Canon EOS 30D

Front
The 30D looks like both the 20D and the 5D. The wide-mouthed Canon EOS lens mount dominates all three bodies. The lens release button is rectangular and on the right side of the mount. The depth-of-field preview button is below it. The handgrip is covered in a leather-textured, rubbery material, and is capped with a sloping area for the shutter release and a control dial. Like the 20D, the 30D features a pop-up flash, so the viewfinder hump protrudes, 20D-like, over the lens mount. There's a "EOS 30D" badge in the upper right.

Back
The big departure from the 20D is the 30D's 2.5-inch LCD. Like the 5D's display, it sports 235,000 pixels. The 30D's viewfinder is like the 20D's – and suited to the APS-sized sensor the two models share. Most other features of the back are shared between all three cameras: A column of buttons runs down the left side of the LCD. They are Menu, Info, Jump and Playback. The Delete button is below the LCD on the left, and the power switch is below the LCD and to the right.

The Quick Controller dial is also to the right of the LCD. Common to the current Canon DSLRs, it's a large circle on the back of the camera that can be spun very quickly for scrolling and other adjustments. The SET button is at its center. The status light which indicates when files are being written to the CompactFlash card is on the lower right of the dial. Canon provides a small four-way controller on the 30D, above the Quick Controller. It's convenient for scrolling around images, and unfortunately, it's missing from Canon's top-level DSLRs. The autofocus sensor control button and the exposure lock button are at the upper right of the back.

Left Side
The USB port, the A/V port, a PC terminal for flash sync and a jack for an external power supply are on the left side of the 30D. They are well sealed, under a rubber flap.

Right Side
The 30D's media card door takes up most of the right side of the camera. Like the door on the 5D and 20D, it slides back and then swings open. It does not have a separate latch, like the high-end 1D models. The 30D has Canon's typical heavy, recessed strap lug on the right side as well.

Top
The 30D's top includes the basic features of the 20D and 5D – a mode dial to the right of the viewfinder hump, a hot shoe on the hump, and like the 20D, a pop-up flash. Like the 20D, the 30D's mode dial includes scene modes to help beginners shoot portraits, landscapes, sports and so on. On the right side, the 30D has buttons for illuminating the monochrome LCD, for Autofocus and white balance, drive mode and ISO, and metering pattern and flash exposure compensation. The monochrome LCD on the camera's top shows shooting data.

Bottom
A latching door on the underside of the handgrip holds the 30D's rechargeable lithium-ion battery, and a metal tripod socket is centered under the optical axis of the lens.