Specifications#
- Brand
- Canon
- Model
- EOS DCS 1
- Also known as
- EOSDCS1A FILE VERSION 3
- Camera type
- Large-sensor compact
- Released
- 1995-12-01
- Sensor size
- 27.9 × 18.6 mm (APS-H)
- Crop factor
- 1.29×
- Resolution
- 6.2 MP (3,060 × 2,036 px)
- Weight
- 1,800 g (63.5 oz)
- Sensor
- CCD, 1.3x crop factor (APS-H)
- Storage
- PCMCIA card slot
- Viewfinder
- Optical
- AF points / area
- 5 points
- Metering
- TTL, full aperture, zones
- Exposure modes
- Full auto, programmed, shutter-priority, aperture priority, manual
- Shutter
- electronic focal plane
- Flash
- Canon hotshoe
- Battery
- Built-in, rechargeable
- Lens
- Interchangeable (EF)
- Drive
- 2 frames in 1.2 seconds, then 1 frame every 8 seconds
Specifications merged from Wikipedia and Wikidata. Spot an error? Tell us.
Sensor size compared#
Focal length equivalents & field of view#
Multiply any focal length by 1.29 to get the full-frame field of view. For fixed-lens cameras use the real focal length printed on the lens (e.g. “6.1–18.3 mm”), not the 35 mm equivalent.
| Lens on this camera | Full-frame equivalent | Horizontal | Vertical | Diagonal |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 8 mm | 10 mm | 120.3° | 98.6° | 129.0° |
| 10 mm | 13 mm | 108.7° | 85.8° | 118.4° |
| 12 mm | 15 mm | 98.6° | 75.6° | 108.8° |
| 14 mm | 18 mm | 89.8° | 67.2° | 100.3° |
| 16 mm | 21 mm | 82.2° | 60.3° | 92.7° |
| 18 mm | 23 mm | 75.6° | 54.6° | 85.9° |
| 20 mm | 26 mm | 69.8° | 49.9° | 79.9° |
| 24 mm | 31 mm | 60.3° | 42.4° | 69.9° |
| 28 mm | 36 mm | 53.0° | 36.7° | 61.8° |
| 35 mm | 45 mm | 43.5° | 29.8° | 51.2° |
| 40 mm | 52 mm | 38.5° | 26.2° | 45.5° |
| 50 mm | 65 mm | 31.2° | 21.1° | 37.1° |
| 56 mm | 72 mm | 28.0° | 18.9° | 33.3° |
| 70 mm | 90 mm | 22.5° | 15.1° | 26.9° |
| 85 mm | 110 mm | 18.6° | 12.5° | 22.3° |
| 100 mm | 129 mm | 15.9° | 10.6° | 19.0° |
| 135 mm | 174 mm | 11.8° | 7.9° | 14.2° |
| 200 mm | 258 mm | 8.0° | 5.3° | 9.6° |
| 300 mm | 387 mm | 5.3° | 3.6° | 6.4° |
| 400 mm | 516 mm | 4.0° | 2.7° | 4.8° |
| 600 mm | 774 mm | 2.7° | 1.8° | 3.2° |
| 800 mm | 1032 mm | 2.0° | 1.3° | 2.4° |
Depth of field table#
Total depth of field at each subject distance, using a circle of confusion of 23.2 µm (the 0.030 mm full-frame standard scaled by the crop factor).
| Focal | Aperture | 50.0 cm | 1.00 m | 2.00 m | 3.00 m | 5.00 m | 10.0 m | Hyperfocal |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 17 mm | f/1.8 | 7.0 cm | 29.1 cm | 1.25 m | 3.19 m | 15.1 m | ∞ | 6.92 m |
| 17 mm | f/2.8 | 11.0 cm | 46.6 cm | 2.23 m | 7.35 m | ∞ | ∞ | 4.46 m |
| 17 mm | f/4 | 15.9 cm | 70.3 cm | 4.31 m | 73.3 m | ∞ | ∞ | 3.12 m |
| 17 mm | f/8 | 34.4 cm | 2.11 m | ∞ | ∞ | ∞ | ∞ | 1.57 m |
| 34 mm | f/1.8 | 1.7 cm | 7.0 cm | 28.6 cm | 65.2 cm | 1.86 m | 8.30 m | 27.7 m |
| 34 mm | f/2.8 | 2.6 cm | 10.9 cm | 44.8 cm | 1.03 m | 3.03 m | 16.4 m | 17.8 m |
| 34 mm | f/4 | 3.8 cm | 15.6 cm | 64.9 cm | 1.52 m | 4.75 m | 44.9 m | 12.5 m |
| 34 mm | f/8 | 7.5 cm | 31.9 cm | 1.41 m | 3.71 m | 22.1 m | ∞ | 6.25 m |
| 58 mm | f/1.8 | 0.5 cm | 2.3 cm | 9.7 cm | 22.0 cm | 61.7 cm | 2.51 m | 80.4 m |
| 58 mm | f/2.8 | 0.9 cm | 3.6 cm | 15.1 cm | 34.3 cm | 96.5 cm | 4.00 m | 51.7 m |
| 58 mm | f/4 | 1.2 cm | 5.2 cm | 21.5 cm | 49.1 cm | 1.39 m | 5.95 m | 36.2 m |
| 58 mm | f/8 | 2.4 cm | 10.4 cm | 43.5 cm | 1.00 m | 2.95 m | 15.8 m | 18.1 m |
| 95 mm | f/1.8 | 0.2 cm | 0.8 cm | 3.5 cm | 8.1 cm | 22.8 cm | 92.1 cm | 216 m |
| 95 mm | f/2.8 | 0.3 cm | 1.3 cm | 5.5 cm | 12.6 cm | 35.4 cm | 1.44 m | 139 m |
| 95 mm | f/4 | 0.4 cm | 1.9 cm | 7.9 cm | 18.0 cm | 50.7 cm | 2.06 m | 97.1 m |
| 95 mm | f/8 | 0.8 cm | 3.7 cm | 15.7 cm | 36.1 cm | 1.02 m | 4.26 m | 48.6 m |
Equivalent aperture#
Exposure is identical at the same f-number on any format; equivalence only describes depth of field and total light.
Diffraction & pixel pitch#
With 9.12 µm pixels, diffraction starts to soften pixel-level detail around f/13.6. For maximum sharpness keep landscapes between f/7.5 and f/14; stopping down further trades detail for depth of field.
| Aperture | Airy disk diameter | Spread over | At 100% view |
|---|---|---|---|
| f/2.8 | 3.8 µm | 0.4 px | sharp |
| f/4 | 5.4 µm | 0.6 px | sharp |
| f/5.6 | 7.5 µm | 0.8 px | sharp |
| f/8 | 10.7 µm | 1.2 px | sharp |
| f/11 | 14.8 µm | 1.6 px | sharp |
| f/16 | 21.5 µm | 2.4 px | slight softening |
| f/22 | 29.5 µm | 3.2 px | visibly soft |
Maximum print sizes#
At 6.2 MP the Canon EOS DCS 1 produces 3,060 × 2,036 pixel images. See the 6 megapixel guide or the print size calculator.
| Resolution | Typical use | Inches | Centimetres |
|---|---|---|---|
| 300 DPI | Photo-lab quality | 10.2 × 6.8 in | 26 × 17 cm |
| 240 DPI | Fine-art inkjet | 12.8 × 8.5 in | 32 × 22 cm |
| 200 DPI | Wall print | 15.3 × 10.2 in | 39 × 26 cm |
| 150 DPI | Poster, viewed from 1 m+ | 20.4 × 13.6 in | 52 × 34 cm |
Night-sky exposure limits#
Longest exposure before stars trail. The NPF rule accounts for pixel pitch and is stricter than the classic 500 rule — use it for pin-sharp stars on high-resolution sensors.
| Focal length | 500 rule | NPF f/1.8 | NPF f/2.8 | NPF f/4 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 11 mm (14 mm eq.) | 35.2 s | 30.6 s | 33.8 s | 37.6 s |
| 15 mm (19 mm eq.) | 25.8 s | 22.4 s | 24.8 s | 27.6 s |
| 19 mm (25 mm eq.) | 20.4 s | 17.7 s | 19.6 s | 21.8 s |
| 27 mm (35 mm eq.) | 14.4 s | 12.5 s | 13.8 s | 15.3 s |
| 39 mm (50 mm eq.) | 9.9 s | 8.6 s | 9.5 s | 10.6 s |
Handheld shutter speed guide#
The reciprocal rule uses the equivalent focal length. High-resolution sensors may need one stop faster than this for pixel-sharp results.
| Focal length | No stabilisation (1/equiv. focal) | With 3-stop IS | With 5-stop IBIS |
|---|---|---|---|
| 19 mm | 1/25 s | 0.3 s | 1.3 s |
| 39 mm | 1/50 s | 1/6 s | 0.6 s |
| 77 mm | 1/100 s | 1/13 s | 0.3 s |
| 155 mm | 1/200 s | 1/25 s | 1/6 s |
Lens#
The Canon EOS DCS 1 has a built-in, non-interchangeable lens. Use the real focal length of that lens with the tables above; its full-frame equivalent is that number × 1.29.
Similar cameras#
Other APS-H cameras from around the same time.
Frequently asked questions#
What is the crop factor of the Canon EOS DCS 1?
The Canon EOS DCS 1 has a crop factor of 1.29× relative to 35 mm full frame (diagonal 33.5 mm vs 43.3 mm).
What size is the Canon EOS DCS 1 sensor?
27.9 × 18.6 mm (APS-H), an area of 519 mm² — 60% of full frame.
Is the Canon EOS DCS 1 full frame?
No — its sensor is APS-H, which is 1.7× smaller in area than full frame.
How many megapixels does the Canon EOS DCS 1 have?
6.2 megapixels (3,060 × 2,036 pixels), enough for a 10 × 7 inch print at 300 DPI.
How long can I expose the night sky with the Canon EOS DCS 1?
With a 15 mm lens (19 mm equivalent) the 500 rule gives 26 s and the stricter NPF rule at f/2.8 gives 25 s.
Sources & licences#
- Wikipedia: Canon EOS DCS 1 — CC BY-SA 4.0
- Wikidata Q66356 — CC0
Last updated October 03, 2026 · How we calculate · Sources