The
Canon EOS
Canon EOS (Electro-Optical System) is an autofocus single-lens reflex camera (SLR) and mirrorless camera series produced by Canon Inc. Introduced in 1987 with the Canon EOS 650, all EOS cameras used 135 film, 35 mm photographic film, film unti ...
10D is a discontinued 6.3-
megapixel
In digital imaging, a pixel (abbreviated px), pel, or picture element is the smallest addressable element in a Raster graphics, raster image, or the smallest addressable element in a dot matrix display device. In most digital display devices, p ...
semi-professional
digital
Digital usually refers to something using discrete digits, often binary digits.
Businesses
*Digital bank, a form of financial institution
*Digital Equipment Corporation (DEC) or Digital, a computer company
*Digital Research (DR or DRI), a software ...
SLR camera, initially announced on 27 February 2003.
It replaced the
EOS D60, which is also a 6.3-megapixel digital SLR camera. It was succeeded by the
EOS 20D in August 2004.
Despite having an
APS-C
Advanced Photo System type-C (APS-C) is an image sensor format approximately equivalent in size to the Advanced Photo System film negative in its C ("Classic") format, of 25.1×16.7 mm, an aspect ratio of 3:2 and Ø 30.15 mm field d ...
sensor, the 10D was introduced before
EF-S lenses became available and was incompatible with them. The 10D is compatible
only with
EF lenses. All successive Canon Digital SLR cameras with APS-C sensors can mount EF-S lenses.
The 10D captured RAW images in the Canon CRW file format, which was retired by Canon, although modern versions of Canon's Digital Photo Professional will read it.
When it was released,
recommended retail price in the USA was $1,999 (£1,520).
Compared to the D60
While the 10D shared some similarities with the D60—both used sensors of roughly the same resolution, both used the EF lens mount and
BG-ED3 battery grip—the 10D saw many major changes.
A new magnesium alloy body with changed button layout was introduced, including relocating the on/off switch to the bottom rear of the camera where it could easily be switched off accidentally. New LCD panels were introduced. The on/off switch was later moved back to the upper-left of the camera's rear with the
Canon 7D. Flash strobes were used instead of a dedicated autofocus assist lamp. The shutter and mirror were also quieter than the D60 systems. An upgraded
autofocus
An autofocus (AF) optical system uses a sensor, a control system and a motor to focus on an automatically or manually selected point or area. An electronic rangefinder has a display instead of the motor; the adjustment of the optical system h ...
system, using a more-sensitive and wider-area 7-point array similar to the
Canon EOS 30V was also included.
Internally, the sensor was changed to use a new manufacturing process, allowing for an extended
film speed
Film speed is the measure of a photographic film's sensitivity to light, determined by sensitometry and measured on various numerical scales, the most recent being the ISO system introduced in 1974. A closely related system, also known as IS ...
range of ISO 100 to 3200 with a custom function. The 10 used an upgraded image processor, and was the first DSLR to use the
DIGIC chipset. Continuous shooting was also slightly improved, allowing for nine images in a burst. The camera introduced
FAT32
File Allocation Table (FAT) is a file system developed for personal computers and was the default file system for the MS-DOS and Windows 9x operating systems. Originally developed in 1977 for use on floppy disks, it was adapted for use on ...
for
CompactFlash
CompactFlash (CF) is a flash memory mass storage device used mainly in portable electronic devices. The format was specified and the devices were first manufactured by SanDisk in 1994.
CompactFlash became one of the most successful of the e ...
cards larger than 2 GB in capacity, the first for a Canon DSLR. Improvements to white balance systems, shooting parameters, sensor cleaning, direct print support,
Adobe RGB
Adobe (from arabic: الطوب Attub ; ) is a building material made from earth and organic materials. is Spanish for mudbrick. In some English-speaking regions of Spanish heritage, such as the Southwestern United States, the term is used ...
colorspace, improved language support and an orientation sensor were also made.
Reception
Reviews at the time of release were mostly positive.
Bryan Carnathan of ''The Digital Picture'' described the affordable price of the 10D as "unheard-of-at-the-time", and the sensor "makes this camera perfect for
nature photography
Nature photography encompasses a wide range of photography taken outdoors and devoted to displaying natural elements such as landscapes, wildlife, plants, and close-ups of natural scenes and textures. Nature photography tends to place a stronger ...
", although while the auto-focus was improved from previous models it sometimes did not work properly.
Lori Grunin from ''CNet'' gave it a score of 7.2, praising the value, features and performance while also saying that it was tricky to get sharp auto-focusing.
Phil Askey from ''DPReview'' rated this camera as "Highly Recommended", concluding that "I have no concerns in stating that as things stand (at the time of writing this review) the EOS-10D is the absolute best in class, with the best image quality, lowest high sensitivity noise, superb build quality and excellent price."
Later reviews are less favorable. In 2017 – Canon having manufactured six new generations of high-end APS-C cameras between the 10D and the date of the review – CameraDecision scored it 49% for imaging, 33% for features, 55% for value, 68% for portability, giving an overall score of 46%. They rated it "Average" for all uses except Sport, which was "Good".
Firmware update

The current
firmware update is 2.01 (as of 2011-03-17). It is necessary to update to the firmware to enable PICTBRIDGE support on the Canon EOS 10D. PICTBRIDGE allows the printing of images from a camera directly to a printer, without using a personal computer as an intermediary device.
References
External links
Product PageOfficial Canon Site EOS 10D User ManualParts List With Exploded View Diagrams
{{DEFAULTSORT:Canon Eos 10d
10D
Cameras introduced in 2003