Canon EOS 300: manual and user guide

A compact autofocus film SLR, EF mount. Its official PDF manual, then the essentials to get you started.

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Getting started

Batteries It runs on 2 CR2 lithium batteries, housed in the grip. Open the cover, insert them as shown on the lid, and close it until it clicks. Don’t mix new and used batteries.
Battery level Nothing to charge: you replace the batteries. Turn the dial to any setting other than L to see their level. Expect about 24 rolls of 24 exposures at 20 °C, with flash on half the shots.
Film Open the back, drop in the cartridge, pull the leader to the orange mark and close. It first winds out the whole roll, then winds each frame you shoot back into the cartridge. DX-coded film sets its own ISO.
Switching on for the first time Mount the lens: line up the red dots, turn until it clicks, and set the lens switch to AF. Setting the dial to L switches the camera off. Any other setting switches it on.
Your first photo Set the dial to Full Auto. Press halfway: a beep, and the focus light comes on in the viewfinder. Then press all the way. At the end of the roll, it rewinds by itself. Open the back when the film icon blinks.

P: the camera picks the shutter speed and aperture, and you can shift the suggested pair without changing the exposure.
Tv: you set the shutter speed, from 30 s to 1/2000 s, and it picks the aperture.
Av: you set the aperture, and it picks the shutter speed. The depth-of-field preview button shows what will be sharp.
M: you set both, and the exposure scale tells you whether the exposure will be right.
A-DEP: it uses the 7 AF points to get both the nearest and the farthest subject sharp.

Film without a DX code: turn the dial to ISO, then use the main dial, from ISO 6 to 6400.
Infrared film can’t be used in this camera.
To rewind before the end of the roll, press the rewind button.
Low batteries: exposure stays accurate as long as the shutter fires, but film advance and rewind may stall.
Even without film, the camera drains its batteries.

Type: 35 mm autofocus SLR, Canon EF mount
Autofocus: 7 AF points
Metering: 35-zone evaluative, partial (9.5%), centre-weighted average
Shutter: 30 s to 1/2000 s and bulb, flash sync at 1/90 s
Film: DX from ISO 25 to 5000, manual from ISO 6 to 6400, automatic loading and rewind
Built-in flash: guide number 12 at ISO 100, covers 28 mm
Viewfinder: 90% coverage, 0.7× magnification
Batteries: 2 CR2 lithium, about 24 rolls of 24 exposures (20 °C, 50% flash use)
Weight: 335 g, body only