alcohol or label remover to soften it What i hate is there seems to be a revival of this coating coming back, hoping the new OM-1.2 ruberised dials do not go sticky over time
Amazing re-review as always! My first DSLR was the Nikon D90 which your video in 2009 helped pick out. I recently purchased a used D700 as that was the camera I really wanted in 2009. The purchase decision was thanks to your D80 video! I really enjoyed the slide show at the end with photos from 20+ years ago. It sure shows digital photos can withstand the test of time and of course so can our own Gordon Laing!
My first digital camera was the Canon 400D. I bought it with my first paycheck at my first internship. Many of my favorite travel photos were captured on the robust little brick of plastic using Canon’s nifty fifty. This might be my favorite review you have done! ❤
My first real dslr in 2004. Took it on a holiday to UK, Spain and Italy - great camera, easy to use. Lenses are just okay - plenty of fringing at the edges.
Bought the Canon Digital Rebel back when it first came out. Before I even took a picture with it, I downloaded the 'modified firmware' that helped unlocked features that were available from the Canon 10D. The features that I used the most was the AF One Shot and the mirror lockup modes. Took many photos with that camera from studio portraits to weddings, til I bought a Canon 5D a few years later.
Wow was this really 21 years ago! I, like many others, started out with this camera. Upgraded to the 20D soon after which I loved. Felt like an extension of my arm. I stuck with the 20D for over 10 years before upgrading to the 5D3 and even that was because the 20D started to have issues. Then I bought the R when it first came out and almost instantly regretted it. I hated that camera so basically left it at home and carried on with the 5D3. Now on the R5 which is just the best
Such an amazing little camera. My first DSLR was the Canon 600D which I bought of eBay UK in 2012 and it had the Rebel T3i written on it (might have been an import from the US). Still have it where it sits next to my Canon R6 nowadays 😊 Those DSLR cameras days always bring good memories.
@@DinoBytes Yep! Just used it last night on my niece, still makes beautiful images (with EF 50/1.4), and even can enable back button AF (AE lock button) in the Custom Functions. I'd always used the Portrait Picture Style, but switched to Standard and colours also look great. I also tried ALO vs HTP (auto lighting optimiser vs highlight tone priority) and found I prefer ALO (brings up shadows, a bit like DR200 on my Fuji XE1) rather than HTP (keeps shadows too dark). Next thing is to try custom Picture Styles.... there is a Fuji Pro Neg HI one I want to try :D
I wanted to switch to digital earlier, but waited for the 20D - the right combination of features and price for me. Interesting to see today how you need 20-30 fps and AF with machine learning and bird mode to do BIF when the 20D could do it 20 years ago. Of course, with a much lower hit rate, but lots of good birding and sports images were produced with a 20D.
gosh i have one of these. its so slow and there's no focusing aid with manual lenses so I kept getting slightly out of focus shots. but its still fun to shoot as you work around those limitations
The 300D Digital Rebel digital camera was my first digital Canon camera, purchased with the kit lens in late 2003. It came highly recommended by astrophotographers around the world, since Canon used the best low noise CMOS sensor available for this camera and its bigger brother the 10D. I've stuck with Canon since, with only a brief foray with the Sony a7 III in early 2018, when both Canon and Nikon were slow to move to mirrorless cameras.
Almost bought this camera one day, but the different lens system uninspired me. You should do a video on the Sony Pro D770! I love that camera, 90's fixed lens Dslr gold.
Fun review as always. Grab one? I say grab two or three, when you have some photography buddies come for a visit you can all use the same body on a photo walk. I have the 10D in triplicate and the same setup with Nikon in the D100 just incase... lol
@@DinoBytes Can't wait to see the review. I think the D60 and 10D are better options in terms of user experience but it's still surprisingly good especially if you're just viewing on a phone or tablet.
I started with the 350D , did my first 'real' macro's with it using bellows and enlarging lenses, and pointed it up to the moon and the stars. These days they point heir phone up to the moon and think they took a picture of the moon with all of it's craters.
My first DSLR, although I was a bit late to the party. I picked one up in 2014 for next to nothing since I was broke at the time and just looking for the absolute cheapest way into a DSLR. Loved the camera. Only real issues I had were the slow image buffer and very slow boot time. I pretty quickly moved on to a 20D and enjoyed that for a while until I needed something with a higher burst speed for action photography. The 300D is still plenty usable if you're okay with being slower and more deliberate with your photos. Plus people are coming back around to enjoy the quality of cameras from this time period since they were still trying to be like film cameras rather than the color accurate resolution powerhouses we have now. Sometimes too good is too good.
still very capable image quality even today if you only post on instagram or facebook 😁 It also has the best ergonomics among all the xxxD camera released, shooting on 300D always remind me the touch and feel of the old Canon film SLRs from the 90's
My first DSLR-actually, my first SLR of any kind. I bought this in 2003 for a Journalism college course, which was the first year their photography program went digital. 15 years later, I traded it in for $500 off the EOS R, which I still have and use today.
Nice video. It was the 350D for me that got me into Canon (and the nifty fifty, one of the greatest lenses ever). I still have the 350D and it's a great reminder that, when moaning about current cameras not having good low light performance or whatever, just what good images I managed to get from the 350D, so stop complaining!! We've never had it so good.
Same here Gordon - this is what got me into photography. I too coupled this with a 50mm f1.8 and I became accustomed to the roughly 85mm focal length for all my portraits. For me going from the 300d to the 550d was a decision of video capabilities and a much bigger and better screen, along with teh processing of raw files. The 300d really struggled with the raws!
It was the camera I bought for my father for his 60th.1 year later I bought myself a Nikon D50 as my wife had an analog Nikon with some lenses. Although my father was happy with the gift as he has always been a Canon guy, I never regretted to go the Nikon path...
I started with a Sony MAVICA FD97, then the Sony F707, followed by the Sony F717 and finally moved to Canon, with the Canon 20D, 30D, 40D, 50D, 5D Mk2, 5DMk3, 5D Mk4, EOS R, R5, and now the R3.
I still have my 300D with the 2 kit lenses. I have travelled all over the world with it. I have several other cameras now, but the 300D still give me a extra heartbeat whenever I look at it. 😊
I've got a Digital Rebel a couple months ago basically for free (sold the lenses). The camera takes really nice photos in daylight (if you know what you're doing), even compared to the latest and greatest cameras. Use the pop up flash in dark environments to take point and shoot film camera like photos. The camera also works with the recent Canon EL-100 flash. Instead of using EF-S or EF lenses, you can also use M42 and even K-mount lenses by using an adapter while shooting in manual mode. Be aware though that focusing then is a hit and miss. If you lighten up the shadows in Photoshop Elements then you can see the limitation of the RAW files (=sensor) and the dynamic range is not great. That having said, if you can find a nice one for a few tenners or less: don't hesitate!
Sadly I sold it, BUT I do want to get one back again to see just how good it really was. I think people assume it's better than it actually was! But still an important model as the first affordable full-frame. I did make a few videos about it in the early days of my main cameralabs channel if you fancy looking back at how I made them 18 years ago!
Nice video! I handled one of these back in the day when a friend and I compared cameras. I was surprised how bad the viewfinder of the Rebel was compared to the Pentax *ist DS I had. Though, the grip was more comfortable on the Canon.
If you shoot in RAW and post-process your pictures (I use SilkyPix) then this simple modest camera gives very nice picture. Having quite a few much better cameras I still occasionally do photos using 300D, and the picture it gives is of good quality. And Canon's EF-S 18-55 mm IS STM (newer model) is of surprisingly good quality for its price! Attached to 300D it gives fast autofocus, which you wouldn't expect in case of that old little thing. As all that older Canon cameras, it has rather simple firmware - so I rather don't recommend it for SOOC experiments (all the Canons below 40D give rather poor JPGs, even Canon 1D/1D Mk II) - still if shooting in JPG it's easy to correct the image by applying even single process using free GIMP program: I mean „Colors -> Auto -> White Balance” - then just compare „before” and „after”. Of course image can be „polished” even further - but the above is an example you can improve it even not being aware, how it's actually done, with just a single operation.
My first was Sony A100. That was a painful experience. My more sweet memories about early shooting is more about digital compacts and film cameras. First dslr was more like suffering)). Tons of dust, unreliable AF, loud shutter...
In 2004 I went to circuit city display and looked at the Sony bridge camera on the right ($999), the Sony credit card camera on the left ($499) and picked the one in the middle, the Canon Powershot G5. ($499).
I was a latecomer to DSLRs coming from film SLR to a couple of cheap point and shoot digitals in 2001 and 2005. In 2010 I bought my first one, Nikon D70. It was an amazing leap even then from my Toshiba and Kodak cheap digitals. More recently I picked up the 300D and found comparable to D70, although the D70 is more advanced but the color science and IQ both excellent.
The EOS 300D was the first DSLR I used but it was my brother's and not my own. I then got myself the 500D in 2009 as my first own DSLR, upgrading to the 5D Mark III in 2012. I used both of them for a long time until I upgraded the 500D to the 90D as my main APS-C and the 5D Mark III to the R6 Mark II as my main full frame model. But I still have quite a lot of shots I did with the 300D back then and they're definitely not bad to look at. :)
New 300D first, coupled with 28-105 EF, followed by a second hand 5D, then a second hand 5D mk3. Would still use 300D for cycle tours as nice and light compared to the other two. CRW RAW files not as good as CR2 though.
My first DSLR was the 450D. 10 years ago I switched to Fujifilm. But recently I began aquiring a lot of Canon DSLRs which I got very cheap. The 5D and 6d, 1D Mark II, 30D and also the 300D. I like to have a variety of rather cheap lenses for the EF Mount and it is easy to adapt old manual lenses too. I am also delighted in the colours and natural look of the images which nearly need no PP.
I plan to move up to a 5D MkIII from my MkII, but having the body already for the MkII still allows me to swap out different glass to get better results. I’m happy with it right now though. I still have an old 20D that I tried out a few times to use like I employ my full frame canon, but it’s just too wide of a divide to be worth carrying around.
Mine first DSLR was the 300D and Ioved it a lot. Had many since and its a shame canon and nikon are moving totally away from the SLR format to mirrorless. My last new camera was a 5D mk3 and now Im wondering if I should by whatever is left new but its a 90D or 6D mk2 which both seem lesser cameras than the 5D mk3 I had before.
Nice on as always! My first one was a D30 when it was already older and could be had for $300. I was not impressed and quickly upgraded to a 10D which was not much more money at that time.
I had the 350D and and it was awesome but after 2 weeks or so I drop it 😢 then I went and bought the 300D and I felt awful I hated everything about it 😂😂😂😂 so I sold it really fast and at a considerable loss and bought a 30D that I absolutely loved and I still do even if I retire it a long time ago
I see you've been to Norway. Hope you enjoyed it. Anyway, my first DSLR was the 1000D, bought July 15th 2009. Still have it and take it out occasionally, usually around anniversaries, so I guess I'll be taking it out again in exactly two weeks.
I've been waiting for this review for so long. Essentially, the budget DSLR market enabled manufacturers to coax consumers into a much more lucrative ecosystem of lenses and accessories that we take granted today.
I love the history lesson Gordon! You do such a good job of in-depth information. I find myself asking a question in my head and then you immediately answer it. You should advocate this channel more! I will be.
Thankyou! I'd love for this channel to have more subs and views, but hopefully it will get there! I do mention it on my main one whenever I have a new video!
The EOS Digital Rebel was my first DSLR. In fact, my first SLR and interchangeable lens camera. Early lens upgrades included the EF 85mm f/1.8 USM and EF 24-85mm f/3.5-4.5 USM. I also added the vertical battery grip.
Great retro review as usual. I like the mix of new and old pics. Maybe next time you could add the dates or sort them, just an idea 😁Odd that your own 300D vanished, but this can happen, when moving or even when having a lot of things 😁 I never owned a 300D myself, my first EOS of the xxxD series I owned for a while was the 500D. Still, I´m curious. Even if you say one should better grab a newer model...sure, but I´m curios and think about getting a cheap 300D for playing around. Still have some CF cards here. And a Nikon D70s sitting for some years in my shelf(unfortunately also with the rubber issue - but a rub down with talcum solves it mostly). Inspired by you I got me some older cameras you showed, the Sony F505 and F707 for not too much money. Still looking for a good F828, the prices are unfortunately pretty high. Tried a untested R1 for 30 bucks but unfortunately the one I got was totally broken inside(thankfully I got a refund).
The US Digital Rebel was my first DSLR, very fun to see this here! Coming from a /very/ basic point-and-shoot (2MP Fujifilm) and then film SLR, it was fun to have a "real camera" that was digital, and worked with all of my old Canon lenses. Never cared for the 18-55, though - I had a couple of lenses from the film days, all of which worked well but left me without anything shorter than 24mm which is not really all that wide at the crop factor. Interestingly, I still have it - I gave it to a friend, and then a couple of years later, passed on the XTi/400D I'd gotten to replace it. I encouraged the friend in question to just pass the Rebel on, but they didn't have anyone obvious to give it to, so it's been sitting in storage ever since. :) And yes, the contact areas getting gummy is gross. Thanks for the tip that you can just remove it :)
Used to borrow a 350D all the time, until finally saving up enough money years later to get a 50D. Learned most of the basics on the 350D but really go into photography with the 50D. Only upgraded to a D800 after really outgrowing the 50D, but still fondly remember that camera. The xxD series is a very nice compromise in build quality, image quality, weight, price and size. Its a shame that a lot of features were deliberately undercut in xxD bodies after the 50D, to make more room for the 5D and 7D series.
Canon D30 was my first DSLR (for photo-jounalism), followed by the D60 and the 10D. Was sooo glad to get rid of all the chemicals needed to develop b&w and color.
It still amazes me the image quality this camera produced when I find images from it on an old drive. Might have to get another for old times sake, you can spend 30 quid waiting for a train.
A true milestone in photography chronicles, that made lots of film photographers ditched their film cameras.... A paragon of pivotal era is brought by the 300d...
Gosh, I bought this new in 2003, for all the reasons you said, and I only recently dug it out, replaced the clock battery and noticed I have until 2030, LOL...In M you get centre weighted average or partial V evaluative for rest of PASM (not sure you mentioned that). I put on a Tamron 17-50 (think yet to happen in 03 but same era) and went ''walkabout''.........Nostalgia central, LOL......IMO, just put felt over the sticky plastic and enjoy IF have one. I fully agree with your buying recommendations but it's a capable camera responsible for so many memories.....V film its comparison exists (IMO)..............Mini DV Canon camera plus this and off on holiday (v young fam days)..Nice one🙃
The Rebel 2,000 300 and 2,000 300v married and the 300D came out. I got into photography with the Rebel 2,000 300. Got the V version and now have the 300D. Love them all!
Hello, GordonI this is the first time I have noticed this new channel. Liked, and subscribed. I caught the bug for interchangeable-lens DSLRs while handling my wife’s employer’s D300s, then started shooting on my own with a Canon XTi (400D) that she had bought, earlier, pre-owned, from a co-worker. I then bought my own pre-owned XTi/400D, in August or September 2010, almost immediately followed by a pre-owned 40D, about October. The 40D was first DSLR I owned, that fit my hands well enough for it to be really fun to shoot. I/we still have the Tokina AT-X 100mm EF-mount macro lens, that I used to truly fall in love with photography, and I still have that 40D camera, though a progression of DSLRs and lenses have followed. Now and then, I still like to shoot a few frame with the 40D. The factor that firmly established Canon as my first primary system was the truly wonderful all-weather EF 100mm f/2.8L Macro IS, which I first used on my 40D. The chronologically oldest DSLR that I still own is a Nikon D2hs, a model released more than 20 years ago, though I bought it about 2018, to replace a drowned D1x, that I had used for long-exposure Infrared. (A flood in 2017 ruined several of our older cameras.) Sourcing batteries for the D1-series Nikons had become problematic, whereas it remained possible to find new batteries for the D2-series until quite recently. I had bought the D1x to use for forensic photography training in 2014. Some older Nikon DSLRs were an inexpensive way to shoot long-exposure IR, without having to convert a newer camera body. The D1x did allow a substantial amount of IR to pass. I never got around to trying IR shooting with the D2hs, because I retired, and no longer had a need to train in that particular “genre.” As I understand it, it was with the later D2x that Nikon finally used an OLPF that truly shut-down IR transmission. My first full-35mm-frame DSLR was a Canon 5D, bought pre-owned in 2011. I still have it, though it coughed-up its mirror some time ago, a problem among aging 5D cameras that were manufactured before a specific serial number. Some day, for nostalgic reasons, I may try to source a replacement mirror, cannibalized from a defunct 5D, but, I solved the immediate problem, long ago, by simply acquiring a second pre-owned 5D, made after the mirror issue had been solved, at the manufacturing level. Now and then, I like to shoot a few images, with an old 5D. The first DSLR that I bought new is a Canon 7D, which I still have. I upgraded to a pair of the 7D Mark II in 2014, and added the 5Ds R in 2016, then the 5D IV in 2018. This “team” of cameras remains useful, especially for macro, or when I want to shoot with Image-Stabilized 28mm or 35mm lenses. I did largely shift to Nikon DSLRs, however, for much shooting, in 2018, because my wife remains dedicated to the Nikon. It did not make financial sense to keep building a full set of Canon EF lenses, especially expensive lenses for the wildlife and nature photography that we started doing, more seriously, after we retired. My personal Canon DSLR “peak” seems to be the 5D Mark IV. The R-Series mirror-deprived ILCs are not appealing. If I learn that a particular RF lens is truly worth the effort of making the leap, perhaps the RF 100mm Macro lens, well, I might. No rush. (On the Nikon side, I still dream, now and then, of adding a D6, so, may not have yet “peaked.” The integral GPS would be useful, in our “citizen scientist” volunteer work, to more-affirmatively document the location of the sighting of a species.)
This was my third digital camera (and I still have it!) I was using an Olympus C5050 and found it too slow to photograph anything moving, so when Jessops were offering the 300d at a reduced price with a bonus 256mb card I bought one! I never really liked the 300d so I bought a Pentax K100d ( I still have that one as well!) and the 300d when back in its box and into the attic. I did get it out a couple of years ago and it still works. My 300d didn't like cards greater than 2GB.
Fabulous comparison with the Sony camera! I got interested in getting a DSLR after having a Fuji 2800 Zoom. The Fuji was very good for several years then got sticking aperture blades on the lens. Being fully automatic there was no way to compensate with the aperture stuck at fully wide open. So every photo was grossly overexposed. At least with a DSLR if a lens has a fault you can just buy another one! A Nikon D40 was my first dslr.
The 300D was my first DSLR, bought with the 28-135mm zoom. The camera has now sadly moved on to a better place after its grip went all sticky. I still have a 40D, which still has a native ISO that caps out at 1600. Those were the days!
You may enjoy my early videos on my main channel about the 40D! In fact I show a few clips in an upcoming retro review of the 10D coming in a few weeks...
The other breakthrough of the early Rebel/3x0 was responsiveness. Many of us were coming from various compact digital cameras where shutter lag was a huge deal (particularly for kids and animals). The Rebel XT I got was an amazing breakthrough to get the 'now' effect of a film camera back.
This channel is on my top 5 list of best camera Chanels on the internet. Please don't stop making these wonderful episodes.
Thanks! That means a LOT to me, and don't worry, I have loads more I want to do! And I can reveal my next two videos will be the Nikkor 50mm f1.4 A-s , then the Canon EOS 10D.
@@DinoBytesWould that 21 year old Canon produce better stills image Qaulity than the Latest iPhone 15 Pro Smartphone.
Agreed. And Gordon seems like one of the nicest people in the camera review game.
@@Localtraveler2376 thanks!
Canon 350D was my first DSLR. It's still in use now with my 8 year old daughter taking better photos than I ever did with it haha
Nice one! I may make a video about the 350D as well for completeness as that then continues with my first video on TH-cam about the 400D!
Really enjoyed watching this and some amazing holiday pictures at the end!
Thanks Chris, yes I was travelling a lot then (and now!) so have a few varied locations given the 18 months or so that it was my main camera!
@@DinoBytes I remember the same being the case with my old 550D and 60D when I lived and worked in South Korea. It's an unforgettable experience to cut your photographic teeth in a beautiful, new, foreign land, with a cutting-edge (at the time) camera.
@@christopherfrost You guys are the British Avengers of camera reviews.
A nice review, what is the best method for removing those out rubber coating that go sticky
I have tried a number of solutions but often ending up scrapping it off with alcohol or label remover to soften it
What i hate is there seems to be a revival of this coating coming back, hoping the new OM-1.2 ruberised dials do not go sticky over time
@@marklaurendet1861 as far as I know, you just have to rub it off with the liquids you're suggesting.
Amazing re-review as always! My first DSLR was the Nikon D90 which your video in 2009 helped pick out. I recently purchased a used D700 as that was the camera I really wanted in 2009. The purchase decision was thanks to your D80 video! I really enjoyed the slide show at the end with photos from 20+ years ago. It sure shows digital photos can withstand the test of time and of course so can our own Gordon Laing!
Thanks! Glad you watched some of my older videos too! I'm tracking down a used D200 at the moment - like the D80, but tougher!
My first digital camera was the Canon 400D. I bought it with my first paycheck at my first internship. Many of my favorite travel photos were captured on the robust little brick of plastic using Canon’s nifty fifty. This might be my favorite review you have done! ❤
Thanks, glad you enjoyed it!
My first real dslr in 2004. Took it on a holiday to UK, Spain and Italy - great camera, easy to use. Lenses are just okay - plenty of fringing at the edges.
Not my first - I started with the 350D - but it's scary how old this thing is now.
I may well be making a video about the 350D!
The Rebel XT was the entry into the digital SLR world for me. Nice flashback! Thanks so much 🙂
You're very welcome! I may do a video on the 350D / XT in the future...
Bought the Canon Digital Rebel back when it first came out. Before I even took a picture with it, I downloaded the 'modified firmware' that helped unlocked features that were available from the Canon 10D. The features that I used the most was the AF One Shot and the mirror lockup modes. Took many photos with that camera from studio portraits to weddings, til I bought a Canon 5D a few years later.
Wow was this really 21 years ago! I, like many others, started out with this camera. Upgraded to the 20D soon after which I loved. Felt like an extension of my arm. I stuck with the 20D for over 10 years before upgrading to the 5D3 and even that was because the 20D started to have issues. Then I bought the R when it first came out and almost instantly regretted it. I hated that camera so basically left it at home and carried on with the 5D3. Now on the R5 which is just the best
Nice progression! Yes, the 5D3 was a favourite of many for a long time!
Such an amazing little camera.
My first DSLR was the Canon 600D which I bought of eBay UK in 2012 and it had the Rebel T3i written on it (might have been an import from the US). Still have it where it sits next to my Canon R6 nowadays 😊
Those DSLR cameras days always bring good memories.
Yep the T3i would have been a N American version...
My first was 450d, then few years later got a 600d, starting to use it again now and looking at these retro reviews 😅
@@RexNathanChan glad you're using it again!
@@DinoBytes Yep! Just used it last night on my niece, still makes beautiful images (with EF 50/1.4), and even can enable back button AF (AE lock button) in the Custom Functions.
I'd always used the Portrait Picture Style, but switched to Standard and colours also look great.
I also tried ALO vs HTP (auto lighting optimiser vs highlight tone priority) and found I prefer ALO (brings up shadows, a bit like DR200 on my Fuji XE1) rather than HTP (keeps shadows too dark).
Next thing is to try custom Picture Styles.... there is a Fuji Pro Neg HI one I want to try :D
I wanted to switch to digital earlier, but waited for the 20D - the right combination of features and price for me. Interesting to see today how you need 20-30 fps and AF with machine learning and bird mode to do BIF when the 20D could do it 20 years ago. Of course, with a much lower hit rate, but lots of good birding and sports images were produced with a 20D.
That was my first digital camera also... After buying my last film camera Eos 3 (I still have it and kept it) nice seeing it again...
Happy memories!
@@DinoBytesthanks!!!
My first DSLR was a gently used Canon D60 at 6.3MP it came with a 1GB IBM MicroDrive. I was over the moon about it in early 2007.
The microdrive I show is from 2006, I remember it being quite fancy back then!
gosh i have one of these. its so slow and there's no focusing aid with manual lenses so I kept getting slightly out of focus shots. but its still fun to shoot as you work around those limitations
The 300D Digital Rebel digital camera was my first digital Canon camera, purchased with the kit lens in late 2003. It came highly recommended by astrophotographers around the world, since Canon used the best low noise CMOS sensor available for this camera and its bigger brother the 10D. I've stuck with Canon since, with only a brief foray with the Sony a7 III in early 2018, when both Canon and Nikon were slow to move to mirrorless cameras.
Almost bought this camera one day, but the different lens system uninspired me. You should do a video on the Sony Pro D770! I love that camera, 90's fixed lens Dslr gold.
Fun review as always. Grab one? I say grab two or three, when you have some photography buddies come for a visit you can all use the same body on a photo walk. I have the 10D in triplicate and the same setup with Nikon in the D100 just incase... lol
That's a fun idea! PS - I just bought a D100, so hopefully it works ok...
@@DinoBytes Can't wait to see the review. I think the D60 and 10D are better options in terms of user experience but it's still surprisingly good especially if you're just viewing on a phone or tablet.
I started with the 350D , did my first 'real' macro's with it using bellows and enlarging lenses, and pointed it up to the moon and the stars.
These days they point heir phone up to the moon and think they took a picture of the moon with all of it's craters.
I loved my 300D - i had an all-black one, but they were rarer than the standard silver one. It looked so much nicer, as the plastic really was cheap!
I didn't even know they did a black version!
My first DSLR was the Canon 20D. Enjoyed it for four years, then moved back to Nikon with the D200
The D200 was so good, and today can be bought for about $100 or pounds - an amazingly solid camera with one of the last big CCD sensors.
I hope you also get to make a video on the 5D Classic. The first moderate sized Body with a full frame sensor. Amazing quality for such cheapness
I will at some point, but it's getting to the era I already covered on my main channel
My first DSLR, although I was a bit late to the party. I picked one up in 2014 for next to nothing since I was broke at the time and just looking for the absolute cheapest way into a DSLR. Loved the camera. Only real issues I had were the slow image buffer and very slow boot time. I pretty quickly moved on to a 20D and enjoyed that for a while until I needed something with a higher burst speed for action photography.
The 300D is still plenty usable if you're okay with being slower and more deliberate with your photos. Plus people are coming back around to enjoy the quality of cameras from this time period since they were still trying to be like film cameras rather than the color accurate resolution powerhouses we have now. Sometimes too good is too good.
My first DSLR 😊
still very capable image quality even today if you only post on instagram or facebook 😁 It also has the best ergonomics among all the xxxD camera released, shooting on 300D always remind me the touch and feel of the old Canon film SLRs from the 90's
My first DSLR-actually, my first SLR of any kind. I bought this in 2003 for a Journalism college course, which was the first year their photography program went digital. 15 years later, I traded it in for $500 off the EOS R, which I still have and use today.
Nice!
My first DSLR was a 300D, still got a fine A3+ print hanging on my office wall, happy days
The 300d was my first dslr since I already had some eos lenses. I then went on to a 20D and then a 5 D so I guess we followed the same path.
Nice!
I once had the 300D used for wedding photography and printed 16-24 inch photos.
It can certainly stretch to that
First DSLR: Canon 450D
Sold for the 70D, sold for the 80D, which I still own. Kept the 80D for nostalgia.
Do you still take out the 80D from time to time?
@@DinoBytes not really. Sometimes I check, if it is still working.
Nice video. It was the 350D for me that got me into Canon (and the nifty fifty, one of the greatest lenses ever). I still have the 350D and it's a great reminder that, when moaning about current cameras not having good low light performance or whatever, just what good images I managed to get from the 350D, so stop complaining!! We've never had it so good.
Exactly!
Canon 550D. It'll always have a soft spot in my heart.
Was my first interchangeable lens camera and the images do still hold up today (as long as it is not low light or pushing up the shadows)
550D is still a popular choice even today, reliable and cheap
Still using it daily 😁 mostly with EF 85 1.8 to take photos of my kids and random things on the street. Quick focus and beautiful color.
My first DSLR was the 20D, followed by 40D, 7D and 5D III which I still use today
Nikon D70S was my first with the 18-70 3.5-4.5 G. Got a deal on it because the D80 was coming.
Same here Gordon - this is what got me into photography. I too coupled this with a 50mm f1.8 and I became accustomed to the roughly 85mm focal length for all my portraits. For me going from the 300d to the 550d was a decision of video capabilities and a much bigger and better screen, along with teh processing of raw files. The 300d really struggled with the raws!
Yeah, that combo with the 50 was great for portraits
I could not afford it back then, had to wait til the 550d came out😂
Like others the Digital Rebel was my first DSLR. BOUGHT it when it was first available.
It was the camera I bought for my father for his 60th.1 year later I bought myself a Nikon D50 as my wife had an analog Nikon with some lenses. Although my father was happy with the gift as he has always been a Canon guy, I never regretted to go the Nikon path...
I have a D100 waiting for me to review soon!
I started with a Sony MAVICA FD97, then the Sony F707, followed by the Sony F717 and finally moved to Canon, with the Canon 20D, 30D, 40D, 50D, 5D Mk2, 5DMk3, 5D Mk4, EOS R, R5, and now the R3.
Nice progression! Hope you've seen my Sony videos!
@@DinoBytes - Yes I have! Love this channel!
I still have my 300D with the 2 kit lenses. I have travelled all over the world with it. I have several other cameras now, but the 300D still give me a extra heartbeat whenever I look at it. 😊
Take it out for old time's sake!
Bought mine in 2004 and I still have the very same camera! This has promoted me to take it out again. I just have a Sigma 50mm f1.4 in EF mount now
Hope you enjoy shooting with it again!
I've got a Digital Rebel a couple months ago basically for free (sold the lenses). The camera takes really nice photos in daylight (if you know what you're doing), even compared to the latest and greatest cameras. Use the pop up flash in dark environments to take point and shoot film camera like photos. The camera also works with the recent Canon EL-100 flash. Instead of using EF-S or EF lenses, you can also use M42 and even K-mount lenses by using an adapter while shooting in manual mode. Be aware though that focusing then is a hit and miss. If you lighten up the shadows in Photoshop Elements then you can see the limitation of the RAW files (=sensor) and the dynamic range is not great. That having said, if you can find a nice one for a few tenners or less: don't hesitate!
Do you still have the 5D? That would be a super cool review
Sadly I sold it, BUT I do want to get one back again to see just how good it really was. I think people assume it's better than it actually was! But still an important model as the first affordable full-frame. I did make a few videos about it in the early days of my main cameralabs channel if you fancy looking back at how I made them 18 years ago!
Nice video! I handled one of these back in the day when a friend and I compared cameras. I was surprised how bad the viewfinder of the Rebel was compared to the Pentax *ist DS I had. Though, the grip was more comfortable on the Canon.
I remember reviewing the *ist and I still wonder how to pronounce that today!
@@DinoBytes Haha, true. What I heard back then was "star i-s-t DS" 😄 It's possible I had seen your work on the camera.
You have to love these older cameras. Did and still do the job just fine .And unlike the newest models a lot less that can go wrong.
... and a lot less that can be done
My first DSLR was a Nikon D60, good little camera.
If you shoot in RAW and post-process your pictures (I use SilkyPix) then this simple modest camera gives very nice picture. Having quite a few much better cameras I still occasionally do photos using 300D, and the picture it gives is of good quality. And Canon's EF-S 18-55 mm IS STM (newer model) is of surprisingly good quality for its price! Attached to 300D it gives fast autofocus, which you wouldn't expect in case of that old little thing.
As all that older Canon cameras, it has rather simple firmware - so I rather don't recommend it for SOOC experiments (all the Canons below 40D give rather poor JPGs, even Canon 1D/1D Mk II) - still if shooting in JPG it's easy to correct the image by applying even single process using free GIMP program: I mean „Colors -> Auto -> White Balance” - then just compare „before” and „after”.
Of course image can be „polished” even further - but the above is an example you can improve it even not being aware, how it's actually done, with just a single operation.
My first was Sony A100. That was a painful experience. My more sweet memories about early shooting is more about digital compacts and film cameras. First dslr was more like suffering)). Tons of dust, unreliable AF, loud shutter...
In 2004 I went to circuit city display and looked at the Sony bridge camera on the right ($999), the Sony credit card camera on the left ($499) and picked the one in the middle, the Canon Powershot G5. ($499).
I was a latecomer to DSLRs coming from film SLR to a couple of cheap point and shoot digitals in 2001 and 2005. In 2010 I bought my first one, Nikon D70. It was an amazing leap even then from my Toshiba and Kodak cheap digitals. More recently I picked up the 300D and found comparable to D70, although the D70 is more advanced but the color science and IQ both excellent.
The EOS 300D was the first DSLR I used but it was my brother's and not my own. I then got myself the 500D in 2009 as my first own DSLR, upgrading to the 5D Mark III in 2012. I used both of them for a long time until I upgraded the 500D to the 90D as my main APS-C and the 5D Mark III to the R6 Mark II as my main full frame model. But I still have quite a lot of shots I did with the 300D back then and they're definitely not bad to look at. :)
New 300D first, coupled with 28-105 EF, followed by a second hand 5D, then a second hand 5D mk3.
Would still use 300D for cycle tours as nice and light compared to the other two.
CRW RAW files not as good as CR2 though.
My first DSLR was the 450D. 10 years ago I switched to Fujifilm. But recently I began aquiring a lot of Canon DSLRs which I got very cheap. The 5D and 6d, 1D Mark II, 30D and also the 300D. I like to have a variety of rather cheap lenses for the EF Mount and it is easy to adapt old manual lenses too. I am also delighted in the colours and natural look of the images which nearly need no PP.
I would love to see a video on how this entire line evolved. or at least a gallery of making the same picture with all EOS XXXD cameras
I plan to move up to a 5D MkIII from my MkII, but having the body already for the MkII still allows me to swap out different glass to get better results. I’m happy with it right now though. I still have an old 20D that I tried out a few times to use like I employ my full frame canon, but it’s just too wide of a divide to be worth carrying around.
In my opinion they started to be realy good around 550D or even 650D when this camera already had a touch screen that made it super easy to use
Sony Cybershot 3.2mp then later a Canon t2i, t3i, 60d, 6d, etc
Mine first DSLR was the 300D and Ioved it a lot. Had many since and its a shame canon and nikon are moving totally away from the SLR format to mirrorless. My last new camera was a 5D mk3 and now Im wondering if I should by whatever is left new but its a 90D or 6D mk2 which both seem lesser cameras than the 5D mk3 I had before.
My first DSLR was a Canon EOS 450D which replaced a Canon EOS 3 so I was still able to use my EF lenses.
Watched a video about cleaning the sticky coating on older tech, Petrol apparently cleans it up.
Actual car fuel? I know rubbing or cleaning alcohol can probably do ir
@@DinoBytes th-cam.com/video/mvTSAIV7FlI/w-d-xo.htmlsi=wUgC7TGclsSw9OF3
The 300D was my first DSLR! I was able to shoot events and fine art with it. I donated it years later, however may look into another!
Nice on as always! My first one was a D30 when it was already older and could be had for $300. I was not impressed and quickly upgraded to a 10D which was not much more money at that time.
I had the 350D and and it was awesome but after 2 weeks or so I drop it 😢 then I went and bought the 300D and I felt awful I hated everything about it 😂😂😂😂 so I sold it really fast and at a considerable loss and bought a 30D that I absolutely loved and I still do even if I retire it a long time ago
I still use a 350D. To adjust ISO/af it fires up the colour LCD, which has terrible viewing angles
I see you've been to Norway. Hope you enjoyed it.
Anyway, my first DSLR was the 1000D, bought July 15th 2009. Still have it and take it out occasionally, usually around anniversaries, so I guess I'll be taking it out again in exactly two weeks.
I loved Norway, although I haven't been for years - would love to return!
Thanks!
Thankyou! Much appreciated!
...my first DSLR is old enough to drink in the United States. I'm so old.
They were great camers and with a 2.8 third party zooms took great images nice and clean images
Boy that f828 got smacked on the noise test.
That's a small sensor for you
My first DSLR: Canon EOS 10D in 2004 with EF 28-135mm IS
Look out for my 10D retro review at the end of July!
@@DinoBytes can't wait for it. It will bring back good memories.
Awesome video! I have the 8MP Rebel XT from 2005. Still a great camera in my opinion!
The XT / 350D is a fine camera indeed, and I hope to make a video about it too!
I've been waiting for this review for so long. Essentially, the budget DSLR market enabled manufacturers to coax consumers into a much more lucrative ecosystem of lenses and accessories that we take granted today.
Exactly!
I love the history lesson Gordon!
You do such a good job of in-depth information. I find myself asking a question in my head and then you immediately answer it.
You should advocate this channel more!
I will be.
Thankyou! I'd love for this channel to have more subs and views, but hopefully it will get there! I do mention it on my main one whenever I have a new video!
The only annoying thing about that camera was the buffer - I loved the rest of it!
The 450D was my first, I still make money from images taken with it!
I have one.The 300D was my first DLSR.
Murica: Rebel 🛹🤘
Japan: Kiss 💋♥
Yurop: 300D 🤖
My first "proper" digital camera, replacing my EOS film camera
Damn. I wish that the on-board battery were still this easy to replace in later cameras.
The EOS Digital Rebel was my first DSLR. In fact, my first SLR and interchangeable lens camera. Early lens upgrades included the EF 85mm f/1.8 USM and EF 24-85mm f/3.5-4.5 USM. I also added the vertical battery grip.
I still have my 85 1.8! But originally from my EOS 5 film SLR bought in the mid 90s!
My first DSLR is the XT. Still use it along with my T7
Great retro review as usual. I like the mix of new and old pics. Maybe next time you could add the dates or sort them, just an idea 😁Odd that your own 300D vanished, but this can happen, when moving or even when having a lot of things 😁
I never owned a 300D myself, my first EOS of the xxxD series I owned for a while was the 500D. Still, I´m curious. Even if you say one should better grab a newer model...sure, but I´m curios and think about getting a cheap 300D for playing around. Still have some CF cards here. And a Nikon D70s sitting for some years in my shelf(unfortunately also with the rubber issue - but a rub down with talcum solves it mostly).
Inspired by you I got me some older cameras you showed, the Sony F505 and F707 for not too much money. Still looking for a good F828, the prices are unfortunately pretty high. Tried a untested R1 for 30 bucks but unfortunately the one I got was totally broken inside(thankfully I got a refund).
I think I may have sold it! Yes, dates could be fun, although my holiday snaps were only until the 350D came out as I swapped them.
The US Digital Rebel was my first DSLR, very fun to see this here!
Coming from a /very/ basic point-and-shoot (2MP Fujifilm) and then film SLR, it was fun to have a "real camera" that was digital, and worked with all of my old Canon lenses. Never cared for the 18-55, though - I had a couple of lenses from the film days, all of which worked well but left me without anything shorter than 24mm which is not really all that wide at the crop factor.
Interestingly, I still have it - I gave it to a friend, and then a couple of years later, passed on the XTi/400D I'd gotten to replace it. I encouraged the friend in question to just pass the Rebel on, but they didn't have anyone obvious to give it to, so it's been sitting in storage ever since. :) And yes, the contact areas getting gummy is gross. Thanks for the tip that you can just remove it :)
I hope you get a chance to take it for a spin again!
Used to borrow a 350D all the time, until finally saving up enough money years later to get a 50D. Learned most of the basics on the 350D but really go into photography with the 50D. Only upgraded to a D800 after really outgrowing the 50D, but still fondly remember that camera.
The xxD series is a very nice compromise in build quality, image quality, weight, price and size. Its a shame that a lot of features were deliberately undercut in xxD bodies after the 50D, to make more room for the 5D and 7D series.
Canon D30 was my first DSLR (for photo-jounalism), followed by the D60 and the 10D. Was sooo glad to get rid of all the chemicals needed to develop b&w and color.
Nice! Hope you've seen my D30 video! Plus I have one on the 10D soon!
My wife and I used a 20D and 350D for years, they were so much fun to use!
Nice combo!
The 300D was my first DSLR. Had the Canon Pro90IS before it and I could use the same batteries from the earlier camera.
Hope you've seen my Pro90 video!
It still amazes me the image quality this camera produced when I find images from it on an old drive. Might have to get another for old times sake, you can spend 30 quid waiting for a train.
Exactly!
A true milestone in photography chronicles, that made lots of film photographers ditched their film cameras.... A paragon of pivotal era is brought by the 300d...
Yes, I should have mentioned film more...
This made me almost buy a copy of my first camera. I started with the 450D. I kinda want one just for the nostalgia.
They are fun to have, but as I mention at the end, a 10D to 30D is a better choice
Gosh, I bought this new in 2003, for all the reasons you said, and I only recently dug it out, replaced the clock battery and noticed I have until 2030, LOL...In M you get centre weighted average or partial V evaluative for rest of PASM (not sure you mentioned that). I put on a Tamron 17-50 (think yet to happen in 03 but same era) and went ''walkabout''.........Nostalgia central, LOL......IMO, just put felt over the sticky plastic and enjoy IF have one. I fully agree with your buying recommendations but it's a capable camera responsible for so many memories.....V film its comparison exists (IMO)..............Mini DV Canon camera plus this and off on holiday (v young fam days)..Nice one🙃
Glad it brought back some memories!
The Rebel 2,000 300 and 2,000 300v married and the 300D came out.
I got into photography with the Rebel 2,000 300. Got the V version and now have the 300D. Love them all!
My first and only DSLR is Canon 100D/SL1.
Nice choice!
Hello, GordonI this is the first time I have noticed this new channel. Liked, and subscribed. I caught the bug for interchangeable-lens DSLRs while handling my wife’s employer’s D300s, then started shooting on my own with a Canon XTi (400D) that she had bought, earlier, pre-owned, from a co-worker. I then bought my own pre-owned XTi/400D, in August or September 2010, almost immediately followed by a pre-owned 40D, about October. The 40D was first DSLR I owned, that fit my hands well enough for it to be really fun to shoot. I/we still have the Tokina AT-X 100mm EF-mount macro lens, that I used to truly fall in love with photography, and I still have that 40D camera, though a progression of DSLRs and lenses have followed. Now and then, I still like to shoot a few frame with the 40D.
The factor that firmly established Canon as my first primary system was the truly wonderful all-weather EF 100mm f/2.8L Macro IS, which I first used on my 40D.
The chronologically oldest DSLR that I still own is a Nikon D2hs, a model released more than 20 years ago, though I bought it about 2018, to replace a drowned D1x, that I had used for long-exposure Infrared. (A flood in 2017 ruined several of our older cameras.) Sourcing batteries for the D1-series Nikons had become problematic, whereas it remained possible to find new batteries for the D2-series until quite recently. I had bought the D1x to use for forensic photography training in 2014. Some older Nikon DSLRs were an inexpensive way to shoot long-exposure IR, without having to convert a newer camera body. The D1x did allow a substantial amount of IR to pass. I never got around to trying IR shooting with the D2hs, because I retired, and no longer had a need to train in that particular “genre.” As I understand it, it was with the later D2x that Nikon finally used an OLPF that truly shut-down IR transmission.
My first full-35mm-frame DSLR was a Canon 5D, bought pre-owned in 2011. I still have it, though it coughed-up its mirror some time ago, a problem among aging 5D cameras that were manufactured before a specific serial number. Some day, for nostalgic reasons, I may try to source a replacement mirror, cannibalized from a defunct 5D, but, I solved the immediate problem, long ago, by simply acquiring a second pre-owned 5D, made after the mirror issue had been solved, at the manufacturing level. Now and then, I like to shoot a few images, with an old 5D.
The first DSLR that I bought new is a Canon 7D, which I still have. I upgraded to a pair of the 7D Mark II in 2014, and added the 5Ds R in 2016, then the 5D IV in 2018. This “team” of cameras remains useful, especially for macro, or when I want to shoot with Image-Stabilized 28mm or 35mm lenses. I did largely shift to Nikon DSLRs, however, for much shooting, in 2018, because my wife remains dedicated to the Nikon. It did not make financial sense to keep building a full set of Canon EF lenses, especially expensive lenses for the wildlife and nature photography that we started doing, more seriously, after we retired.
My personal Canon DSLR “peak” seems to be the 5D Mark IV. The R-Series mirror-deprived ILCs are not appealing. If I learn that a particular RF lens is truly worth the effort of making the leap, perhaps the RF 100mm Macro lens, well, I might. No rush. (On the Nikon side, I still dream, now and then, of adding a D6, so, may not have yet “peaked.” The integral GPS would be useful, in our “citizen scientist” volunteer work, to more-affirmatively document the location of the sighting of a species.)
Thanks for your detailed comment and I'm glad you found this channel! Look out for my upcoming 10D review which includes some 40D mentions!
My first DLSR was a Canon 450D
Great video as usual Gordon! I feel like I am an expert of the 300D now after watching this video❤
You're very welcome - and it's the Nikkor this time next week!
@@DinoBytes awesome can't wait!!
This was my third digital camera (and I still have it!) I was using an Olympus C5050 and found it too slow to photograph anything moving, so when Jessops were offering the 300d at a reduced price with a bonus 256mb card I bought one! I never really liked the 300d so I bought a Pentax K100d ( I still have that one as well!) and the 300d when back in its box and into the attic. I did get it out a couple of years ago and it still works. My 300d didn't like cards greater than 2GB.
Yes, mine is fussy too, but it may be a brand issue
Fabulous comparison with the Sony camera! I got interested in getting a DSLR after having a Fuji 2800 Zoom. The Fuji was very good for several years then got sticking aperture blades on the lens. Being fully automatic there was no way to compensate with the aperture stuck at fully wide open. So every photo was grossly overexposed.
At least with a DSLR if a lens has a fault you can just buy another one! A Nikon D40 was my first dslr.
Thanks!
The 300D was my first DSLR, bought with the 28-135mm zoom. The camera has now sadly moved on to a better place after its grip went all sticky. I still have a 40D, which still has a native ISO that caps out at 1600. Those were the days!
You may enjoy my early videos on my main channel about the 40D! In fact I show a few clips in an upcoming retro review of the 10D coming in a few weeks...
The other breakthrough of the early Rebel/3x0 was responsiveness. Many of us were coming from various compact digital cameras where shutter lag was a huge deal (particularly for kids and animals). The Rebel XT I got was an amazing breakthrough to get the 'now' effect of a film camera back.
Yes, that's very true, plus usable continuous AF