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I am using 2 Canon EOS film bodies(100 and 50E) which have served me well, as I have just been awarded my LRPS.
I would like to go digital for a number of reasons, cost of film, storage of slides, immediate sight of work etc.
Can anyone recommend the 10D or 300D or another digital camera that is compatible with Canon EF lenses?
Ian Pratt LRPS
The 10D and 300D use the same imaging sensor and processing chip. So the output will be the same. The only difference is build quality and more custom functions on the 10D, giving you more flexibility. So it depends on the size of your wallet which to go for.
I have the 300D, but have only had it for a couple of weeks, so still in the learning curve. However it looks VG so far.
Try and play with both, take your lens with you.
Cheers
Terry
Ian, I researched the same subject a while ago and got very irritated by owners who appeared to have very narrow views on their equipment. People obviously convince themselves that a certain camera is the best buy, they then go out and invest a fair amount of money in that camera, and then it becomes the best thing in the world with everything else becoming second class.
I'm not saying take no notice of personal opinions but my advice would be to back this up with independent professional reviews and comparisons plus spending all afternoon in a camera shop pestering the assistant trying out each - take a card and then spend some time playing on photoshop.
To answer your query though, both cameras are the same in terms of image quality. The 10D has a few more features - which you may or may not make use of - the 300D is a lot cheaper and has the advantage of being plastic and finished in silver.
You also asked about lenses. I also moved from Canon Film to Canon Digital last summer and used my existing lenses. This may sound a little strange but the first thing I noticed when viewing my digital pictures was how awful my pictures looked. It turned out to be the budget Canon lenses from my old camera.
Viewing 6 Meg digital images on a large monitor is pretty unkind to any imperfections. Ive read here and on other sites that due to the small size of the sensor with comparison to 35mm film, the centre portion of the lens is used more so any imperfections will be slightly magnified.
I only found this out when meeting up with an old friend at a wedding who had a couple of canon L lenses. I took some identical pictures for comparison and realised that I would need to think about replacing my old lenses. I had just forked out a small fortune for my camera and was horrified to discover the price of L lenses.
Theres a good article here about what lenses to get if you are on a budget:
link
Its an American site but the information has proved reliable.
Hope this helps.
"jonjeds - how exactly is being plastic and finished in silver an advantage ?"
It makes it cheaper! 
I'm a 10D man myself, but had the 300 been available when I bought my 10D, I might well have opted for the 300. Having said that, despite the purchase being a large investment for me, I don't regret a penny of it. Re the original question, the gentleman concerned is oviously very clever, being an honours graduate and a LRPS, so he'll handle the technical side no problem, and being a lawyer, the 10D should present no financial problem. So I'd say, go for the 10D! If on a budget, I'm sure the 300 will give excellent results, it's basically the same under the bonnet!
10D It's fab - and there rests the case for the defence M'lud!
Lee
It very much depends on what sort of photography you do and how much control you want of your image taking. If you are using one of the higher spec EOS bodies, then the 10D is for you. If you are using the 300V or won't miss being able to specify your metering or focus option, won't miss the extra buffer capacity, don't need mirror lock up and such like - consider the cheaper camera if money is an issue.
The big mistake is to skimp now and find yourself wanting the better body a few months down the line - s/h digital cameras are hard to sell for a good price. They depreciate like a stone - there's an article on this very topic in the latest EOS magazine and the advice I have given comes from that article.
As someone mentioned on another of today's threads - you also need to budget for some good lenses.
Jo
I don't disagree with any of the above really. I opted for a 300D because I thought a new 10D might come along in 2004 and it would be a lot less painful to have to dispose of a 300D than an old 10D for a new one - if you get what I mean. I now gather it might be a bit longer than that but the 300D is much better than I thought so no problem.
The plastic is great material. I'm not that sad to be bothered too much about the colour but silver is a nice change.
Ian, I am facing the same question myself, and I must admit that I might well opt for the 300D - money for me is an issue, and digital camera's evolve so fast, I will want to replace it in a couple of years (possibly sooner) anyway....
But to look at some of the pros and cons of the 10D vs 300D -
The 10D is certainly the better built camera, but have a read of Andy Rouse's review at www.warehouseexpress.com/
Knowing Andy - if the 300D is tough enough for him - then it's tough enough for anyone...
Regarding the metering modes - yes it is true that the 300D automates this some what, but to be honest, I always use the evaluative mode (on my EOS 33), unless I have a special reason to use the partial mode, and with a button to select the mode, I keep on forgetting which mode is selected, on the 300D, I will know that Evaluative is always on, unless I press the AV button to use partial - seems simple enough to me.
Focusing - yes it would be nice to be able to switch the focusing modes manually, but again, I have this feature on my EOS 33, and almost always end up manually focusing anyway! So this is a bit of a non-issue of me.
I couldn't care less about the 'custom functions' apart from the mirror lockup - but even then, my tripod always been sturdy enough to cope without using mirror lockup on my film bodies.
The 10D does feature a PC socket for studio flash lights, which the 300D does not
And that is pretty much it for the differences. How you feel about these points will depend upon your style of photography (and how good your lenses are...)- but try both bodies out, think rationally about your needs, and don't believe all the hype.
I looked at the 10D & 300D. I was pleasantly suprised by the solidity of the 300D, and decided to buy it and spend the money saved on a better lense.
I decided on the Canon 28-135mm IS, which makes a good combination. I also have a used Canon 20-35mm. Now I am thinking of a longer zoom.
Mike
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