megapixels

I have owned a Canon TX and Canon 650 film cameras. I was always very happy with my Canon film cameras. I bought the 10d thinking that I was finally able to get a digital replacement for my old Canon film cameras.

I have now owned my 10d for over a year. The picture quality is only fair. It often selects ISO 100 and gives me fuzzy pictures. The white balance is extremely poor compared with the film cameras. The "full automatic" mode does a poor job of focus and white balance. The "creative" modes are similar to the film cameras but don't seem to work so very well. I am just having a terrible time trying to get the settings right to get good pictures! After a year of trying I am extremely frustrated with it.

Finally, the print pictures I get from it are _always_ too dark. It seems I need to post-process EVERY PICTURE in photoshop to get the gamut correct, or brighten/enhance/correct the photos to make them look right. Argh!

It's all probably user error, but I never had these problems with my old film cameras. If I could easily get PhotoCDs made I would go back to film immediately!

I've owned a 10D with the 70-200M L-series 2.8 zoom for about 3 weeks now. Truly, it is a revelation. My principal use is to photograph equestrian sports. This is my first "serious" digital camera. Prior equipment was largely Contax SLR and G2.

The 10D has produced image quality of astonishing color fidelity and clarity. I've enlarged and printed "action" photos to 11 x 14 with results that professionals believe compare favorably and in fact are better than can be produced with 35mm film.

The 10D is well made. It is complex, but to a reasonably well-informed photographer, the complexity serves many useful purposes that facilitate creative control. There is a great deal of information available that enables rapid adaptation to lighting conditions and that facilitates optimum exposures.

I was influenced in buying the 10D by the fact it offers a 3FPS burst mode and a 9 frame buffer, as I often shoot fast-moving subjects. I haven't needed it. The focus speed of the 70-200 L series lens and the instant response of the 10D shutter have meant I get the shot I want at the moment I see it - no bursts necessary.

Having come to this system from the fine Zeiss lenses of the Contax line, my final comment is that the one L series lens I have makes me want another. As suggested by the wide use of these lenses by professional sports photographers, you get what you pay for.

This camera is everything I desired in a digital camera and so much more. While other kids played baseball and football I grew up with a Pentax MX strapped around my neck. Photography was and is my passion. This camera allows me the expression I always dreamed of. Combined with Adobe Photoshop, this is the best camera/darkroom setup I've ever worked with!