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Canon EOS 20D 8.2MP Digital SLR Camera with EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 Lens
By: Canon Average Rating: 4.5 Total Reviews: 146
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 On: 2008-05-29
Love everything about this camera. Have had it for a few years and its durability and reliability stands the test. Newer models such as the 40D feel great and have larger viewing screens. My next upgrade will be to a 5D.
On: 2008-05-21
The 20D in my opinion is really the beginning of the cameras in the Canon line with really good image quality inherent in the sensors. The 30D adds some bells and whistles including spot metering that the 20D doesnt have. The 20D remains a capable camera and a good value if the limitations are suitable to you. If not, the 30D offers a little more features and is also an excellent value among the models available today.
On: 2008-03-03
One day, I finally decided to upgrade from my wonderful little Olympus camera I bought several years ago. I chose the Canon EOS 20D 8.2MP Digital SLR Camera with EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 Lens;
Wow! Let me give some of you a bit of advice: If youre not a professional photographer, skip this camera! I was totally overwhelmed with the millions of settings you needed to understand to just shoot the picture. I was way over my head. I know its a wonderful camera, for sure. I read all the reviews. I should have paid closer attention to the fact that the ones reveiwing this camera, were pros themselves!
I was really outsmarted by this one. I bought a Kodak Easy Share. This is a great camera, but even with this one, Im still figuring out all that can be done!!!
 On: 2008-02-01
Excellent Camera although a little dated now. If you are in the market for a Digital SLR Camera. Consider upgrading to the Canon EOS 40D.
On: 2008-01-09
I have been incredibly pleased with my Canon 20D since purchasing it while serving in Iraq in 2005. The camera has taken some rough handling and done pretty well in various climates.
From personal experience, it wont operate well when the temperature drops below 20 degrees or goes over 130. Its not waterproof. It isnt sand proof. However, it takes excellent, crisp pictures once you learn how to operate it and offers modes for both beginning and experienced photographers. Ive used flash memory ranging from 512KB to 8MB with no problems despite having used various brands.
I love my 20D and have used it to document many important events. Before that I used a 10D with equal pleasure. Now that the 30D and 40D have been released, the 20D should be available for a song.
On: 2008-01-04
Ive had this camera for a few years now and love it. Hawaii, Thailand, Alaska, and all over the US- this camera has done a great job.
I am not careful with my equipment (no lens caps, no camera bags, etc) and it still does a great job.
Enjoy,
Chris
www.spikeball.com
On: 2007-11-04
Its my buddy. Great piece of equipment. If you dont have the money to get a 5D, go for this one.
On: 2007-10-10
Ive gone digital! If I could sum this camera up into one phrase it would be "Instant gratification."
I hated digital cameras that made you wait, after turning them on, and between shots. There are to many shots that have to happen NOW or you lose the shot. You know what I mean... Film was a better choice. You dont have to "boot up" film to take a shot...
Now when I first got this camera. I tried to measure how long it would take before I could take a shot after I turned it on... As far as I can tell, there is NO DELAY! As fast as I turn it on is as fast as I can take a shot! Add 5 frames per-second for 20+ frames and Im very happy. The cool thing is you can also do the 5 frames per-second burst in any of the automatic modes, where focus and exposure is reset for each frame. No worries about wasting film. There is no film, and you can review your results immediatly. The images I get are top notch, with amazingly low noise(grain) in the higher ISO settings. Its hard to see any noise even at ISO-1600 . Combine this kit with a great computer app like Adobe LightRoom and you have the beginings of photography heaven.
On: 2007-07-09
This camera is excellent....bottom line. Even though the 30D is out I do not need to bother only due to the fact that Canon makes such dependable SLRs. I have impressed myself and my friends with the pictures the Canon 20D has allowed me to take.
On: 2007-06-19
For the price I do not think I could have done better. I got this as a up grade from a 300D and man what a deal, The 20D is everything I expected and more. The EF-S 17-85 mm is a great lens for a walk around lens,and the IS I love you can get some tough shots with out a tripod. If you are looking to up grade and dont need all the bells and whistles of the 30D this could be what your looking for, same camera different price
On: 2007-05-04
I have had this camera for about a year and a half and just have used it everywhere with great success. I have taken photos in the fog, the rain, sun, at noon, at twilight.....used the kit lens which did all right - it can actually be a pretty good lens. The 20D works well with any lens. I have some lovely photos taken with the 50 l.8; this is another inexpensive lens which gives very good results and it is excellent in low light. Since the 20D allows you to really change the ISO, you will get photos that never were a possibility before. Now that the 30D is out, I see the price of the 20D is less than when I bought it; I am not complaining as I have had the use for all this time. I bought the 580 Speedlite to use with this but have never had to use it. Amazing camera; you can just use the Auto function and be very pleased; or go on and learn all the various functions of the 20D to become a better protographer....buy it.
On: 2007-03-06
I ordered the camera from Beach Camera. My package was sent no signature required. They set my new 20d on the porch and left. What would have happened if my neighbor had not been the one to pick it up!!!!!!
On: 2007-01-16
This camera is certainly worth the step up from the Rebel if you truly want to get serious about photography as a hobby.
- The build of the case is superb
- The ergonomics are excellent, it fits right into your hands and all of the buttons are easily and intuitively accessible while you aim at your subject.
- Camera is large and heavy enough for heavy telephoto lenses, whereas the Rebel feels complete unbalanced
- There are just the right number of wheels/buttons for controlling aperture, shutter speed, metering, and focus points.
- unlike the new Rebel, there is an LCD display on top so that the big screen on the back does not have to turn on to show you the settings.
I am recommending this camera over the rebel for build and ergonomic reasons. If you are going to be taking lots of pictures and putting a lot of effort into them, then this next step is completely worth it.
On: 2007-01-10
Great Camera - Five Stares - Good build quailty, great photos. Simple to use and explore photography as a art. Takes more than your point and shoot but its worth it when you get that great shot.
Leses - 2 stars - Skip the 17mm-85mm and 18mm-55mm kits and get a really good all around lense that is forward compatable with a full 35mm CCD - Both kit lenses are EF-S and will not work on the 5D or other full frame DSLR or 35mm film bodies.
Get the body only and the 28mm-135mm lense to start if your new to photography and then go from there. If you are sure photography is for you get the EF 24-70mm f/2.8L USM. The kit lenses are not worth the money you spend for them.
On: 2007-01-04
Both my kids play volleyball and soccer. Soccer is easier to shoot from an available light perspective, harder from a large field to cover with a lens perspective. Volleyball (like basketball) is diabolical from an available light perspective. Indoor gymnasium lights are horrible at best. Setting a "custom white balance" is optimal, although the 20D AWB does pretty well in many gyms. You need to use high ISO settings (typically 1600, sometimes 3200 in a dim gym), and large apertures (f 2.8) to get shutter speeds that begin to freeze the on-court action. It was the shooting demands of indoor volleyball that led me to the Canon 20D. Even at high ISO settings the 20D has acceptably low image noise.
Its second winning attribute is its speed. It has very little shutter lag (~65ms with preset exposure and focus). I briefly owned a Digital Rebel 300D. Its shutter lag was considerably longer. Especially given the 300D lack of a custom function to allow focusing on demand (CF-4 set so * button locks focus). This custom function is the secret to shooting action sports. The 20D focuses quickly and on demand. (It focuses much faster than the 300D and orders of magnitude faster than a point n shoot digital camera I started with). It has a very fast burst rate of 5 frames/second. (But, dont count on fast bursts to catch the action! Even at 5 fps I have shot sequences in which the ball never appears in any of the frames of a hard driven "spike" in volleyball! The ball enters and exits the frame in < 1/5 of a second! You still have to learn to time your shots for that kind of action.)
I probably should have bought the "body only". The kit lens is useless for indoor sports. I occasionally use it for a large group shot in tight quarters. But for action sports the "kit lens" is virtually useless. It is too slow, and the shrinking aperture as you zoom in, makes it difficult to set a fixed exposure. For volleyball I shoot with two alternate lens, both of which I can highly recommend). I use a Tamaron 28-75 F2.8 when I can get close to the sidelines and a Canon 70-200 F2.8 for when Im on the end lines or up in the bleachers. Both lens have a constant aperture when zooming. Both lens are relatively "fast lens" that work well under gymnasium lighting conditions.
When I go outdoors the 70-200 with a 1.4x tele-extender becomes my primary shooting setup for soccer.
With the 20D I have taken thousands of sports pictures. Ive become the semi-official team photographer for 5 different sports teams. The other parents order prints from my website. "Point and shoot" digital cameras work fine for the "medal ceremonies" and the side-line shots of the fans, and candid shots between matches. But for capturing the action you cant touch a DSLR. I shot one season with a Canon G-3 (a very good point
On: 2007-01-03
I recently decided to get serious about digital photography when I attempted to photograph my son playing guitar at a concert with a point and shoot digital camera. I missed all of the great shots due to the delay in shooting that is inherent in most point and shoot cameras. I became very interested in a more expensive setup when the Canon Rebel XT had a dramatic price drop to ~$800. But after going to the store and holding it in my hand, it felt way too small and I didnt like the plastic feel of the camera. To help me figure out which camera would be best for me, I determined my main areas of interest for photography and stuck to that while evaluating all possible cameras. My main interests in photography are portraits and my kids sporting events. Because of this, I knew I needed something with burst capability and a fast write to disk capability, which this camera has. I also wanted easy to access shutter and aperture controls that didnt require me to go into a menu to change - again, this camera is very easy to adjust and use in manual setting with controls for both right on the outside frame of the camera. Im new to both digital and film photography, but Ive been having success in using the manual mode because Ive read a couple of books on exposure and the controls on this camera are so easy to use. In terms of support for portraits, I knew I needed a lens that supported an optical range between 85-105mm. That didnt end up affecting my camera body purchase decision.
This is going to sound very superficial, but I really liked the feel of the Canon 20D in my hand. It is not too heavy, and it is very solid. All of the controls are very easy to access and are intuitive. Dont discount the importance of the feel of the camera in your hand. If you do one thing in your search, be sure to go to a store and hold whatever camera youre thinking about purchasing in your hand. Shoot a couple of shots in the store with it. Youll be amazed at your reaction to simply holding the camera in your hand and the impact it can have on you.
I recently joined a photography club at work and about 80% of the people in the club have this exact camera. I purchased this camera before I joined the club. I was amazed. There is a lot of support for new users of this camera in the community - lots of books, videos, and clubs. Its so helpful when you see demos that are based on your exact camera. Dont get me wrong - there is a ton of support for Nikon cameras as well. In fact, Nikon and Canon run neck and neck in terms of quality and continued improvement in their overall camera lines.
I decided not to opt for the Canon 30D because it was more than I really needed, and to be honest, I wanted to save money for some really great lenses. In terms of "glass" recommendations, I bought two lenses to start with - the EFS 17-85mm f/4-5.6 IS USM (for portraits and every day shooting), and you can actually get this lens as an optional kit lens with the Canon 20D. B+H Video in NY offers it with the body as a kit lens and I highly recommend this over the standard poor quality kit lens that is more commonly offered. The other lens I purchased was the EF 70-200mm f/2.8L USM for shooting sports. This is such a great lens - I cant say enough positive comments about this lens. Worth every penny. I highly recommend the Speedlite 580EX external flash for great indoor candids and excellent indoor portraits. I point the speedlite at the ceiling and bounce the light to get very natural, diffused lighting. Dont use the built in flash on this camera - it is not going to give you good results. Your shots will look like normal point and shoot pictures if you use the built in flash. Also, get at least a 2 GB memory card - the Ultra II SanDisks are the way to go because they have a fast enough write speed to support shooting sports. I can fit about 450 JPEG-Fine shots on a single disk, which is more than enough for an amateur like me. Im going to move to RAW pretty soon once I learn the basics of Photoshop Elements 5.0, and Ill probably fit ~30% less shots on the disk, so Ill probably spring for a back up disk.
Ive shot at least 4000 shots so far with this camera since purchasing it on Labor Day of 2006 and have had no problems whatsoever. It is a great camera body that Im sure will serve me well for years to come.
On: 2006-12-25
Basically the 2 biggest SLR manufacturers in this category are Nikon and Canon. While both are great cameras, I ultimately chose the Canon because of the a wider array of lenses. I found that reading camera reviews on Amazon were not as useful looking at sites that were dedicated to digital photography.
by: thecardinal_usa On: 2006-12-06
Two years ago when I bought the 20D body, Nikon couldnt come close to its specs. It truly is an excellent camera: ultra fast & feature packed.
I have a few of the better zoom "L" series lens but no prime lens yet: thus, I really cant tell how good this camera and lens combo can really get. But for the zooms I have (about $2000 worth), just dont seem to equal the pictures of my older Nikons.
That aside, because of the blazing speed of the 20D camera, I got pics that I could have never gotten with what Nikon had to offer at the time. Therefore, I love this camera.
On: 2006-11-22
I am lifelong photographer and I purchased this camera in January. I have taken it on several major trips. It is an wonderful performer. I have many 11x14 enlargements that I have received terrific feedback on. The quality of this camera and the Cannon optics will not disappoint. The price is right now that the replacement is out.
On: 2006-10-01
Wonderful camera. Very flexiable, very versitile. Can be the most wonderful creation device in someone whom is capable. Def a good buy now that the 30D is out.
Ive had this camera for over a year and I STILL love it.
On: 2006-08-25
Excellent Camera with high end capabilities. Easy to use and intuitive system controls.
On: 2006-08-18
I am just a hobbyist. This was a big purchase and a big step for me to get into this level of camera. I still havent mastered using it yet, and Ive had it for a few months.
It does a wonderful job of taking pictures. If you have the right lenses, it can take some of the most beautiful pictures youve ever seen. Again, Im just a hobbyist/enthusiast. I use it to take pictures for work, too.
I highly recommend getting a couple of VERY good lenses to go with it. Dont go with the cheap lenses that Canon, Tamron, Sigma, etc. make for this camera. Do yourself a favor and get a nice zoom - spend some bucks. Youll be happy you did.
The camera itself is pretty easy to use if you leave it on auto, but thats like buying a race car and never shifting out of first gear. The auto settings are great, and they do a wonderful job, but you can do so much more if you learn to use the camera in Manual, Av, Tv, or P mode. It allows you so much more creativity that youll be amazed at the difference.
The 30D came out right before I bought the 20D, and I would probably buy it for the price now, but Im very happy with my 20D.
On: 2006-07-29
This camera is really great. I knew I liked it before, but I immediately began to appreciate this camera all the more when I ended up with a Rebel XT as a "loaner" while my 20d was in repair.
Not that the XT is a bad camera, it just doesnt really compare to the 20d.
The 20d has a nice feel to it; it is fairly large, which is great since I have somewhat large hands. The features are great too. And the image quality is awesome. I dont really need to go into all of the details, as most of the other reviewers have done an excellent job. Let me just say that it is a great camera and is worth the five stars.
The only complaint I have about the camera is that it doesnt have spot metering. The ability to do your light metering off of a single point of interest would be great - and they did add it to the 30d.
On: 2006-04-12
Impressive feature list wih affordable price, for the serious ameteur. ive been using the 20D with 18-55, 50mm 1.8, 35-80, 80-200 and 500/1000mm lenses. i am not disappointed. i am planning to upgrade to the L series lenses but slowly.
i do not mean to be over entusiastic about canon, but i am yet to see a Nikon camera with the same specs at the same or ever a near equal price. ive got the FM10 for film photography. i love both my cameras.
Impressive features include:
Mirror lockup
ISO 3200 with noise reduction
18 custom functions
accepts the entire series of canon lens.
heavy metal body (no cheap plastic feel)
On: 2006-04-04
This is a great camera. Plenty of resolution. Excellent shot speed. Sturdy frame. The kit lense doesnt do the camera justice. Buy the body separate and add a better lense.
On the bad side, I had a small glitch with the cameras firmware soon after purchase and had to return it for a fix. It was two months before the camera was returned. Sorry, Canon... you lose a star for that.
On: 2006-03-25
This camera is amazing, I couldnt have asked for more. Just be warned that the manual is pretty terrible. Its best to just play around with the camera until you figure it out, rather than wasting time trying to decipher the manual.
On: 2006-03-24
My kids are in competitive Tae Kwon Do. I have now used the camera my wife gave me one year ago at several tournaments. It is able to stop action and take great shots even in low lighting. Now, we tried it when we went skiing and it also worked great in the glare conditions of the snow. I bought a monopod that worked real well to stabalize and I use software called PhotoFinale to crop and share the photos.
One year into the usage I am still looking forward to each chance I get to play with this "toy".
Next options: battery grip, flash diffuser, extra remote flash...
On: 2006-03-14
I bought this camera about 2 months before my son was born. I knew little about Digital SLRs, but after research I found that this was the one for me. This camera is well constructed and durable. The pictures are excellent. I have blown a few of my pictures up to 11X17 without any problem. Also, if you are going to be doing any editing of photos on your computer, this camera would be great. I would recommend purchasing the newest version of Photoshop or Photoshop elements (when I bought mine it only came with Elements 2.0 and 3.0 was already on the market). Also, if you want your pictures to turn out, you MUST purchase a larger flash. The onboard flash is weak, will leave shadows and it does not allow you to do any type of "bounce" flash. On the whole, this is the best camera I have ever had in my life and it would be great for anyone who has previous experience with SLR cameras.
On: 2006-03-13
I have gone from the old 640x480 about nine years ago to a 3.1m for the last few years to the Canon 20d now, what a pleasure to shot. The battery life has not been an issue even with over 250 shots, which should be sufficient for most anybody. There is a small learning curve but you would expect this with any new camera.
The lens choice was a great idea which came from an earlier review of the excellent walk around ability of this lens from the general shots to the closeups of those favorite flowers.
For those individuals who are on the fence about this product I tout it to all I have spoken to. It turned a good photo experience on our west coast road trip into a real serious photo shoot, it also uses the commonly accessable compact flash.
The built in flash works well have not had to explore the options at this time. The delivery of this item when promised was a nice bow on the package.
On: 2006-03-08
This is my 4th digital camera. I keep upgrading as my skills get better. Finally on a SLR.
I had read that the controls took getting used to. True it took me reading the manual to get them all figured out DUH! Straight out of the box I began shooting in automatic mode and the camera takes remarkable images. The focus at 100 percent can look a little fuzzy because of the anti-aliasing filter in front of the sensor but it is impossible to tell at anything less than 100 percent and sometimes not even there. You can zap it right out with unsharp mask in Photoshop. If you dont have at least Photoshop Elements get it. If you pay this much for a camera what is 70 bucks more.
Out doors the camera is remarkable, indoors the white balance sucks bigtime but you can easily correct it especially if you are shooting raw. On the other side you have completely usable images even at 1600 ISO so that is great. Not much noise at all. 3200 starts to pick up a bit but is still better than some cheap cameras.
So far about 6000 shots and no problems, nothing but praise for this camera. I have shot everything from flowers to faces, streetcars to sunrises and it has performed admirably.
I have shot over 20,000 digital images now with all my cameras and I believe I will stay with this one for a long time. It exceeded my expectations.
On: 2006-03-03
Love using this camera. Ease of use allows photographer to spend more time actually creating the photo than fiddling with menus and buttons. Low noise performance is above average for my usage ISO1600 is useable. Things I would have liked to see are permanent ISO display in viewfinder, Antireflective LCD, extended EC settings(+-5) and being able to chose focus point when using "basic zone".
On: 2006-03-01
i have owned this camera for well over a year now. and it has served me great!
this camera has so much less noise than my original 1d, and has a great responce time. everything is near instantanious. and image quality is outstanding!
however, stacked against the 1d mk IIn, it pales in comparison. but thats what you get in comparing a flagship camera to a prosumer camera. however, the battery in the 20d is much suppieor, and the camera itself is smaller and lighter. the images from the 20d acually show more detail, but they are also more likely to be off in some way, just by the nature of the camera. the 5fps is great for sports or fast action. however, it could use a larger burst rate for raw images, like the 10d precursor.
On: 2006-02-28
This is the best camera Ive tested. Of course this is NOT the cheapest camera, but if you really love photography this is the product for you !
On: 2006-02-24
The camera is everything I expected it to be and more. Give me a year or so and I may be up to speed on all of it. Everything has been splendid.
On: 2006-02-24
The 20D is wonderful for my photography business. It is instant on and only takes a quick second to pull up previews of pictures. Other digital cameras of the professional grade took too long to record the image before you could view it. Sharp, quick, and flexible. I would buy this camera in a heartbeat if I was still shopping for one!
On: 2006-02-19
This is my 4th digital camera, the previous 3 being point and shoot and I still have my latest point and shoot for the movie capability (S1 IS). The 20D is also my second SLR, my first SLR I still have after 23 years, but more for sentimental reasons, these days.
I did a lot of research before deciding on this camera. Original research started about a year before the purchase, but, at that time did not have a need for DSLR until now. My primary reason for going to DSLR is for the low-noise as it is very important for astrophotography.
Similar to another reviewer, I also considered the 350D and the Nikon D70. I had some advantage regarding the D70 as my brother owns one. The heated decision came between the 350D and the 20D. Size/weight were only a minor consideration for me, but I really did like the metal body of the 20D. I found sites with samples of astrophotos from the 350D as well as the D70. The D70 has an inherent heat problem for long exposures and develops a "hot area" in the upper left portion of the images. The noise reduction it has is effective for reducing this, but I just didnt like the fact that it existed. Comparing 350D results to 20D, well, one would be pressed to notice the differences. However, in looking closely at review sites (such as dpreview), even they admitted the clarity on the 20D edged out the 350D (what is nice, you can see for yourself in their images). No, not a big difference at all, but I am wanting the best of the 2 at this point.
In the end, my decision was for the 20D mostly because this is the very camera Canon themselves used to create a camera purely for astrophotography - the 20Da. My thought is, if Canon chose this, there is a reason. I did not want the 20Da, however, as I plan to use the 20D for "normal" shooting, as well...but I was sold on the 20D.
Having used it for more than a week, I put it through some gruesome tests...including, of course, long exposures. I wanted to check for hot pixels at 30 sec exposures. The short version is: I checked with the Canon 5D results on dpreview and my results are on par with it...and the 5D price is nearing 3 times the 20D price.
Also, in more tests, I have found the 20D noise reduction has improved (I am guessing with the newer firmware my camera has) over what the results are on the dpreview site.
Oh, and of course (for fun) I compared results from the point and shoots I have/have had. I still have results from my A40 and S1 and, at ISO400 the point and shoots are blown so far out of the water you just cant find them.
I am a very happy person. An outstanding camera.
Canon 20D: Highly recommended on all points.
On: 2006-02-09
Having owned and loved my 10D but for not very long my very honest and not to over-sale camera sales person suggested I not upgrade. He shoots wide angle a lot and I am a rapid fire person, forever and qucikly changing focal length who loves to take kids without them knowing and rarely miss or use a wide angle per se. So his counter part disagreed owning both the 10 and 20 D and I followed suit and have been very impressed but at the same time also upgraded myself to the 20D lens series with the 17-85 lens and the "L glass and Image stabiliazation" as my guy says. The lens that comes with the camera is pretty musch garbage and should be bought with body only or with the upgrade to this fine L lens series unless wanting to go into the thousands for each lens. The pictures have been fabulous so I am not sure how much due to the upgrade to the 20 or the upgrade of the lens. I am dissappointed in the focal length however as previously with an off brand but good 28-200 and I loved the fact I could be taking the whole pool at a party or the nose of a kid and they did not know. This new lens does not provide the length I like so will now purchase the 70 to 200 but consider this a crucial point in terms of focal lentgh to be switching lenses and with the time to switch out a lens and I have numb hands. I am concerned it will slow down my style. Other canon lenses are either in the thousands or lack the image stabilization or the wonderful glass quality of this new 20D series. I will keep a new Tamaron 28 - 200 for the cases in which I feel this is the best alternative as when not needing the same quality and not wanting to change. Also as a red eye hater and I do not care how manty photo editing programs you have, I would only have this or any camera with the flash attachment and find my 550 from the 10d just fine. Be careful as their are items now for just the 20D and not interchangeable with the 10D and I have seen people dissappointed receiving the wrong information. This is a fabulous camera and the sports function is a blast for making of slide shows with photos. Set the time of each photo at one second and the sliide show resembles a video and yet you have the beauty of the pictures. Buy a basic book on how to shoot what you shoot and you can not go wrong. The only way to go wrong is to not take pictures at the highest level even if you still are so excited about how wonderful it is you get more pictures at shooting at a lower level. You must buy a good and I mean a good gig compact flash disk. ( at least one) Why brag about the price of your costco cheap gig disk with slow processing when spending the money for a camera with quick? Also then should of bought the lower level mega pixel any way. Let your email program condense but do not loose the ability to crop! Take, take, take and remember that the best pros used to say of a roll of 36 you were lucky if one picture turns out good maybe two. Do not analyse your roll in playback while shooting or you will miss the next great shot but have discovered the hard to take child can easily be brought into the process by taking their picture, checking for focus and then in playback showing them how you can magnify to their eye lashes. This gets them all the time. Then they are fun and relaxed and no more mug shots as they now want to see how you can do that. Also the joy of the garbage can. I took 450 pictures of my kids school during the halloween festivities and submit to the yearbook but my passion. Why not take so many. You should see my collectiuon of shots. 450 no way. 475 with the cropping out of individuals and garbage canning the not good. No editing, usually just the cropping and done. Then back up and remember the pictures you print today will be gone in 30 to 40 years so the back up on disk mandatory as that wonderful scrapbook that will not have pictures most likely by the time little Johnny now 3 months has kids at 35 can be redone or the pictures still here. Keep that film camera and bring it out no matter how it hurts or feels good and take some black and white four times a year on film for archival records. Set four holidays or special days you will remember and shoot 100 of your family and items of the era. Then you will have the ones here in 300 years for your decendents. Also if you have the disk space save those photos not quite yet saveable by your current abilities or editing software as in the future the technology may be here to get the horribly out of focus one you took of Julie at her first day of kindergarten as she moved too fast focused and looking good or you may learn more. Problems in future include use of compact flash cards instead of smaller disks for memory and the fact of the pins wearing down so try and use a memory card reader vs the camera when downloading. In two years the pins on my 10 d need replacing based on there being prone to damage and bending even when careful, so the camera with extended warranty is needing to go back to Cannon for fixing and now OK but hard to give up camera for 6 to 8 weeeks. Also when push comes to shove if you know your cannon product, no matter the level of customer the support will stand behind you, Technically if you buy from them or another rep whether online or real store and the product deficient from the start the rule of Cannon is you send it back to Cannon and even if it never worked, you are to take for repair or send in for a refurbrished replacement. After buying a i1990 printer for $500 with a rebate of $100 and it never even printed a picture I thought I deserved a new replacement. There is no such thing with Cannon as a "lemon" with a new replacement. They eventually agreed and were very quick about sticking behind their product but then I own the eos elan II e, the 10 d, the 20 d, bought the printer, was talking about a new video so who knows. At least they knew not to make mad a loyal customer but had to go to supervisor and believe nice carries more weight. The use of pictbridge color vs. Print image matching is also a concern as Canon is one of the few to stick with their own system making it a necessity to buy their printers in many cases. Make sure to have a pict bridge printer or you will be disappointed and editing everything as with my set up the 20 d talks to my mac, the mac to my epson with print image matching but since it does not have the pict bridge functioning as well the compact flash can not "speak" to the printer carrt with it the inportant color or exposure information. Without a pict bridge printer to read the quality poor unless editing constantly and with this camera this is not necessary unless you want to change in some graphical sense and not help. This makes it impossible to easily acheive the same colors you see on your screen of your computre and also the matchiung LCD on the camera when printing. For fun and speed the epson 4 x 6 priinter with the LCD display even though more than some counter parts is great for those occassions as it is pictbridge and my kids love for me to take pictures at playdates or sleep overs and then i get them going on a non messy project of a scrapbook with a three hole punch into 12 by 12 paper and markers with a yarn tie or the decorating of foam frames. This keeps the kids busy and they love going home with a framed picture or a few pages of a scrapbook and then I put my kids in a book and the kids are busy and happy for two hours. Worth the 29 cents per print. Make sure you have a pict bridge printer as my new i1990 great and my my brother the 800 something he loves despite using a non cannon camera of lower quality and he needs to edit too much. Looks fake but not due to printer. Good luck. Not a good customer of the 5d for me as not wide angle, you should be sold a camera for how you shoot, not just the camera. My girlfriend bought an olympus, a fine camera, SLR, for $3000, but portrait with slow processor and no sports mode and yet 3 sons out there stealing first all the time. Good camera, wrong fit. Tell the person who you are and how you shoot, go to a good store and then buy here if you want. Anyone ever try to use the amazon extra warranty? I have not had the occasion to use it and now knowing Cannons policy would wonder about exchanges as I know if I buy from the toys r us link the store easily takes something back whether they carry it or not. amazon you are great in every way. i come to you instead of consumer reports or the magazines to get product information thru customer reviews. All is well. Do not go anywhere. Why is my sons math book $70 however. Not you I am sure. Horrible. I know so much about the printers as had to trouble shoot on my own. No cannon, apple or epson person knew about it but the reviews on amazon had others commenting so I knew not just me. So then i get it and then the release of the info in the trades. Any one can recomend a high quality and a midrange Cannon Video?
On: 2006-02-03
For what ever reason Canon doesnt have a way to change the file prefix - and worse it is the same as some of their other cameras - so it is quite possible to overwrite pictures with the same name!
A sane file name would allow the user to put a prefix - like ones initials and then add date and GMT time when the file is moved off of the FAT files system ie (kps20060201-175317 for Feb 1st 5:53Pm + 17seconds)
On: 2006-01-29
Not Perfect but Probably the best camera out there for the money. I would actually rate it a 4.5 out of 5. Image quality is excellent, speed is excellent, good focusing. Image quality is limited mostly by the lens quality, the better the lens, the better, more sharp the image.
A few gripes are:
1) comes with sensor dust on the sensor so will need a professional cleaning right out of the box, you wouldnt expect this at this price level.
2) no spot metering, which is almost unacceptable and can be very annoying and cause you to miss the shot, must use manual exposure or adjust other modes with exposure adjustment
3) Mirror slap much too loud, doesnt matter in many situations but during a wedding is disruptive and can get you removed from a church, or during wildlife or candid photography, can scare away or shy the subject
4) misses perfect focus too often, i think a infrared light would help, because when i use my 580 speedlite that has one, it is perfect focus every time. in good light focus is usually dead on, especially if i tell it where to focus.
5) One occassion so far where camera locked up and wouldnt work at all...removed battery and put back in, then it worked again.
6) kit lens is no good, so have to spend an additional $500 on a good lens. I have found the 17-85 4-5.6 IS lens to be great other than its price and the lack of lens hood. No other lens has IS in that focal length and it allows me to take photos in low light handheld to 1/4 second, its pretty sharp, and has a great focal range. I just wish it were "faster" (i.e., f 2.8 throughout the range).
8) I miss 50 iso from my previous camera, the Olympus C-750 UZ. Its good for waterfall shots.
7) Viewer is only 95%, which wouldnt be so bad if it were centered but its is not so cropping is often necessary, wasting at least 0.5 megapixels.
These are the major issues i have encountered so far, but I still like this camera very much. I would have a hard time choosing between the 20d and the nikon d200 if i were to do it all over but the 20d was the best camera out there at the $1300 price range when i bought it and still is one of the best out there in this price range.
On: 2006-01-28
Not Perfect but Probably the best camera out there for the money. I would actually rate it a 4.5 out of 5. Image quality is excellent, speed is excellent, good focusing. Image quality is limited mostly by the lens quality, the better the lens, the better, more sharp the image.
A few gripes are:
1) comes with sensor dust on the sensor so will need a professional cleaning right out of the box, you wouldnt expect this at this price level.
2) no spot metering, which is almost unacceptable and can be very annoying and cause you to miss the shot, must use manual exposure or adjust other modes with exposure adjustment
3) Mirror slap much too loud, doesnt matter in many situations but during a wedding is disruptive and can get you removed from a church, or during wildlife or candid photography, can scare away or shy the subject
4) misses perfect focus too often, i think a infrared light would help, because when i use my 580 speedlite that has one, it is perfect focus every time. in good light focus is usually dead on, especially if i tell it where to focus.
5) One occassion so far where camera locked up and wouldnt work at all...removed battery and put back in, then it worked again.
6) kit lens is no good, so have to spend an additional $500 on a good lens. I have found the 17-85 4-5.6 IS lens to be great other than its price and the lack of lens hood. No other lens has IS in that focal length and it allows me to take photos in low light handheld to 1/4 second, its pretty sharp, and has a great focal range. I just wish it were "faster" (i.e., f 2.8 throughout the range).
8) I miss 50 iso from my previous camera, the Olympus C-750 UZ. Its good for waterfall shots.
7) Viewer is only 95%, which wouldnt be so bad if it were centered but its is not so cropping is often necessary, wasting at least 0.5 megapixels.
These are the major issues i have encountered so far, but I still like this camera very much. I would have a hard time choosing between the 20d and the nikon d200 if i were to do it all over but the 20d was the best camera out there at the $1300 price range when i bought it and still is one of the best out there in this price range.
On: 2006-01-27
Personally I dont have this camera, but I know the 20D succesor might be announced at the annual PMA in February 20 or so, and thats when Canon will make their announcement with their new lineup of Digital SLR and lens. So I would wait if I were you for this cameras succesor, and theres a good chance its due out!
On: 2006-01-12
Too good
On: 2006-01-04
I have been a Canon EOS user since film days (can we say those are nearly erstwhile yet?). I always favored my RebelG because it did what it was supposed to do very well, every time, and predictably. I also have some medium format cameras that are just fun cameras, such a twin-lens Rollei on 220 format.
For the past two years, Ive owned and used a Digital Rebel with the hand grip, and loved that camera, and the pictures it makes.
Now, I feel like I was missing out on something that whole time because the 20D is all those cameras and a banana split to boot.
I pulled the camera from the box and attached a 28-135 IS, and have been snapping away ever since. The camera feels good in the hand and is easy to handle. The new control styles will take Rebel users a while to accomodate as things are moved around a little on you, but the new control system is well thought out and intuitive on its own.
Setting options on the fly is a breeze, and easier than with my Rebel because two options can be changed with each button. The thumb wheel in the back controls one, and the finger wheel controls changing the other option. For instance, to change the ISO, click the DRIVE-ISO button, and move your thumb on the back wheel. Changing the drive is done with the finger wheel. Slick. Especially when you want to change a lot of options for a quick shot.
EOS accessories work well, as expected. So far, I have attached an ancient 50/1.8 EF (mk I -- the tank lens), the 18-55 EF-S, and the 28-135 IS. Each of these lenses has worked as expected. However, the viewfinder is so much brighter than my old Rebel, that even the lenses seem new. I even used my Speedlite 380EX without hassle. I dont think the 380EX supports TTL-II (the new metering system), but the exposures came out as I have expected them to be from years of EOS use. Even better.
Picture Quality is simply phenomenal. Two years ago, I was astounded at how similarly my Digital Rebel responded as if it were film, but the 20D is not only like film, its like perfect film. What I mean is that is no matter what you shoot (ISO 100 to 1600 to H (3200)), the image responds the way you expect film would, but you dont have to worry about graininess caused by bad film processing, or from film getting hot, etc... Shooting in H (ISO 3200) is cleaner than the old Fuji 800 I used to shoot.
Now, looking through the viewfinder is a little different: the 9-point AF layout is new to any EOS camera I have handled. The diamond shape is quite an improvement. Plus, I have noticed that the camera gives more information than my Digital Rebel did. There are AF points that dimly flash to show that an object will be in focus, but at the edge of the focal plane. Bright points are in perfect focus. Its a very nice addition to the usual feedback.
The multipoint joystick located on the back of the camera makes it easier than ever to change AF points without getting out of the viewfinder, too. Click the AF-point selecter button on the the far right and slide your thumb over to the joystick to move right to the AF point you want. It couldnt be any simpler!
ONE BIG DIFFERENCE!!!! The shutter sound is totally different than my Digital Rebel. Its louder, but sleeker sounding. The 20D sounds like it is a film camera. For people like myself, who enjoyed film shooting, it is handy to hear the mirror slap up and the shutter motor bzzzeeerrriiipppt!
Setting the drive in continuous can be a bit startling, however, if you leave your finger on the shutter. You can fire off 5 shots in a second, and it means it. bam! bam! bam! bam! bam! Whats funny is to hand the camera to someone who has never used an EOS and they will snap 10 pics. Keep it in one shot if you have a mediocre CF card.
Setting in-camera parameters is very, very, very easy. One very nice addition to the 20D is the ability to make custom parameters, but also to tweak the white balance in the same way you can on the top of the line. I havent needed to do so yet, but I can see where it will be handy in mixed lighting (flourescent/incandescent).
The bottom line is that there is really very little to hold you back from getting this camera, if you want a digital SLR. The fit and finish is awesome (even down to the nice embossed logo on the flash -- so much nicer than the screen printed logo). The styling is appropriate for an SLR (dont expect a light load if you add the battery grip, an external flash, and have a long lens). The end result is spectacular!
You should look into finding excellent printing resources to go with this camera. I use a Canon Pixma at home, and one online service that has exceptional print quality. The prints this camera can make will make you proud to see your friends and others gawking -- but be prepared to print more posters and large, large prints than ever. Its kind of nice when 4x6 just isnt enough for some prints.
The bottom line is a 5 for this camera. Canon has made each feature work well. It has provided durability (even in a 100,000 snap shutter). And it works very very well for what it is. No less than a 5.
One more thing (I cant shut up about this camera, I love it). The features of the camera mechanics themselves (such as the 1/8000 top shutter speed, and little things like 2-d curtain synch, PC synch for studio flashes, etc) are what you expect in a top-of-the line film camera. Many of the similarly featured film-based EOS cameras used to price out around $1000. Given that you never have to buy film or processing, this camera is a steal... it really is. I love it!
If you want to shoot in low light, fast action, or plain old snapshots, this camera is for you.
On: 2005-12-31
I received this for Christmas, 2005. It takes excellent pictures. It is pricey, but well worth it. I am very impressed, with the quality of the photos and the quality of the camera. You do not have to wait between pictures, it can take multiply picture at a time.
I have several Sony digital cameras and 2 Minolta film cameras and this is the best of the lot.
On: 2005-12-29
This camera is a dream come true. It has a fairly thorough user manual that comes with it--thorough for being a free user manual anyway. You can do everything manually, but it also has a pretty sufficient all-automatic function. It is well worth the clams.
On: 2005-12-28
My wife and I were sick and tired of the "shutter lag" that point and shoots are plagued with. We missed a lot of good pictures due to this. That lead me to look at digital SLRs, which do not suffer this malady. Also, most P&S cameras have plastic bodies. While this may keep costs down, and it certainly makes a camera lighter, nothing compares to a good old metal body - like on the 20D. In fact, the metal body was a big reason we opted for this camera over the more affordable Digital Rebel (plus the 8.2 MP vs 6 MP). Canon recently introduced an 8.0 MP version of the Digital Rebel. If a metal body is not a big deal to you, you may wish to look into that.
One thing to keep in mind when using this camera indoors - lighting is important. Indoor pictures turn out darker than anticipated. This can be overcome by proper lighting and camera angle. Outdoors, you will get outstanding results every time.
I have been experimenting with the "creative zone" settings of this camera with mixed results. I have used a slow shutter release to take some good pictures of the moon and stars reflecting off of the Gulf of Mexico. Conversly, I have tried some action shots that were quite blurry - switching back to auto mode corrected this. Any problems Ive had with this camera have been user related, not a problem with the equipment.
I love the idea of interchangable lenses. If youre not happy with the zoom capabilities of the camera, get a stronger zoom lens and youre all set. Want to do some macro photos? Theres a lens for you out there as well. Keep in mind, the camera itself will not fit in your pocket, and a couple of extra lenses will not either; you will need a good bag to haul the stuff around in. When equiped with the 18-55mm lens that comes in the kit, it is no problem to strap it around your neck and take it with you wherever you roam.
Also, the battery can outlast the Energizer Bunny! We turned off the auto review feature, which extends the battery life furter. If you wish to review a picture, all it takes is a push of the button, and you are in review mode. Want to take another picure? Just "point and shoot", when you press the shutter release to take a picture, you will automatically exit any of the menu items you may be in at the time. If the camera goes into power save mode, just "point and shoot", the camera wakes up as soon as the shutter release is pressed. When turning on the camera, it is ready to take a picture faster than you are. The bottom line, you will never miss a picture opportunity because you are waiting on the camera!
I expect to have this camera for a very long time. I have heard some experts say that any digital camera over 5 MP is a waste for home use, since most people will only print out 4 x 6 pictures, with the occasional 8 x 10, but it is comforting to know that I can use this camera to make much larger prints with no loss of detail. In the long run, I think the initial cost of the camera will be worth it - it should outlast even the best P & S cameras seveal times over.
After having owned this camera for a little over a year now, I can find no faults with it. I recommend this camera to anyone who wishes to make "shutter lag" a thing of the past.
On: 2005-12-28
This is my second digital camera. Previously I had used the Fuji Finepix s5000, but wanted to move up to an SLR system so that I could eventually use a variety of lenses.
I was very concerned at the beginning of my DSLR buying process- it seems to me that once a person buys a body and a few lenses, they are committed to that camera makers "system" pretty much for life, so I wanted to be very certain that this was the right choice. If you purchase a 20d, you are not just buying a 20d, you are making (often) a pretty serious financial commitment to Canon technology.
I chose a canon 20d for a few reasons; I had decided early on in the process to stick to Nikon or Canon, as they are the clear leaders not only of Digital SLRs, but of Camera technology in general. Thus, though certain other SLRs like the Olympus E-Volt or the Pentax *istD are attractive, they simply do not have the range of accessories or the support community of either Canon or Nikon.
I ended up seriously considering three cameras; the Canon 350d (Digital Rebel), The Canon 20d, and the Nikon D70. From talking to other folks who were in the same situation as me, This seems to be a common range of choices people face
I ended up choosing Canon because it seems to me that they have a slightly better line of lenses than Nikon, particularly those available on the used market. This is important, because the more you use your DSLR, the more you will want that lens that is just a slightly wider angle, or just a slightly faster aperture, etc.
Once I decided to go for Canon, I chose the 20d over the 350d primarily due to size and toughness. The 350d is a great Camera, and its sensor is very similar to the 20d. However, the 20ds magnesium alloy chassis is much heavier than the 350d. It can certainly take a lot more abuse than the plastic 350d body- and I tend to take my camera on a lot of long trips. The 350d is a lot lighter, which is nice- but I frankly found its body too small to grip easily. As I have very large hands, this was a serious disadvantage to me. For someone with smaller hands the 350d probably feels fine. You will have to pick one up and judge this for yourself.
The layout of the camera itself is a lot easier to use than the 350d as well. The camera requires far less attention when shifting settings than the 350d, and thus frees up your "focus" for the subject you are shooting. I cannot stress how ergonomic and intuitive I find this camera to be.
Since I have purchased the 20d, I have not regretted it for a minute. This camera is a real joy to work with. The viewfinder is nice and bright (looking through glass again instead of an EVF is a pleasure, believe me). The range of ISO settings from 100-1600 is wonderful, particularly nice are long twilight/night shots at ISO 100 that give you some lovely colors. Shooting night and low light with the 20d will blow your mind. The CMOS sensor of the 20d produces almost noiseless images at high ISO settings.
The best feature of the camera is the quick start up time. It can go from dormant to actively autofocusing in 0.2 seconds. My previous camera took 2 seconds to "turn on." That may not sound like a great deal, but I lost countless shots due to that fact, and it is what pushed me most to upgrade my camera.
I tend to shoot on aperture priority or A-DEP (like auto, but with no flash), but there are a variety of "pre-set" modes for portraiture, sports, night shooting, and so on that are easy to use.
The megapixel count is nice, but not really that important. Comparing images made from the 6 megapixel Nikon D70 and 8 megapixel Canon 20d, one cant really notice any difference until you blow them up to ridiculous sizes. At this level of the MP game, the quality of the lens you use is far more important to final resolution than the sensors pixel count. If you compare the kit lens (18-55mm f3.5-5.6) at its wide focal lengths and lower apertures with the canon 50mm f1.8 prime lens at f8, It looks like you are shooting with 2 different cameras. The same holds for Nikon as well, so dont decide for the 20d simply because it has more megapixels than the D70. Of course, even the worst canon lens beats the hell out of my old digicam on its best day.
I have had a few problems with some older third party manufacturer lenses made for the Canon mount, Like Sigma and Tamron, not working with the new 20d body; but I have been told that if you ship off the lens to the manufacturer they will rechip it for free. All currently manufactured 3rd party lenses ought to work with this body. Keep in mind that the Canon digital sensor is smaller than 35mm film, so there is a "focal length multiplier" that makes your lenses "longer" than they would be on a regular film SLR. The focal length multiplier for the 20d is 1.6 . That means a 100mm lens on a film camera acts like a 160mm lens on a 20d. For those who like to focus close up with telephoto, thats great, because you can buy a relatively inexpensive 300mm lens, and it will shoot almost like a 500mm telephoto. I, however, usually shoot wide (more "peripheral vision") and prefer shorter lenses, so this is a pain. Of course, I would love to have a "full frame" camera like the Canon 5d, but the price is simply to much.
It has a number of strengths and weaknesses, which I will detail below:
Strengths:
The variety of lenses is excellent.
Lenses on second hand market are reasonably priced
Introductory high speed lens (less than f2) is inexpensive (canon 50mm f1.8)
Autofocus aquires targets quickly
Continuous shooting mode is quick- autofocus recalibrates for each shot.
Extremely high ISO capability (1600) for low light situations
Body is physically tough.
Very fast top shutter speed (1/8000) allows open apertures in well lit situations.
Manual focus easy to use
Pop up flash is very high above camera, and thus avoids casting shadows
Flash recycles quickly
CF card memory system is versatile and inexpensive
User interface is the best I have ever seen
Can be used as a blunt weapon if you are mugged
Weaknesses:
It aint cheap
Very heavy, particularly with long lenses
You may end up spending money on glass that rivals a serious crack addiction
Longer focal length multiplier (1.6) than film, or than Nikon (1.5).
Doesnt work well with older 3rd party lenses without rechipping.
Mirror is very loud, particularly if you are used to a point and shoot.
Comparison with Nikon:
20d is better at telephoto (lenses have internal motors)
D70 is better at wide angle shots (focal length multiplier is lower)
20d is better at low light (lower noise, lower ISO setting).
Nikon fans believe that all Canon users are heretics, and vice versa, so why compare them you dirty heathen.
On: 2005-12-22
When I started looking at digital SLR cameras, I jumped at the 350XT. It has a lot of features and is newer camera than the 20D. However, the differences between the two cameras is like the difference between Canons line of "L" glass lenses and their regular line-sure they are "all good" but the "L" lenses offer more in terms of performance and features and so too does the 20D. It is a "fast" camera. Fast in autofocus, fast in startup and fast in image acquisition. If youve suffered with a point and shoot with shutter lag, you will be delighted when you use the 20D. Of course, you can still use the point and shoot modes if you want to (they were still there and they do a wonderful job-especially if you are feeling lazy). But if youve owned an SLR in the past, you will love this camera. The creative zones, the processing and speed and overall build quality tell you that it is worth the difference to get the 20. The difference in price between the two camera is about the price of a lens. The kit lens that comes with the camera isnt great, but it isnt bad either and for the money, its actually a pretty good deal. USM means that it focuses very fast.
On: 2005-12-22
I wish no one knew about this camera because it is too cheap and too good. Now pro and joker r playing with the same toys. the game is up. I use the film SL$ Eos 3 and 1 so it was hard for me to buy this "cheap" camera. But when i looked at it next to the 1D the difference didnt justify spending 3 * as much. The only thing i wish it had was the eye control tingie and a better shutter mechanism (it is too loud man). Also i hate the point and shoot selection thing. Actually i dont like dials i like buttons (but that is being picky). It is just to cheap for what it does, any and everyone can now be a pro. But i guess u still need to know how to use the camera to get the shots. the best £800 i spent this year, within 2 months of having it it has paid for itself in the £ i have saved on film.
On: 2005-12-21
I wish no one knew about this camera because it is too cheap and too good. Now pro and joker r playing with the same toys. the game is up. I use the film SL$ Eos 3 and 1 so it was hard for me to buy this "cheap" camera. But when i looked at it next to the 1D the difference didnt justify spending 3 * as much. The only thing i wish it had was the eye control tingie and a better shutter mechanism (it is too loud man). Also i hate the point and shoot selection thing. Actually i dont like dials i like buttons (but that is being picky). It is just to cheap for what it does, any and everyone can now be a pro. But i guess u still need to know how to use the camera to get the shots. the best £800 i spent this year, within 2 months of having it it has paid for itself in the £ i have saved on film.
On: 2005-12-16
Well there is so much written about the 20D who could add to that? I will say that the battery life is truely amazing!
The only real big drawback I have found to the camera is the Battery compartment door.... The catch is to flimsy for my taste. I somehow managed to break the tiny (and I mean tiny) catch on the compartment door. I still dont know how it broke since I have babied this thing since I bought it three months ago but alas it broke. Anyway Cannon would not replace the derned thing under warranty so there goes $15 for a new door with catch.
Besides that this is a awesome camera.
On: 2005-12-07
Earlier this year I bought this camera as an upgrade to my D-Rebel. Right out of the box I could feel positive differences between two:
1. Better build,
2. Controls layout (especially dial),
3. More focusing modes,
4. Wider ISO range,
5. Fastest shooting speed,
6. Read/write speed (I use it with SanDisk Extreme III CF)
7. and overall feel in the hands.
Battery life is superb.
After reading multiple positive reviews I blindly decided to go with EF-S 17-85mm lens which were in $600.00 price range at that time. After a month or so I started to get feeling that somewhat Im not satisfied with the picture quality of such an expensive set. Pictures came out soft with so-so contrast. I noticed a lot vignetting and purple fringing. Indoor use with built in flash produced dark underexposed shots. But I continued shooting hoping to improve as Im getting to know camera better, but.... What a shock it was to me to discover that my old Canon EF 28-105 USM lens outperformed the one I used al this time before. For test sake I also tried my kit lens for D-Rebel EF-S 18-55 and was unpleasantly surprised that it produced brighter and sharper images under the same settings and light conditions. I could not believe it. $600 lens outperformed by cheap kit set. Right there I decided to get rid of it and by an L glass. Later on I read similar complains from other users about this lens that only strengthened my feeling about it. What a relief was for me to find out that there is nothing wrong with camera itself. Now Im able to produce much better, crispier, pictures using other Canon EF lenses and very happy with my camera up to date. Why 4 stars then, well as many complained
1. No spot metering
2. Poor indoor results with almost useless built in flash
3. Poor tungsten white balance(set it to custom WB to get better results indoors)
4. CMOS easily gets "dirty" (dust)
5. Small LCD display only 1.8"
But I guess Canon is aware of these drawbacks and will use it as an improvement in newer models in this price range.
My advise stay away from the EF-S 17-85 USM IS lens as it can downplay the quality and first impression of the rock solid built and beautiful camera such as Canon 20D. Better invest money in some EF lenses which you can use later when APC CMOS will be gone (as with new 5D) .
On: 2005-12-06
You will find hundreds of reviews and articles on the EOS 20D, I can not add more tech specs. (Steves Digicams, Imaging Resource, etc).
As a user I just can say that if you are a photo enthusiast this camera will cover all your needs, the picture quality is superb, it is super fast, accurate auto focus, solid, excellent grip.
Extra advice: If it is in your budget go for USM lens instead of the plastic cheap lens offered with the kit.
Remarks: Do not forget that more pixels doesnt mean better quality pictures just bigger prints.
On: 2005-12-06
Excellent camera, but STAY AWAY from Adorama. Terrible customer service, rude, and completely disorganized. Use another vendor and youll be very happy with this camera!
On: 2005-11-28
A year ago I sold my Digital Rebel on eBay and purchased the 20D. I have since not looked back. This camera has brought nothing but joy to myself and others. The sharpness and colors from the famed Canon sensor are true to their reputation. Friends and family all love the pictures that come out of this camera. I take it with me almost everywhere I go.
After selling my Rebel, I debated upgrading to the new Rebel XT or the 20D, which Im sure many of you might be having right now before pulling the trigger. I held both in my hand and played with them at the PMA tradeshow where the XT was introduced. It was very light and felt very small in my hands. I dont have exceptionally large hands, but the XT felt like it was designed for smaller hands. That being said, it is a great travel partner to have being so compact and light-weight.
The other drawback, however, is that the user interface is quite different from the 20D. Although it may seem like a trivial feature, the dial navigation on the 20D has been immensely more convenient and practical when shooting compared to pressing the buttons on the Rebel or the XT. I didnt like having to navigate through the ISO or other changes to white balance via the LCD screen. I definitely think theres a reason why the 20D is more expensive beyond the fact that it has the solid magnesium alloy body. The user interface for me was worth the extra money as well. The more you take photos, the more you will realize the freedom that comes with controlling your aperture, shutter speed, white balance and more with the 20D interface versus the XT. That being said, it is still several hundred dollars more expensive and the XT has pretty much the same sensor (just 0.2 fewer megapixels) with the same results in a different body. So dont be concerned about getting inferior photos with the XT, because the differences are mostly all external.
I highly recommend getting the kit lens with either camera. For an additional $70-100 it is well worth it just for the range and it has pretty decent quality results. Bang for your buck it cant be beat. Make sure you pick up a EF 50mm f/1.8 II USM lens for another $70-80. This is a powerful little lens at a great price.
(...)
On: 2005-11-27
If youre reading this review, chances are, you wanna make the hop to digital SLR from regular digital. I just did and it is amazing. I must say, for about five years a use regular digital cameras. I wish I had gone digital SLR years ago. I think of all the shots that Ive missed because of shutter lag once you go digital SLR you will not go back.
One thing about purchasing a digital SLR that you need to keep in mind is. Its all about the lenses! If youre buying this camera do yourself a favor get a good piece of glass. I will have links to sites that have reviews of lenses.
This thing will take 24 shots in a row. That is just so great! With the 8.2 megapixel, you can print 36 x 24 perfectly. The images are just huge. One thing I do like also with his camera, as opposed to the digital rebel. Is that you can capture a JPEG high Quality and raw image simultaneously. Now I dont use raw images very much yet, but I will of the future Im sure. the rebel is raw and normal quality picture
One other thing I would recommend in relation to this camera is drop a couple dollars on a good flash. Ive just started recently using an external flash the 580 EX and I must say lighting is where it is at!
Now, should you get the Canon 20 D. with the included lens it depends, the lens package is only $100 more. And its an okay lens, but the other ones in the Canon family are way better.
Info on crop factor
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What happens, if I understand things correctly, is that a full size sensor capture the same amount of data as a 35mm film would. A sensor with a 1.3 factor means that the 35mm film area is 1.3 times as large as the sensor, and the same with a 1.6 sensor.
Think of it as simply chopping off some of the data that a 35mm full-frame sensor would capture. Imagine a ruler, where the 35mm camera would capture the full 12" stretching across the frame. If you then put a 1.3 sensor camera in the same location and took the same picture (assuming the same lens, camera mounted on the same tripod in the same location relative to the ruler) the cameras picture would only show the middle 9 inches (approximately). Now if both cameras produce the same size files, e.g. 8MB pictures, you have one picture at 8MB showing a full 12 inches and one picture at 8MB showing only the middle 9 inches. If you print them both at the same size, the picture taken with the 1.3 sensor will appear to be larger.
However, full-frame sensor cameras usually shoot larger MB pictures, so you lose the 1-to-1 relationship between the two pictures. The full-frame cameras shoot at 12MB or larger, so if you then crop THAT image to be 8MB in size by chopping the outer 1/3 (1/6 from each edge) and you will see the same thing as you see with the 1.3 sensor.
So its not really that the 1.3 sensor magnifies the image, it just APPEARS to magnifiy the image. And since in photography it really is all about appearances, in one sense it does magnify things. But not actually, when everything is put on a 1-to-1 basis, the image isnt actually larger.
What that crop factor DOES do, though, is to reduce the size of the image you can get with the same lens. That means that you either have to move back if using the same lens to get the same field of view, or you have to use a shorter lens to get the same field of view from the same location.
That is where the 1.3 factor or 1.6 factor becomes important in deciding how to shoot a scene, especially for people who are coming to digital from the film world. So when you put your 50mm lens on a 20D, it becomes effectively a 80mm lens (50mmx1.6=80), with the reduced field of view that an 80mm lens would give. So to get the same field of view that you would get with a 50mm lens on a 35mm film body, you need to put a 32mm lens on a 20D body if you are standing in the same spot as with the film camera.
Again, since what we see is of utmost importance in photography, you are actually seeing a magnified image, when both images are printed straight to paper. But if the images are made to be the same size by cropping the larger file to equal the smaller file, there isnt really magnification.
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just fyi
Okay, hope this helps have some fun-and-get-it-done!
On: 2005-11-26
Without doubt this camera is impressive. The moment you put the 20D into your hands you feel at home with it. The 20D just feels impressive and taking images with this camera is a joy, though more demanding than your normal point and shoot digital camera. Getting to know your 20D will pay lots of dividends in the long run and I would suggest that owners of the 20D read the instruction manual and then read it again, while trying out all the many and varied functions.
It is important with a digital SLR to choose quality lenses. If you buy cheap dont be surprised if your resulting images lack the quality that they could command. A quality flash gun like the 580 EX Speedlite will further help your image taking. Furthermore, I find the BG-E2 Battery Grip - which holds an extra battery - an important accessory along with the Remote Switch RS-80N3 to minimize camera shake. On the memory front, choose well! Cheap memory can result in the loss of those precious images you have spent so long taking. And make sure you have enough memory because an 8 MP digital SLR on RAW mode eats up images at an alarming rate. Personally I have three 1 GB memory cards and still I dont think this is enough.
Once you are set up with everything you will find taking images with the 20D brings you many hours, days, months and in the end no doubt years of fun. The shutter is noisy making the 20D limited for wildlife work but when taking images of landscapes, people or my personal favourite, macro work, then this camera has the lot. You get the build quality of Canons professional cameras without the price tag. The 20D is heavy, especially with the battery grip and a quality lens attached, so be prepared to use a tripod to help you avoid camera shake.
This camera is beautiful and the little niggles I have over the focusing system etc have not stopped me loving the 20D to bits.
On: 2005-11-21
The 17-85mm is proving to be a very useful and very clean and crisp lens. The IS really works. The 135mm equivalent gets me through a lot of situations where if I were using the shorter kit lens Id have to change to something longer. Im really pleased with it (and with my 20D - if only it had a spot meter)
On: 2005-11-15
Bought the 20d body this summer and now with 5 months & 6000 photos to its credit, its still making me glad I bought it.
Runs all day on a charge and features are easy to find and use.
You can see all the tech features on this camera anywhere.. Im just here to say, I have no reason to look at other cameras in this price range (or even above) with envy !
Im a person that only upgrades when the equipment is holding me back, and I dont see that happening. Yes, cameras will improve and have more features in the future... will I need them ? I doubt it. I reserve 5 stars for perfect items, and what ever is? but it was tempting to use 5 in this case.
A very happy 20D owner 8-)
On: 2005-11-14
Bought the 20d body this summer and now with 5 months & 6000 photos to its credit, its still making me glad I bought it.
Runs all day on a charge and features are easy to find and use.
You can see all the tech features on this camera anywhere.. Im just here to say, I have no reason to look at other cameras in this price range (or even above) with envy !
Im a person that only upgrades when the equipment is holding me back, and I dont see that happening. Yes, cameras will improve and have more features in the future... will I need them ? I doubt it. I reserve 5 stars for perfect items, and what ever is? but it was tempting to use 5 in this case.
A very happy 20D owner 8-)
On: 2005-11-12
This camera is so rock solid its amazing. Nearly everything about it is perfect. Its solidly constructed, works fantastically out of the box with almost no studying. With some work and experience its obvious that this body is one that professionals would use if they arent going to a larger format. The lens that comes with it is of middling quality, but its plenty good to get started in the SLR field.
It comes on almost instantly, has a powerful built flash, excellent battery life, and its user interface is very easy to get used to. The automation is just amazing and for the most part turns out great shots. Custom modes are great too. The autofocus is excellent, especially when paired with a good lens.
Really the only thing Ive ever felt this camera could have used was a larger sensor (its not a full 35mm). This is part and parcel with the difficulty of getting a good wide shot. You have to go with the EF-S lenses to get a 10 (which is a 16 after conversion) and that lens isnt an L. But the Digic processing is truly second to none, and that makes up for a lot here.
Even so, the convenience and utility of a digital, the warmth and feel of film, and Canons well-known quality and decent customer service makes this bad-boy a 5. Accept no substitute!
On: 2005-10-24
I love the D20!! The lens that comes with the kit is not as bad as posted. Look above at pics I posted last night in the photo share area above. It is really what you do with it. It is small, light weight, which is a plus. It isnt an L lens, but it is worth having fun finding its pluss. It is a fun lens to start out with if you have just started your Canon lens collection and have no other lens to work until you get better. Someone just starting with an SLR camera could do fine with this set, or with the Rebel XT and this lens. I just purchased the Canon 70-300 IS USM DO Zoom Lens and havent had time to really put it to the test yet, but so far I really like the size and am looking forward to investigating its abilities and possibilities for the Motocross track. So if you are wondering if you should purchase just the body or the kit, I would say if you are starting with Canon and dont have a wide zoom lens as yet, dont be swayed by the pros to not buy the kit. For an extra $70, the kit is great and you will always have a pretty good little, light weight, backup. I have used it for a week while waiting for my new lenses to arrive and have had a great time. The camera of course has been alot of the fun too. I started with the Rebel XT. At first, I thought I wanted a smaller camera, but then found that the bigger lenses made holding the XT too hard for a long time. My hands are not big, I am a lady, but it still didnt feel right, so I exchanged it for the D20. I am glad I did. I love the ease of use and changing settings as I think it is easier than the Rebel. Also the D20 is faster and I have really noticed that. As for the kit lens, if you are going to walk around for a long time and dont want to have the weight of a richer lens sometimes, this will work quite well as it is an 18-55, which is a nice range for just fun stuff. As for the camera: I have just changed from another name brand manufacturer, which I have been with for sometime and am so happy for the change. I never expected I would switch from ----- to Canon, but am sooo happy I did. :>)
On: 2005-10-24
I could notice the better quality immediately when I started using it. It allows for much more creativity than my previous camera, a Nikon Coolpix 5000. It is relatively easy to use and still fully automatic for those times you need to snap a quick picture and dont want to worry about exposure and all that. I have a canon eos 35mm and I found the digital SLR to handle much the same. It is a tad heavy which makes it difficult to take night shots without a tripod, but I still think it was the best option for the money. I find it to be a great learning tool for experimenting with the more creative aspects of photography.
On: 2005-10-19
Canon has another winner. We just received our new 20D last week and already I love it. I had been using a point and shoot Sony cybershot for several years and the difference is unbelievable. The frustrating feature of the point and shoot is the lag time between focusing and shooting the picture. You usually miss the action on any sport shots or action shots. This camera is just like the film 35mm. I got great action pictures of UW vs Purdue soccer. The game started at 5pm and it was light out so I was able to use the automatic mode. At 6:30 it was getting dark and the field lights were turned on so the camera wanted to use the flash which was useless at that distance. No Problem. I switched to manual mode changed the ISO and shutter speed and got beautiful pictures just like the daylight ones. The shots can be immediate or multiple just like our film 35mm. I have taken many fall season shots and the still shots are perfect, reflections in the river are mirror images. I would recommend purchasing a larger capacity fast memory card. I got a 1 gig San Disk II which allows you over 300 shots at large size files. The standard lense is good to have for the $100 you pay for it for a wide angle lense. We have a 28mm by 135mm IS lense which is more flexible. I got the camera in 2 days just like advertised and in excellent condition. I saved about $300 by buying it on Amazon.com. Amazon and Canon have exceeded my expectations.
On: 2005-10-14
Just a little over a year ago, I became fascinated with digital photography, but not for the reasons most amateur photographers cite. I was in the market for a new home and, as I was looking at one with my realtor one day, I ran across a home filled with pictures. These were all pictures taken by the owners with SLR and D-SLR cameras. The pictures were diverse, but they simply made the home quite warm and interesting (disclosure: I didnt buy the house, but I did take away a new passion!). As a result of this "warm, fuzzy" feeling of seeing a large volume of pictures embellishing the flavor of this home, I decided to jump into digital photography with both feet. I knew I wasnt ready for the "big cameras," so I bought the Canon A80 4MP digital. Since that time, Ive taken hundreds of photos, some which Ive blown up to 8 x 10s and are hanging in my office (the Continental Divide on a snowy day and Puerto Vallarta sunsets). This particular camera, which I reviewed previously, was a great starter camera, and one which Ill hang on to for future "snapshots." That said, this warm fuzzy feeling I had when looking at this home described above has turned into a heated passion. As a result, the "heat" quickly pushed me toward a more serious D-SLR.
When looking for a newer D-SLR, one with greater diversity, features, and higher-quality output, I did my due diligence like I do on most purchases. I did however, read one review that pretty much summed up the camera buying experience. This reviewer said there are three types of camera buyers: 1) those who only buy Nikon, 2) those who only buy Canon, and 3) those who cant decide between Nikon and Canon. Very astute and very true. After much consternation (and not wanting to get caught in #3), I decided on Canon, and purchased the 20D. I must tell you that I look looked at the camera superstores and boutiques, but found that Amazon had a very competitive price and besides, Im an Amazon junkie. In any event, I purchased the 20D with the 18mm-55mm kit. That said, let me take a quick detour on to lens purchases.
Since my 20D purchase, Ive quickly learned that, while the camera is the foundation for high quality pictures, and imagination is the fuel for creating beautiful shots, the lens is the bridge between the two. Honestly, if I had to do it over again, I would not have purchased the 18-55mm lens with the camera; rather, I would have made a body purchase only. This lens is good for "everyday" shooting, but I was looking for the greatest breadth of exposure in the least number of lenses. The 18mm-55mm lens fits the middle of the road in terms of macro/zoom parameters however, it did not fit the boundries I set for the lenses I wanted. Using Amazon customer reviews and several photography-based web sites, I began my search for lenses that would give me the broad range I sought. Although expensive, I believe Ive found an excellent, albeit heavy duo: the Canon EF 24-70mm f/2.8L USM Standard Zoom Lens and the Canon EF 70mm-200mm f/2.8L IS USM Telephoto Zoom Lens. Add a 2x telephoto extender, and I effectively have from 24mm exposure to 400mm exposure (the 2x extender fits the 70mm-200mm lens and doubles its zoom capabilities). Yes, these two lenses (and the 2x extender) have run around $3K, but both are "L" lenses (top of Canons line) and both should easily provide me with the depth and breadth of pictures I wish to take. (Warning: if you decide to purchase the extender, make sure you check the lens compatibility. The extender only fits certain lenses.) Back to the camera...
As an impassioned amateur, the 20D was easily the best purchase for me given its volume of features and photo quality. I doubt seriously Ill need to upgrade for years. Ive taken a few hundred shots since the purchase, and the quality of the photos can only be described as smooth as butter. The color is brilliant, and exposure is top notch. There is no noticeable resolution distress (I believe the pros call it "noise") regardless my focal point. The camera has an instant startup, which is important to anyone needing a quick shot. And, the time differential between shots is immediate. Although this camera allows manual settings for specific shots, I find myself in automatic mode in most cases, both from an ease of use standpoint and allowances for my inexperience. Ive read many reviews redressing the built-in flash and its inadequacies however; Ive not yet had that problem. All shots Ive taken, which have needed additional light, have been more than adequately handled with the built-in flash.
At this point, the absolute only downside I have found is the weight factor in terms of my combination of camera and chosen lenses. The camera body itself is not a weight factor however, add either one of the lenses I purchased and it becomes something of a different story (particularly with the 70mm-200mm lens). Now, this is not to say that I have any regrets relative to these purchases; rather, it is the only downside Ive found. The camera body weighs only a 1.5 lbs however, the 70mm-200mm lens adds 2.9 lbs, which makes the total unit weight something over 4 lbs...not inconsequential when taking numerous photos.
All-in-all, this jazzed amateur gives the 20D two thumbs up for ease of use and incredible quality, particularly in the $2,000 and under D-SLR category. VERY highly recommended.
On: 2005-10-03
I have looked for a long time and owned manye digital cameras. but none I have had compare to this. Most good digitals in low light have a delay from the time you press the button until it takes pic. but this thing even with flash is instant. We went out side just after the sun set. and used the camera on P setting with iso of 100. (Very easy to figure out and use this stuff too). I got my wife to jump off the ground. I took 4 pics of her before she landed. No way you would even get a pick of her in air with a reg. digital. We did not time it I just focused then tried to get her jumping. this camera has blew me away. you will not no the differance from this to a real 35mm unless you are a true pro. Useing real lens I think helps as well insteady of built in digital. But the big thing is the DSLR if you want to capture objects moving then please get this camera or at least a dSLR.
On: 2005-10-01
I was skeptical after switching from from film, medium format, which I have been using for close to a decade. It took a few weeks of playing to figure out how to get the best out of this great digital camera. I didnt get the standard zoom that is offered in the kit, but got the Canon 85, 1.8f USM lens instead. Old habits die hard. If you do a lot of available light shooting for portraiture, this lens cant be beat.
Anyway, once I figured the camera out, I was satisfied with the results. Shooting raw images and using the Photoshop raw plugin yielded the best results.
I dont mind being labled as a Luddite for saying this, but as great as this camera is, it still cant do better quality images than the "old school" medium format camera that I still own.
On: 2005-10-01
The 20D has been out for about a year now, and meanwhile Canon and Nikon have issued much less expensive SLRs aimed at the expanding "prosumer" market. But the 20D is still tops -- the perfect blend of features, size, weight, and good design for serious amateurs, and probably a good backup for a pro. Ive had this camera (with the 17-85 mm lens) for nine months and have taken all sorts of shots -- landscape, portraits, telephoto, brightly lit scenes and night shots and it feels solid, sturdy and sure-footed in every situation. The controls are logical and well-placed.
Having hefted the newer, less expensive Canon 350D and the Nikon D70, Id still buy the 20D. The only complaints are that macro performance of the 17-85mm lens is only so-so, and the LCD screen washes out in bright light.
If youre migrating from a film SLR, this camera is a full-fledged replacement that starts up and focuses fast, with no annoying shutter lag at all. And you have the huge range of Canon accessories. Three recommendations: Use the RAW/JPEG format for your pictures -- that way, when you do serious editing, you can start with the RAW file, which will give you more flexibility and a better result than the JPEG; buy a 1GB CF card; and buy the Canon 420EX flash, which is much less expensive than the 580EX and does a superb job.
On: 2005-09-29
The camera arrived witin the time period estimated by the shipper and unpacked for inspection. The canon EOS 20D is a great camera with only one flaw. The switch the turns the camera on is in a awkward place. All the other controls are placed very well and operate all the camera functions easily.
On: 2005-09-22
Apart from all the good points rightly pointed by all reviewers there is one design problem with the camera: the LCD screen. It is simply too dim. To the point that is almost useless on a bright day. The quality of the pictures is great and the bundled software is very powerful and easy to use. Specially the Digital Photo Professional, that comes with no manual, is great. You can find an excelent tutorial here: [...].
Maybe that is why another reviewer complains about the images being too dull. I first tried the camera on an overcast day in Chicago and as almost everything is gray, the pictures at the LCD screen were quite ugly and flat. Very different from another cameras LCDs.
On: 2005-09-09
I purchased this camera after using the EOS 10D and was very pleased with the price and value for money, it was shipped promptly as advised by Amazon. I have used the camera professionaly and it has met or exceeded my needs and expectations on all occassions. [...]
It can be very easy to use in the fully automatic mode, and my son uses same to take pictures also, with great results.
I would recommend this camera without reservation, well done Canon.
On: 2005-09-05
its a good choice as a back up camera to my 1Ds MarkII.the 20Ds 8.2mp really do a good job.No comments der.
 On: 2005-09-04
Ive used several digital point and clicks... Ive also use an Olympus C5050. Ive been wanting to upgrade to a Digital SLR and believed the great reviews. Ive been terribly disappointed with the pictures... all seem far to dark and dull. Doesnt seem to mater which lens or what type of lighting. Im checking with Canon to see if maybe there is a problem with the camera... if not, I would say this is an awful investment. If you have time to work in the advanced modes, maybe you can find a setting that takes clear, crisp picture; but if you are using in any of the basic modes, you have no control over the results.
On: 2005-09-03
After several years of gradually adjusting to the "digital revolution" I decided that it was time to take the plunge and move up to a digital SLR. As a long time Canon emulsion-camera enthusiast it seemed logical to stay with the people I knew, and I have to say I am simply delighted. The 20D is tough enough to deal with field conditions (I am an ecologist who needs must spend extended periods on foggy off shore islands)and, while less portable than the "pocket" digital I have used previously, the results are simply superb. Things of particular note for wildlife photographers include the enormous range of exposure and auto-focus options, the rapid cycle time and "burst-mode" filming that has allowed me to capture guillemots on the wing, the intelligently placed and organized controls, a nice, bright LCD display that allows you to review what you have taken while you are still out of doors, and then of course the ability to use REAL telephoto lenses! I got a Canon 100-300 right away and couldnt be happier with the results. This is a serious camera for serious users but it also has enough "auto" features that novices will get great results out of the box. Oh yeah, did I mention battery life? I find that I can shoot and shoot and shoot until the crows come home....
On: 2005-08-31
This is how an SLR should feel--solid and sturdy without being overbearingly heavy and clumsy. It fits naturually into your hands and feels balanced with a range of lenses attached. The autofocus on this camera is unbelievably fast and accurate. It has become a favorite of photojournalists, and its easy to see why.
On: 2005-08-26
I have been shooting for many years and have purchased many cameras from 35mm to digital. This Canon 20d is the Best yet. I have played around with it and still have yet to experience all of the features and capabilities. I shot a wedding and was truly surprised at the outcome of those photos. I have way too many great shots to pick from, for my clients. I shot a self portrait with it and it was so much detail you can see the hairs coming out of the pores on my face. This is a great camera and I recommend it to anyone who wants true professional looking photos.
On: 2005-08-22
This is a great and easy camera, I take many action photos, like surfing and the results are amazing.
On: 2005-08-18
Ive been shooting with a Digital Rebel for about a year, that camera is great but it just plain doesnt have big enough onboard memory buffers for the kind of fast action I tend to shoot. This camera, when coupled with a high speed Compact Flash card will rarely bog down and quit shooting when using continuous mode (5 fps) (even more so if you arent shooting in full quality mode since more frames fit in the buffers). The difference between this baby and the Rebel is like the difference between a Yugo and a Cadillac, just no comparison! The Rebel is a starter camera, this is a real camera. There are three different metering modes, three different types of AF and single and continuous shooting modes available in all "creative modes" (i.e. other than the stock modes they give you for common situations and of course in auto mode). I havent had a chance to shoot a whole lot with the 20D yet but so far Id say its much faster (both on startup and between shots) than the Rebel and much more capable in "mixed-lighting" situations than the Rebel is. With the rebel, the combination of mercury vapor gymnasium lighting and flash would give my shots these awful yellow backgrounds, so far the 20D is handling this situation in a superior manner--i.e. no annoyingly colored backgrounds (Auto White Balance control is much better here). If you use IS lenses I suggest you buy the battery grip. The 20D is made of metal and much more ergonomic than the Rebel but someone with big hands will probably still like the battery grip to make the camera easier to hold onto. The built in flash on the 20D is capable but for real shooting youll want a professional flash. Canon speedlights (550/580EX) are the most integrated but there are other cheaper choices that are just as good (but may not be as integrated). The 20D has a flash sync port on the side for a "potato masher" handle style flash unit such as made by Metz, Sunpak, etc. This is a pricey camera for most of us but worth the money, I am going to have a lot of fun with this. One last comment: The 20D apparently incorporates some advanced circuitry that operates with the flash to conserve flash power, its my impression this is more refined on the 580EX than the 550EX but on my first shoot I did notice far less misfires with the 550EX on this camera than on the Rebel. If youre torn between jumping on a Rebel or saving for a 20D then save for the 20D its more than twice the camera the Rebel is and if you shoot fast moving sports you wont be happy with the Rebel Original, the XT is supposedly a bit improved but I still dont believe theyve done very much about improving the image buffers and that is where the 20D shines. Now that Ive got my hands on a 20D Im curious about what the even more expensive Canons can do.
On: 2005-08-16
I own this camera, my second digital camera, and I am exceptionally happy with it! I will not go into all the technical details about this camera, as this information is available in the product description and in other reviews. I will say that this is not a camera for one just getting into digital photography. This is a (near) professional quality instrument and has so many options that one not grounded in digital photography would be quickly overwhelmed. It is also higher priced than the typical consumer-grade digital camera, with an asking price of right arund $1400 dollars at the time of this writing. Once you add a couple of filters, a telephoto zoom lens, and some other accessories, you quickly have an investment of over $2,000 dollars. Thus, this is not a camera for the masses.
If you are looking for a camera that provides you with all the versitility of a SLR quality film camera, you have come to the right place. Canons 20D will absolutely overwhelm you with its extensive options! This is truly a versitile instrument that will allow you to do virtually anything in photography! I dont think it is an exaggeration to say that the Canon 20D is the best camera for its price in its class. It blows the competition away.
The camera body has a firm heavy feel to it. It is not a miniature digital camera at all. It fills and fits the hand nicely, much like a SLR should feel. The buttons, wheels, and controls are all within finger reach, but there are so many options that one has a pretty good learning curve to be proficient with the camera. By the way, the instruction manual is well over 150 pages, and it does a mostly adequate job of introducing the camera controls to the operator. Still, it has taken me several weeks of use and review to learn the cameras many features and then remember them so that the operations are automatic.
The pictures I have taken are very pleasing. One can shoot in low light, bright light and all conditions in-between. A flash is available and pops up automatically if desired for additional light. This camera takes excellent pics in low-light conditions.
The lens that comes with the camera is acceptable and I am pleasd with the sharpness of the images produced. Other reviewers have stated that compared to fixed focal length lenses, such as the 50 mm, the variable zoom lens is not as sharp. My view is that the lens provided is very adequate for virtually all applications, however, if the operator wants the very sharpest images possible, especially for portrait work, then perhaps a fixed focal length lens is beneficial. I purchased a EF-S 28-135 IS lens for a telephoto zoom, and am happy with it. Again, the quality of the zoom does not approach that of the Canon "L" series lenses, but then how many consumers can afford a single lens that is over $4,000 dollars? From my perspective as an amateur that shoots a lot of images, I think the 20D is more than adequate for my needs.
I highly recommend this camera to any amateur photographer that seeks a highly versitile top-quality camera that is a definite cut above the rest. If you can afford this camera, buy it. It will give you the creative options a photographer desires in a camera, and will give years of pleasure.
Jim "Konedog" Koenig
On: 2005-08-15
I was thinking between the Rebel XT and 20d . I didnt like the plastic body of the Rebel XT. Also the XT size is like miniature SLR or a crossbred between point-n-shoot and SLR, it just didnt right in my hand. But, the 20D fits like the gloves in my hands. The 20d is a litle bigger than XT. Its metal is rock solid.
I like to travel and take a lot of pictures of people. I thought if I have to take pictures, people will notice me of my shootings, I might as well carry the best camera that I could afford which is the 20d. I just bought mine about 3 weeks ago and Ive been taking more than 3000 pictures. I use Canon EF 28-135mm f/3.5-5.6 IS USM len (Made in Japan len). The IS (Image Stabilization) feature of the len is a must. Most of the my pics are very sharp. Im still playing around with this camera. Some of my pics are blurred because I used third party flash Metz Mecablitz 45 CL-4, and it did not synch correctly for right amount of flash needed. I shot mostly in automatic (P mode) TTL flash.
Since Ive spent a good amount of money on the camera already, I thought I might as well invest in a good flash. I just ordered through Amazon (which prices are very competitive to Beach or Adorama, B&H) the Canon 580EX flash. I hope this flash will do the trick.
To sum up, so far so good. Very happy with my Canon 20d. The battery that comes with is amazing! I took more than 1000 pictures before I realized I need to recharged, just in case. Also the full recharge of the battery takes less than 2 hours. I plan to get the Canon BGE2 Battery Grip and extra battery set. Its not that I really need it, but I just like the beefed-up look of this camera and made me look like a pro. Im glad I picked this one over the Rebel XT--I dont think the XT would have the extension of the battery Grip like the 20D.
One more thing. Amazon.com reviews influenced me to buy this camera. Im very happy with prices and services which makes Amazon my one stop shopping and reading reviews on books and all electronic gadgets.
On: 2005-08-11
Fast, accurate, and produces amazing results. I take lots of indoor shots in low light, even indoor sports shots (I use two fast Canon zoom lenses) and they come out unimaginably beautiful with the 20Ds amazingly clean ISO 1600 performance. The camera reposnds instantly, and focuses so fast I almost never perceive any lag at all. The camera is built like a tank with a very solid feel, and the 5 fps shutter has earned me an unbelieveble collection of sports action shots I could not have gained otherwise.
Cons? I wish the current ISO setting was displayed in the viewfinder, and the shutter is a little louder than my old Minolta 7000i (film SLR). However, this camera feels like an extension of my hand when I am holding it, and I have no plans to replace it for several years.
On: 2005-08-08
I am very disappointed with the Canon 20D. My first disappointment is with the sharpness of the pictures. Ive tried all kinds of combinations for the auto and manual functions, but most pictures came out soft around the edges of the subjects. The Nikon D70 takes much better and sharper pictures. I was actually willing to put up with the softness because of the fast sutter speed, but then came the second disappointment. Its actually a shock more than anything else -when I changed the camera lens for the first time, the lens release button fell out and wouldnt stay in place unless I tape it down. This should never happen on a $1,400 camera! What a mistake in buying the Canon 20D! Im returning the camera for a refund.
On: 2005-07-31
I dont think there is a camera out there that can compete with the Canon EOS 20d for the money. I am a semi professional photographer and I take images from high speed action to high def. macro. The range of features on this camera is amazing. The custom settings, the auto settings and the scenery settings are all perfect. The camera adjusts the white balance perfectly AND it lets you customize it if you want. It takes 8.2 mega pixels which will let you enlarge phots to as big as you can print them without losing quality. It has speed like no other digital camera. It says in its advertsing that it can take up to 23 shots at a time at 5 frames per second. The advertising is wrong. It can take well OVER 23 shots at a time at 5 frames a second. I have personaly take over 7 seconds of continuos shooting. 36 frames to be exact. And that is at 8.2 megapixels. It takes a high end memory card to do it, but it does it none the less. Image quality? Amazing. Ease of use? Phenominal. Those who say it is complicated probably cant set up their alarm clock either. Dont get me wrong, this camera is so feature rich that you will need to read the manual to get it all figured out. But out of the box without reading a thing I was taking advanced shots, setting my own shutter and or f-stop, changing ISO speeds, taking single and multi burts shots and more without reading the manaul. Now Ive worked with digitals before but never a canon. The construction is top rate. It feels solid in your hand. It doesnt feel plasticky, or hollow. The controls are easy to reach, and its comfortable to hold. Ive heard of people complain that its to small. Well, Ive got fairly large hands and I dont have any trouble holding it. One of the best features on this camera though is thenearly instant on. .2 seconds from flipping the switch to taking a picture. This has saved me a number of times. It also turns off after a minute of sitting idle to save battery life. Then you simply press the shutter button down and its back on instantly. Oh ya..one of the best things about it for me...it records the photo settings along with the image. When I go back and review my images the camera can also tell me what the exact settings were for each shot so I know what to set them to for the best picture. The battery life is simply amazing as well. I have a 2 gig flash card in my camera. I took over 500 pictures at a mountain bike race last weekend, and I wasnt even close to the end of the power life. Canon says it will take over 700 pics per charge. I believe it! I honestly cant think of anything negative about this camera. Oh wait...the viewing screen is a bit small, and a bit hard to see in the sun. If they could make the viewing screen bigger, and more direct light viewing friendly, this camera would be perfect in my opinion. Dont get me wrong, its not TO small. Just smaller than I prefer. All in all though, I have looked at a LOT of cameras, and I have not found one that even comes close to this one. It has more features, and nicer features. More memory and a faster shooting speed. Easier operation, and better build than any of the cameras that compare in price. So unless you want to spend 3-4000 dollars...the 20d is the way to go.
On: 2005-07-28
This camera has an extremely good quality, and its so easy to use, that its so much fun to "play" with.
On: 2005-07-26
I have this camera about 4 months now, and Im still in awe. It is just brilliant. The body is very robust. It isnt light, but feels solid in your hands. Its well balanced and easy to grip.
The battery life is just great. Ive taken about 1200 photos on a single battery charge. I have not yet even considered the need to buy the extension battery grip with an extra battery.
All the functions are within easy finger reach. It is so easy to adjust the settings as you go. I am still learning how to use things. I guess so far Ive taken in excess of 20,000 photos.
One little gripe would be sensor dust. Ive a small speck of dust somewhere (on the sensor I assume), and I cant seem to get rid of it. Nothing to ruin my photos though. Its not an uncommon thing with any dSLR. A cleaning kit is essential with this camera.
I already have a small collection of Canon lenses. The combination gives me excellent quality photos.
Bottom line - if youre thinking of buying a Digital SLR, this one should come very high on your list of options. I would recommend it to everyone.
On: 2005-07-18
I was upgrading from point-and-shoot digital. The choice was between the Canon Rebel XT, Nikon D70, and the Canon 20D. I am glad that I footed the extra cash for the 20D and even the IS 17-85 lens. Its well worth the investment for budding enthusiasts/amateurs like myself. Like playing a violin, you cant really be inspired to do better and do more if you dont have the right instrument.
PRO: FAST system in turning on and triggering, 5 shots/sec bursting (for great children pictures), 1/8000th second shutter speed (fun water pictures), 9-point auto-focusing system, solid feel of the body, ease of menu and yet plenty of options.
IMPROVEMENT: The door for the memory card is a bit loose as it is on the back side of the right hand grip. The shutter is a bit loud if you dont want the turning heads in a quiet setting (but even then its not so unacceptable as you do have a nice camera to show off!).
17-85 IS LENS: Way better than the cheap stock lens! Image stabilization is great especially if you dont like shooting with a flash.
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