Pros
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Style; Build quality; Performance
Cons
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Outdated features; Lens quality
Canon PowerShot D30 Review – Performance
The D30’s performance is, not too surprisingly, almost identical to the D20.
From a cold start it can power up, focus and take a picture in approximately two seconds, which is nice and quick. In single-shot mode it has a shot-to-shot time of approximately two seconds, while in continuous shooting mode it can manage approximately one frame a second, which is a little slow by recent standards.
Focusing is fast and accurate in good light, but does slow down by about half a second in low light. It has a bright amber AF assist lamp which has a range of about four or five meters, so it can focus in the dark.
As usual the Canon AiAF multi-zone autofocus system seems to have a mind of its own and often focuses on the background rather than the main subject, but the centre-zone AF is more reliable.
Flash and GPS
The flash is a bit weaker than I would have expected on an outdoor-oriented camera, with a maximum range of only 3.5m. It charges reasonably quickly though, cycling in approximately seven seconds under typical use.
The D30 has a built-in GPS receiver to automatically geo-tag your pictures. I’m not usually a big fan of these; most that I’ve tried have been battery-draining white elephants that don’t even work half the time.
The D30’s GPS does appear to work quite well though, picking up a satellite lock within a minute or so and accurately recording position to within a couple of metres. If GPS on your camera would be a useful feature for you, then this is one of the few good ones.