3. The 300D Is Worrying The Competition

The logical and eminently predictable consequence is that the competition is panicking and reducing the price of the digital SLR cameras (such as the Nikon D100 and the Fuji S2) already on the market, because they are being forced to compete with a product that has got them worried. The situation is even more serious in the case of Olympus, which at the very same moment launched a new, 5-megapixel digital SLR system in the $1900 (2,500 euros) price range. As for Nikon, its professional model, the D2H, proudly displays its 4 million pixels for the paltry sum of $3500 (4000 euros). Obviously, these huge price discrepancies are causing more than one manufacturer to feel the pain.

Of course, the response will be that these cameras have nothing in common, they are aimed at a "specific" customer based, their design is more in line with professional standards, the number of pixels is no indication of quality, etc.

Beyond the obvious battle between digital SLR models, the 300D is titillating sectors that were previously immune to this type of camera. The Bridge-Cameras of the Minolta A1 type, which many people have considered to be "ersatz" SLR and that cost around $1000 (1000 euros) are being hit by the Canon product. This applies in particular to those already fitted with Canon lenses in their film cameras, whose manufacturers are frightened by the price of digital SLRs.

Using the same logic, top-of-the-range compacts are not immune either. Many dedicated amateurs and even professionals are opting for 5-million-pixels compact cameras as back-up equipment. Despite the quality of these boxes, they cannot compete with the ease of use and reactivity of an SLR. So, when you compare them to the price of an EOS 300D, there's no contest.

In short, the EOS 300D has thrown a spanner in the works of the digital camera world. This is the first professedly amateur digital SLR camera, even in its design, yet with functionalities and resolution that are up to professional standard. It heralds a new age in digital photography, bringing it up to the same level as film photography - and that is precisely what makes it so exciting.