Canon 20D: Finally pro-level at consumer price
Written: Apr 23 '05
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Pros: Stunning quality, fast, well-built, professional level, great autofocus, excellent custom functions
Cons: Errr..... it doesn't cost £50? Sorry but it's all I can come up with!
The Bottom Line: Pro quality at a price for the enthusiast. Stunning pictures as good as they come.
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| hopetest's Full Review: Canon EOS-20D Body only Digital Camera |
I had a Canon 10D and thought the world of it, a stunner of a camera, especially compared to the market that prevailed at the time I bought it. When the 20D was announced my immediate reaction was 'there won't be enough to warrant the upgrade for me'. After all, I had a 6.3mp camera that was a joy to use and had all the control I needed.
I read up review after review and a friend bought one so i got to see it in 'the flesh'. Eventually I was convinced, the 20D is most certainly worth the upgrade and I went for it. Did it meat my expectations? And how! The one thing I have come to see is that my mistake was in comparing the 20D against my 10D when in fact it is a very different camera. Some will think me OTT when I say it is better to compare it with the 1D Mk II but I believe there are good reasons for that so please bear with me.
The resolution is only the beginning and, if anything, one of the less significant reasons to go up to the 20D. 8.2mps is a LOT of detail and if you are a photographer who displays prints large, the difference will be noticeable. At A4 you really are not going to notice that diffeence other than when you have heavily cropped a picture. I print with an A3+ printer and regularly display prints at 18" x 12" and that is where the pixels really do come in handy.
So what else is there to get excited about? Well, the speed for a start. The Canon stats say it will do 23 shots at high resolution jpg at 5 frames per second which is right up there for the sports and fast action shot photographers. I know the 1D Mk II can do 8.5/sec but remember only 5 years ago 5/sec was considered professional level sports photographers level! Forget the 23 shots though. I have tested it several times and my best so far, using a high speed 1GB Kingston CF card, was a stunning 79 shots in 15 seconds! That is truly incredible and more than fast enough for my needs and most people I know, including a friend who does football photos for a living!
The 9-point autofocus is an increase of 2 on the 10D and it is noticeably better. This is helped by the new thumb joystick that allow you to instantly select the point you want to use while not losing the shot trying to select it! Autofocus is stunningly fast and I have to say is more accurate than the 10D. I would point out however that I am not totally going like for like here as I have replaced my Sigma 18-50mm lens with a Canon 17-40mm L series so of course that is helping a lot as well. However when using my Sigma telephoto zoom lens, I am still noticing a significant difference in speed and accuracy.
Viewing your pictures on the 20D is definitely much easier and a lot faster. You can start viewing pictures even when the camera is still writing shots from the buffer to the card so the infamous 'Busy' screen is seen a whole lot less! Using the joystick to navigate a zoomed photo is great as opposed to the 10D that used a button and dial approach where you had to keep pressing the direction button to scroll side to side and up and down.
I could go on waxing lyrical about this camera but I want to keep my comments useful to you and not simply be a gushing pride review. What I can definitely say is that you will love this camera, especially if you are a Canon user who already has lenses. This will also take the EF-S (shortback) lenses that will only work with the 300D, 350D and this one. The range available of those is getting bigger but I must confess I have not bought one yet as I also use a Canon film camera for slides and that would not take the EF-S lenses.
Shop around as prices vary a great deal. I would not bother with the 18-50mm lens kit version as that is not a great lens UNLESS you are on a budget and don't have any lenses at the moment. It is NOT rubbish, it is just not great. But hey, a lens that costs about £70 street price should not be compared to an L series as that is unrealistic.
If anyone wants to buy a 10D, I have one that is now surplus to requirements! :o)
Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): 1500
This Camera is a Good Choice if You Want Something... Solid Enough for a Professional
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Epinions.com ID:
hopetest
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Member: Rob Barron
Location: Poole, UK
Reviews written: 18
Trusted by: 1 member
About Me:
Semi-professional photographer and teacher.
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