Canon EOS-20D Digital Camera with 18-55mm lens
- Digital Zoom: Without Digital Zoom
- Camera Type: SLR/Professional
- Weight: 1.51 lb.
- LCD Screen Size: 1.8 in.
- Resolution: 8.5 Megapixel
Available From
Why are these offers here?
Lowest Price!
- Overview
-
Reviews
- Compare Prices
User ReviewRead All Reviews »
The EOS 20D and Canon f3.5-5.6/18mm-55mm EF-S zoom kit
Pros
8 megapixels, DIGIC II, very fast, full manual exposure options, excellent battery life
Cons
Complex, images are a bit soft at default settings (but users can crank up sharpening)
Recommended it?
Yes
The Bottom Line:
The EOS 20D is well built and beautifully engineered, a genuinely viable option for anyone looking for a feature rich and reasonably priced digital SLR.
The EOS 20D is Canon's update of the very popular EOS 10D and the newest member of biggest family of digital SLRs currently available from any manufacturer. What keeps Canon's dSLRs on the cutting edge is the company's commitment to share the innovative new digital imaging technology pioneered on their top of the line professional cameras with their cheaper consumer models. The primary result of this "family" attitude is that the EOS 20D is smaller, lighter, faster, and higher resolution than its predecessor, a magic bullet camera that beautifully bridges the gulf between Pro dSLRs like the EOS 1Ds or the Nikon DX2 and entry level dSLRs like the Digital Rebel.
A few important facts for first time dSLR Buyers
The 20D's CMOS (Complementary Metal Oxide Semiconductor) sensor is smaller than a frame of 35mm film so there's a 1.6X magnification factor with 35mm format lenses----the good news is that telephoto lenses magically grow longer (a 200 mm telephoto becomes a 320 mm telephoto). The bad news is that the same thing happens to wide-angle lenses (a 28 mm wide-angle lens becomes a 43 mm normal lens). Photographers who like to shoot grand vistas or expansive interior shots are going to have to buy very expensive ultra wide-angle lenses.
For those new to dSLR's the LCD screen can't be used as a viewfinder (as it is with Point & Shoot digital cameras) because the mirror used to reflect the image up to the TTL optical viewfinder blocks the light path. Digital SLR LCD's are used for menu navigation and image review.
Digital SLRs don't feature movie modes, so if the video feature is an important selling point check out one of Canon's upscale P&S models like the G6 or the S70.
Digital SLRs do not include a starter memory card (like most P&S digitcams) so 20D purchasers must buy their own.
What's New?
The 20D is an 8 megapixel (the 10D was a 6 megapixel) dSLR camera. There's an improved White Balance system, a new 9 focus point AF system, improved battery life, and the E-TTL II flash metering system. The most impressive difference between the 20D and its predecessor is Canon's new second-generation DIGIC II processor. The new processor combines image processing and most primary camera functions in one chip that more efficiently manages Auto Exposure, Auto White Balance, JPEG compression, gain control, and most other "auto" functions. DIGIC II image files are also optimized for sharp resolution, balanced contrast, low noise, and bright colors. The EOS 20D is also substantially faster than the 10D.
NUTS & BOLTS
LCD
The EOS 20D's 1.8" LCD screen (pretty much identical to unit in the 10D) is bright and color accurate (brightness levels can be adjusted via the menu) and shows 100% of the image frame. There's a histogram display for checking (post exposure) over/under exposure and tonal range. The 20D also features a backlit top deck status display LCD that provides the same information shown at the bottom of the frame in the optical viewfinder.
TTL Optical Viewfinder
The 20D's moderately high eye point fixed TTL (through the lens) Pentaprism optical viewfinder shows 95% of the frame, which is about average for mid level SLRs - digital or film. There's a diopter adjustment for eyeglasses wearers. Look through the eyepiece and the focus screen displays nine focus point boxes arrayed in a diamond pattern. Across the bottom of the image frame is an illuminated full info (aperture, shutter speed, flash status, etc.) digital read-out.
First time digital SLR users may be surprised to discover that the 20D's LCD can't be used as a viewfinder. Digital SLRs don't provide a live preview image like consumer digital cameras because the reflex mirror is in the light path so the sensor can't provide a live feed to the LCD. dSLR LCDs are used for image review (post exposure) and for menu navigation. The good news is that this substantially lowers power consumption. The 20D's small pentaprism, coarse textured focusing screen, small reflex mirror, and slow (kit) zoom combine to produce a somewhat dimmer than expected viewfinder image. The 20D's focusing screen is so grainy that it is sometimes hard to be sure when the subject is in sharp focus.
Canon's EF Lensmount
One of the primary reasons for buying a dSLR is to gain the ability to use interchangeable lenses. The 20D is compatible with more than fifty prime and zoom lenses (ranging from a 14mm ultra-wide-angle to a 1200mm super-telephoto) currently available from Canon and EF mount lenses from third party makers Sigma, Tamron, and Tokina. The 20D and the Digital Rebel (but not the 10D – or any other Canon SLR) can also utilize Canon's new EF-S digital zooms. The 20D can be purchased in three configurations. Body only (no lens included), as a kit with the Canon f3.5-5.6/18-55 EF-S ($100), or as a kit with the f4.0-f5.6/17-85 EF-S IS (image stabilization) USM (ultrasonic motor) zoom ($600). Canon also offers the f3.5-5.6/18-55 EF-S in USM form ($170) and I've heard that some basic kits (20D and EF-S 18-55) include the USM version of this zoom. Canon also offers a new f3.5-4.5/10-22 EF-S USM ultra-wide angle zoom ($800). The 20D features a depth-of-field preview button which allows users to check out how far the plane of sharp focus extends (in front and behind the primary subject) pre-exposure.
This review deals with the 20D kit configuration including the Canon f3.5-5.6/18-55 EF-S (non USM) zoom. I've used the f3.5-5.6/18-55 EF-S with a Digital Rebel so this is my second experience with Canon's entry level EF-S zoom and I think they did a great job on this lens, substantially reducing size and weight without compromising optical performance radically. The moderate maximum aperture (f3.5) is pretty slow (f2.8 would have been better) and the f5.6 maximum aperture at 55 mm is too slow for virtually anything except high noon at the OK Corral, but overall the EF-S f3.5–f5.6/18-55 zoom is pretty impressive for a lens that costs a C-note. Construction is 11 elements in 9 groups and the minimum aperture is f/22, closest focusing distance is 13 inches, and the filter thread is 58mm.
The EF-S f3.5–f5.6/18-55 is roughly comparable to Canon's larger, heavier, and more expensive entry-level EF zooms in terms of AF speed, build quality, and optical performance. The EF-S f3.5–f5.6/18-55's images are color correct and contrast is pretty good. Not surprisingly, the EF-S f3.5–f5.6/18-55 is sharper in the center than it is at the corners of the frame, but since most users of this lens will be shooting outdoor event/travel/vacation and informal portrait/family pictures (with the subject in the center of the frame) that shouldn't be a problem. Resolution does improve as the aperture gets smaller with f8.0 as the EF-S f3.5–f5.6/18-55's optimum aperture. There is noticeable barrel distortion at the wide-angle end of the zoom range, but pincushion distortion at the telephoto end of the range is very well controlled. Chromatic aberration is a big problem with tiny P&S digicam format zooms, but I didn't notice any purple fringing with the EF-S f3.5–f5.6/18-55. Users can get as close as 13 inches, which is fine for general close-up shooting and the pop-up flash does a pretty good coverage job although it leaves the lower quarter of the frame slightly darker than the upper three quarters. For real macro photography users can opt for a Canon (or third party) EF mount macro lens (and an external flash with diffuser) and shoot professional quality close-ups. Canon's compact EF-S f3.5–f5.6/18-55 zoom is sold only as part of a "point of purchase" kit and is not for sale separately from Canon or Canon dealers, but it is often available used on e-bay.
Auto Focus
The EOS 20D's 9 AF point Auto Focus system is very similar to the AF system of the 10D with a little razzmatazz from Canon's little Digital Elf series and the new Multi-controller (used primarily to quickly and logically change focusing points) thrown in. Users can manually select the specific AF point they want to base focus on (which is handy for composing images with off-center subjects) or allow the camera to select the AF point (closest subject priority). Select Program AE, Shutter Priority, Aperture Priority, or Manual modes and the camera operates in AI Focus AF (it automatically switches between One Shot and AI Servo AF modes). For stationary subjects the camera automatically opts for One Shot AF mode and for moving subjects the 20D automatically switches to AI Servo AF and tracks the subject. The 20D (like the EOS 10D) provides "Predictive AF" which calculates the speed at which a subject is approaching or retreating from the camera and then focuses on that subject's predicted location, a big plus for action/sports (and toddler) photographers. The 20D's AF system is consistently accurate in virtually all lighting conditions and substantially faster across the board than the AF systems of the Digital Rebel and the EOS 10D.
Manual Focus
Manual focus (with EF/EF-S lenses) is a snap, just slide the AF/MF switch to the MF position, and use the manual focusing ring---just like in the good old days.
Flash
The EOS 20D's (higher position) multi-mode pop-up flash makes shooting flash pictures easy. The guide number is 13/43 (meters/feet) at ISO 100. The 20D's flash is small, but it covers the 18mm end of the EF-S f3.5–f5.6/18-55mm zoom. Flash recycle time is about 3 seconds. The 20D's pop-up flash does a noticeably better job of avoiding red-eye (because of its' high profile) than the lower profile unit on the 10D. The 20D provides excellent control over flash exposure, allowing users to balance flash and ambient exposure in one-half or one-third EV increments for more natural-looking pictures. In the Flash Off mode the pop-up flash (and any external flash unit mounted) are disabled.
Canon's Flash Exposure Lock button is another "pro" touch, allowing users to manually fire the flash pre-exposure to determine the proper flash setting. The 20D's flash exposure compensation function permits flash exposures to be tweaked up to +/- 2 stops in 1/2 or 1/3-stop increments. The 20D features Canon's proprietary E-TTL II flash mode (first seen on Canon's Pro EOS 1D Mark II) for more accurate flash coverage with the built-in speedlight (the 20D is compatible with all current Canon speedlights except the 160E and 200E), but to fully realize all the benefits (true focal plane flash sync, flash synch up to 1/8000th of a second, flash exposure bracketing with external flash units, flash modeling, and E-TTL II exposure control) of this very impressive flash system users will need to purchase either the Canon 550EX or 580EX speedlight. Third party flash units will work, but only in manual mode. For portraitists and studio photographers the 20D also provides an external flash synch (PC) port and a remote (electronic) shutter release port.
Image Storage/File Formats/Connectivity
The EOS 20D saves images to type II CompactFlash cards and is FAT/FAT32 compatible for use with high capacity storage media. Purchasers should plan on buying a (minimum) 512MB CF card. Images are saved in JPEG and RAW formats and there is a new RAW JPEG mode that saves a RAW file with an embedded JPEG file. The 20D features a fast USB 2.0 connection (firewire would have been nice) to transfer images to the computer and features a Video Out jack for TV connection (for slideshows).
Power
The 20D draws its power from Canon's new BP511A battery pack. Canon claims the BP511A provides almost 30 per cent more power than the older BP511. Canon claims the BP511A is good for up to 700 exposures (half time flash use) and up to 1000 exposures with no flash. My friend and I used the 20D through two weekends of heavy shooting (without re-charging the battery) and the BP511A seemed to have plenty of juice left. Users who want their own spot on the national power grid can purchase the optional BG-E2 Battery Grip (two BP511A's or 6 AA's) which also provides a vertical shutter release. The included CG-580 charger needs about 90 minutes to fully re-charge the BP511A.
EXPOSURE
The EOS 20D provides photographers with a full complement of exposure options including: full Auto, Program AE, Scene Modes (which Canon calls the Image Zone) including Portrait, Landscape, Close-up, Sports, Night Portrait, and Flash off that automatically pre-set all exposure parameters making it simple for neophyte photographers to capture good pictures in a variety of classic shooting situations, plus Aperture Priority, Shutter Priority, full Manual, and a nifty Auto Depth of Field mode. The Auto Depth of Field mode is especially nice for novice photographers, because it uses the 9 AF points to determine the nearest and farthest points in the composition and then matches that data with the focal length setting of the (Canon EF or EF-S) lens to determine the smallest aperture and the fastest shutter speed combination possible. More advanced photographers can use the 20D's depth of field preview to do the same thing manually.
The 20D's Continuous Shooting mode can capture up to 20 frames at 5 fps (hi-res JPEG) or up to 6 frames (RAW) at 5 fps, a very useful feature for shooting sports and action. Another nifty feature is the ability to lock exposure and focus independently which is great for images with an off center subject and busy borders or a dramatic background.
Metering
Metering modes include Evaluative, Partial (sort of spot-metering mode), and Center-Weighted. Lock button which (temporarily) shifts metering to the Partial mode. More advanced shooters can also use the Exposure Compensation function to bias exposure +/-2EV in 1/3 EV increments. Auto Exposure Bracketing, ISO sensitivity (100 to 1600), and white balance settings may also be used to provide more user input into the exposure process.
White Balance
The EOS 20D provides a very comprehensive range of White Balance options, including TTL automatic and pre-sets for Daylight, Shade, Cloudy, Tungsten, Fluorescent, Flash, and a Custom (manual) setting that bases color balance on a gray or white card reading. The 20D allows users to bracket white balance (the camera captures one image and writes 3 image files with +/- 3 steps in 1EV increments representing successive color values (more or less red, or more or less blue or conversely more or less green/magenta). In addition, users can manually shift WB using the joystick on the back of the camera to nudge color balance to precisely where they want it. Color space options are sRGB or Adobe RGB. The 20D's auto setting does a very good job as do the outdoor settings (Daylight, Shade, Cloudy) and Custom setting, we didn't try the Tungsten, Fluorescent, Flash, or Kelvin temperature (2,800 to 10,000 degrees) settings.
Sensitivity
The 20D provides a very nice sensitivity range including Auto, 100, 200, 400, 800, & 1600 (ISO equivalent). Like its predecessor the 20D also provides an ISO speed extension which boosts the maximum sensitivity setting to 3200.
Noise Reduction
The EOS 20D is very good in low light, with very well managed image noise even at higher sensitivity settings. Most currently available digital cameras (both P&S and dSLR) use what's called Dark Frame Subtraction to eliminate fixed pattern image noise. The way this works is that the camera captures two identical exposures (one with the shutter closed) and then superimposes the dark frame over the actual exposure and subtracts the fixed pattern image noise that appears in both frames. The problem with dark frame subtraction is that while it is an effective method of reducing fixed pattern image noise it is very slow (users must wait for the camera to capture two successive exposures and then subtract the image noise from the first). Canon's 20D is much faster in standard NR mode than any digital camera I've ever used, with no appreciable delay between capturing the image and writing it to the card. The 20D does provide dark frame subtraction NR (called long exposure noise reduction) via the custom function menu.
In-Camera Image Adjustment
In camera image adjustment is very important because it gives savvy shooters the tools they need to ensure tack sharp resolution, manage image noise, balance contrast, and fine-tune color saturation. The EOS 20D features a nice range of In-Camera Image Adjustment options. Users can easily counter environmental/lighting problems or more precisely reflect their personal creative vision. Photographers can accomplish many of the same functions with post exposure image management software, but in-camera image adjustments are always more convenient than post-exposure image manipulation.
The 20D allows users to select the Parameters option and choose the Parameter range (Sharpness +/-2 steps, Saturation +/-2 steps, Contrast +/-2 steps, Color Tone +/-2 steps, and Sharpness +/-2 steps) that best suits their imaging needs. Parameter 2 (default) sets contrast, sharpness, saturation, and color tone to neutral (zero). Also available under the parameters menu are Black & White, filter effects (like a digital version of the yellow, orange, red, and green screw in filters used by shooters of B&W film), and toning effects (which adds sepia, blue, green, or purple tint) to B&W images.
The 20D's Exposure Compensation function allows users to tweak exposure through a series of small increases or decreases from +/-2 EV in either one-half or one-third EV increments. The automatic exposure bracketing function permits users to capture three identical images and vary exposure slightly with each shot ( +/-2EV in 1/2 or 1/3 EV increments). The exposure bracketing function launches from whatever exposure compensation setting users have already set.
CONTROLS, DESIGN, BUILD QUALITY, & ERGONOMICS
At first glance the EOS 20D looks much like its predecessor, although it is a bit smaller and a little lighter. All controls are logically placed and easily accessed, but the back of the 20D is slightly different from the layout familiar to 10D owners. The camera feels well constructed and should be tough enough for anything short of combat photography and extreme climates (the frame is magnesium alloy with a polycarbonate shell). The 20D handles a little better than the 10D, the smaller hand grip on the right hand side of the camera front seems to provide a more balanced feel.
Technical Specifications
Camera Type: Interchangeable Lens Digital SLR
Resolution: 8.2 Megapixels (3504X2336)
Viewfinder: TTL Pentaprism (fixed)
LCD: 1.8" Color TFT
Exposure: Auto, Program AE, Image Zone (Portrait, Landscape, Close-up, Sports, Night Portrait, and Flash off), Aperture Priority, Shutter Priority, full Manual, and Auto Depth of Field modes
Lensmount: Canon EF/EF-S
Auto Focus: 9 AF point phase detection
Manual Focus: yes
Metering: Evaluative, Partial (spot), and Center-Weighted
Flash: built-in multi mode and hot shoe for external flash
Sensitivity: 100, 200, 400, 800, 1600 ISO equivalent
White Balance: automatic and pre-sets for Daylight, Shade, Cloudy, Tungsten, Fluorescent, Flash, and Custom (manual)
Memory Media: CF type II
Image File Formats: JPEG, RAW, RAW JPEG
Power: one BP511A Li-Ion rechargeable battery
Kit Price: 20D body and Canon f3.5–f5.6/18-55mm EF-S zoom $1599.00
Included
Canon f3.5–f5.6/18-55mm EF-S zoom, BP-511A Li-ion rechargeable battery pack, battery charger, neck strap, A/V & USB cables, software CD-ROMs, camera manual, and software manual (both printed)
Optional
SLRs (like the EOS 20D) are modular imaging tools with an almost unlimited selection of prime and zoom lenses (both OEM and third party), external flash units, etc.
In the Field/Handling & Operation
My friend (who sells new and used digital and analog photography equipment) finally managed to shake loose a new Canon 20D kit with an f3.5–f5.6/18-55mm EF-S zoom for us to play with. The first thing we did was to run some color/WB tests by shooting a selection of colorful plastic children's beach toys laid out on a white background. The 20D consistently produced color accurate and well-saturated (but not garish) images in both the automatic and manual white balance modes. After we finished our color/WB tests we took the camera to Springs Station Mall on a very cold Saturday afternoon in mid January. There was just over half an inch of fresh snow and the temperature was hovering at about 20 degrees, but the sky was blue and the light was very good.
Springs Station was a tiny pioneer settlement at the end of the eighteenth century, a full days journey from Louisville. All that's left of the settlement is an old cemetery right in the middle of the parking lot in front of the "Books-A-Million" store. The city of Louisville has grown exponentially over the past two hundred years so old cemeteries tend to turn up in some strange places. The old burial plot is surrounded by a chest high wall of huge blocks of hand cut native Kentucky limestone, placed without mortar. A small arched limestone gateway with a very old cast iron gate, hanging precariously from one hinge, adds a picturesque frame for the half dozen "country" style monuments. Two larger and more elaborate marble tombstones add a nice balance to the picture seen through the ancient gate.
The limestone walls and most of the markers are of a pale gray color, the marble tombstones a creamy yellowish white, and the new snow blanketing everything was a pure pristine white. The sky was a lovely winter blue, without a single cloud. My major challenge was to figure out how to show the sky in its perfect and striking blue, without losing the subtle color differences in the snow, limestone walls, and marble markers. White or light colors tend to fool camera meters pretty easily and the 20D's was no exception. The 20D's metering system had difficulty handling the subtle shades in the cemetery (snow, light gray, and creamy yellowish white) and the blue sky. It is very easy to expose for the snow and end up with bluish snow, or to expose for the sky and end up with un-naturally "washed out" no detail snow, so we used the exposure compensation function to tweak the image until we found a compromise exposure somewhere between blown out and blocked up that seemed to offer the best solution. Contrasty scenes, are best shot in the RAW mode with the 20D, JPEGS of high contrast scenes tend to blow out highlights pretty consistently with a washed out look and muted saturation because compression narrows the dynamic range of the image.
We got together again Sunday morning to continue our tests with the 20D. The day started out a bit warmer than Saturday with flat overcast skies (there are no reflections or glare under overcast lighting, so colors appear more intense) and we decided to shoot some Eliot Porter style intimate landscapes in Iroquois Park. The park covers a large heavily forested hill that rises more than 800 feet above the surrounding suburbs. Once you are inside the park, it is easy to imagine that you are somewhere out in the woods rather than on the outskirts of a large metropolitan area. We checked out one of our favorite shooting spots, an old fallen tree that is slowly being reclaimed by the forest. At one point along the bark free bleached bone length of the old tree's gray white trunk we found a small depression with a small clump of dead dry yellowish brown stalks. Wind had filled the tiny depression with snow, surrounding the dead yellow brown plant with white. Both of us started looking for something to pull the composition together, a small splash of color to relieve the almost monochromatic (light gray, white, light yellowish brown) look of the scene. My friend found a rust orange oak leaf still on the tree and we plucked it off and artfully placed it at the base of the old grayish tree trunk, just to the left of the clump of dead weeds. We shot several tight mini landscapes (reviewing each one after capture) until we got just what we wanted.
The following Saturday afternoon we headed for Cherokee Park to shoot some intimate landscapes along the banks of Beargrass Creek. The weather was warmer with pale blue skies, dark clouds, intermittent rain, and temperatures in the low forties. The scenic loop road traverses several miles of rolling hillsides and open meadows with old growth woods lining both sides of Beargrass Creek. It's possible to capture great stuff just a few yards from the road, images that look as if they were shot out in the middle of nowhere. We found a patch of dark green moss surrounded by windblown dead leaves that were spotted with raindrops and shot some moderate close-ups. The old growth trees threw the creek into shadow but the 20D produced consistently sharp and well-exposed noise free images even in the shade under the old trees. Kentucky is gorgeous three seasons of the year, unfortunately winter is not one of those three seasons. We shot images along the creek for a couple of hours, but there really wasn't anything very impressive to be found and we finally gave up and called it a day. Photography is much easier in the spring, summer, or fall. Picture opportunities are much harder to find in the winter partly because the Ohio Valley isn't the prettiest place in the world when almost everything is in shades of dull gray and flat brown.
Sunday morning we got together and drove to Cave Hill Cemetery, another favorite local shooting location for both of us. The weather was cold and damp with a heavy ground fog and we thought it would be interesting to shoot some of the old mausoleums and tombstones rising moodily out of the fog. The cemetery was completely deserted when we got there and we were able to quickly drive to the oldest area and shoot some of old headstones surrounded by ankle deep fallen leaves, everything softened by the thick fog. The 20D did an absolutely superb job of capturing the melancholic look of the old cemetery. We also shot several of the old nineteenth and early twentieth century mausoleums along the road above the lake, where the fog was at its heaviest. The slightly soft look of the images (Parameter 2 – default setting) really contributed to the "look" we were after.
After we finished up at Cave Hill we were wet and freezing so we headed for Morris' Deli on Taylorsville Rd. (an old fashioned southern style deli featuring sandwiches, barbeque, and home made soups) for a bowl of the best white bean soup in Louisville The Deli (a tiny little place with only two tables) is located in a combined liquor store and beer depot so the decor is straight out of the early sixties. We got a couple bowls of bean soup and took turns photographing the deli's interior while we ate and warmed up. Everything looked really "retro" in Black & White and Sepia Tone (using the 20D's toning effects mode). After we finished with our soup we reviewed the images we'd shot over the course of our 2 weekend test with the EOS 20D and Canon f3.5–f5.6/18-55mm EF-S zoom. The 20D did a good job in auto mode and an excellent job in manual mode, proving this camera kit can be used by almost anyone from beginner to semi pro with consistently good results.
PERFORMANCE
Image Quality
The EOS 20D and Canon f3.5–f5.6/18-55mm EF-S zoom kit's images are consistently very good. Color is hue accurate and nicely saturated, although the 20D does have a slight tendency to warm up images shot in dim lighting. We printed two 8 megapixel RAW files at 8X10 (with an Epson Stylus Photo 2200 on Epson matte photo paper) from our adventures with the 20D and the enlargements were on par with ISO 100 film prints. Photographers looking for a digital SLR at a reasonable price aren't going to be able do much better than the EOS 20D with Canon f3.5–f5.6/18-55mm EF-S zoom kit. Both of us were amazed at just well the 20D manages image noise, we shot stuff at ISO 400 that looked like it was shot at ISO 100. In the final analysis dSLR image quality is going to be more dependent on the lens mounted on the camera than it is on the efficacy of the camera's processing and exposure systems. The Canon f3.5–f5.6/18-55mm EF-S zoom is not only a very good lens with very respectable performance, but it is a good starter lens that can be replaced eventually with a better quality EF or "L" zoom.
Timing/Shutter Lag
The EOS 20D is the fastest dSLR I've ever used, Shutter Lag range is from about ? second to real time, shot to shot times (about ? second), write to card times, and Cycle (boot-up/shut down) times are very close to on par with analog (film) SLRs. The one caveat I will offer here is that AF lag is actually more dependent on the lens in use than it is on the camera. The Canon f3.5–f5.6/18-55mm EF-S zoom is pretty fast from scratch and less than ? second with pre-focus. Some EF mount lenses will be slower than others and third party lenses are almost always a bit slower than their OEM counterparts. Timing will also rise and fall based on the CF card in use – a faster card will contribute nicely to the 20D's speed while a cheap or old CF card will slow everything down.
Tweakability Quotient
How responsive is the 20D? Does it allow savvy users the ability to create truly personalized images via exposure compensation, flash compensation, exposure bracketing, AF bracketing, in-camera image adjustment (saturation, contrast, sharpening), and white balance fine-tuning?
My scale begins at 1 (auto exposure only---no ability to "tweak" exposure parameters) and runs through 10 (virtually unlimited ability to "tweak" exposure parameters).
A higher "TQ" number identifies a camera that provides users with much wider flexibility and individual input into the exposure process (and consequently a higher degree of creative freedom). A lower TQ number identifies a camera that limits user input into the image making process and the degree to which that limitation inhibits the creative process.
The 20D rates a very good 9.0 which makes it my new tweakability champ.
A Few Concerns
I really don't have any serious concerns about the 20D, but my friend told me that some of the first production run 20Ds had a lock up problem that required removing the battery and then re-inserting it to re-boot the 20D's CPU. Industry buzz claims that this problem has been fixed on later production runs. My friend thought the 20D's shutter was a bit loud, but it didn't bother me. My all time loud shutter champ, the Praktica MTL3's shutter could be heard at 100 yards and the 20D isn't anywhere close to that, but a loud shutter could be a problem for photographers shooting wildlife or candid street scenes..
My major complaint with the 20D is that the small pentaprism, coarse textured focusing screen, small reflex mirror, and slow (kit) zoom combine to produce a somewhat dimmer than expected viewfinder image. The 20D's focusing screen is so grainy it is sometimes hard to be sure if everything is in sharp focus.
I hope Canon will add a true spot-metering mode (2-3 per cent spot) to replace the 20D's partial metering mode (9.5 per cent spot) on its successor.
Conclusion
To put it simply, the EOS 20D and Canon f3.5–f5.6/18-55mm EF-S zoom for $1500.00 is about as good as it gets at this point in time.
Links
For definitive advice on How to Choose a Digital Camera please see my review:
http://www.epinions.com/elec-review-2E46-17B174E2-39A418E3-prod1
Looking to ramp up your digital imaging experience and create a home digital darkroom? Check out my review of a very capable pro quality ink-jet printer, the Epson Stylus Photo 2200. http://www.epinions.com/content_167980076676
Not quite ready for the EOS 20D? Check out its little brother (below) and save six hundred bucks.
Canon EOS 300D Digital Rebel
http://www.epinions.com/content_116460850820
A few important facts for first time dSLR Buyers
The 20D's CMOS (Complementary Metal Oxide Semiconductor) sensor is smaller than a frame of 35mm film so there's a 1.6X magnification factor with 35mm format lenses----the good news is that telephoto lenses magically grow longer (a 200 mm telephoto becomes a 320 mm telephoto). The bad news is that the same thing happens to wide-angle lenses (a 28 mm wide-angle lens becomes a 43 mm normal lens). Photographers who like to shoot grand vistas or expansive interior shots are going to have to buy very expensive ultra wide-angle lenses.
For those new to dSLR's the LCD screen can't be used as a viewfinder (as it is with Point & Shoot digital cameras) because the mirror used to reflect the image up to the TTL optical viewfinder blocks the light path. Digital SLR LCD's are used for menu navigation and image review.
Digital SLRs don't feature movie modes, so if the video feature is an important selling point check out one of Canon's upscale P&S models like the G6 or the S70.
Digital SLRs do not include a starter memory card (like most P&S digitcams) so 20D purchasers must buy their own.
What's New?
The 20D is an 8 megapixel (the 10D was a 6 megapixel) dSLR camera. There's an improved White Balance system, a new 9 focus point AF system, improved battery life, and the E-TTL II flash metering system. The most impressive difference between the 20D and its predecessor is Canon's new second-generation DIGIC II processor. The new processor combines image processing and most primary camera functions in one chip that more efficiently manages Auto Exposure, Auto White Balance, JPEG compression, gain control, and most other "auto" functions. DIGIC II image files are also optimized for sharp resolution, balanced contrast, low noise, and bright colors. The EOS 20D is also substantially faster than the 10D.
NUTS & BOLTS
LCD
The EOS 20D's 1.8" LCD screen (pretty much identical to unit in the 10D) is bright and color accurate (brightness levels can be adjusted via the menu) and shows 100% of the image frame. There's a histogram display for checking (post exposure) over/under exposure and tonal range. The 20D also features a backlit top deck status display LCD that provides the same information shown at the bottom of the frame in the optical viewfinder.
TTL Optical Viewfinder
The 20D's moderately high eye point fixed TTL (through the lens) Pentaprism optical viewfinder shows 95% of the frame, which is about average for mid level SLRs - digital or film. There's a diopter adjustment for eyeglasses wearers. Look through the eyepiece and the focus screen displays nine focus point boxes arrayed in a diamond pattern. Across the bottom of the image frame is an illuminated full info (aperture, shutter speed, flash status, etc.) digital read-out.
First time digital SLR users may be surprised to discover that the 20D's LCD can't be used as a viewfinder. Digital SLRs don't provide a live preview image like consumer digital cameras because the reflex mirror is in the light path so the sensor can't provide a live feed to the LCD. dSLR LCDs are used for image review (post exposure) and for menu navigation. The good news is that this substantially lowers power consumption. The 20D's small pentaprism, coarse textured focusing screen, small reflex mirror, and slow (kit) zoom combine to produce a somewhat dimmer than expected viewfinder image. The 20D's focusing screen is so grainy that it is sometimes hard to be sure when the subject is in sharp focus.
Canon's EF Lensmount
One of the primary reasons for buying a dSLR is to gain the ability to use interchangeable lenses. The 20D is compatible with more than fifty prime and zoom lenses (ranging from a 14mm ultra-wide-angle to a 1200mm super-telephoto) currently available from Canon and EF mount lenses from third party makers Sigma, Tamron, and Tokina. The 20D and the Digital Rebel (but not the 10D – or any other Canon SLR) can also utilize Canon's new EF-S digital zooms. The 20D can be purchased in three configurations. Body only (no lens included), as a kit with the Canon f3.5-5.6/18-55 EF-S ($100), or as a kit with the f4.0-f5.6/17-85 EF-S IS (image stabilization) USM (ultrasonic motor) zoom ($600). Canon also offers the f3.5-5.6/18-55 EF-S in USM form ($170) and I've heard that some basic kits (20D and EF-S 18-55) include the USM version of this zoom. Canon also offers a new f3.5-4.5/10-22 EF-S USM ultra-wide angle zoom ($800). The 20D features a depth-of-field preview button which allows users to check out how far the plane of sharp focus extends (in front and behind the primary subject) pre-exposure.
This review deals with the 20D kit configuration including the Canon f3.5-5.6/18-55 EF-S (non USM) zoom. I've used the f3.5-5.6/18-55 EF-S with a Digital Rebel so this is my second experience with Canon's entry level EF-S zoom and I think they did a great job on this lens, substantially reducing size and weight without compromising optical performance radically. The moderate maximum aperture (f3.5) is pretty slow (f2.8 would have been better) and the f5.6 maximum aperture at 55 mm is too slow for virtually anything except high noon at the OK Corral, but overall the EF-S f3.5–f5.6/18-55 zoom is pretty impressive for a lens that costs a C-note. Construction is 11 elements in 9 groups and the minimum aperture is f/22, closest focusing distance is 13 inches, and the filter thread is 58mm.
The EF-S f3.5–f5.6/18-55 is roughly comparable to Canon's larger, heavier, and more expensive entry-level EF zooms in terms of AF speed, build quality, and optical performance. The EF-S f3.5–f5.6/18-55's images are color correct and contrast is pretty good. Not surprisingly, the EF-S f3.5–f5.6/18-55 is sharper in the center than it is at the corners of the frame, but since most users of this lens will be shooting outdoor event/travel/vacation and informal portrait/family pictures (with the subject in the center of the frame) that shouldn't be a problem. Resolution does improve as the aperture gets smaller with f8.0 as the EF-S f3.5–f5.6/18-55's optimum aperture. There is noticeable barrel distortion at the wide-angle end of the zoom range, but pincushion distortion at the telephoto end of the range is very well controlled. Chromatic aberration is a big problem with tiny P&S digicam format zooms, but I didn't notice any purple fringing with the EF-S f3.5–f5.6/18-55. Users can get as close as 13 inches, which is fine for general close-up shooting and the pop-up flash does a pretty good coverage job although it leaves the lower quarter of the frame slightly darker than the upper three quarters. For real macro photography users can opt for a Canon (or third party) EF mount macro lens (and an external flash with diffuser) and shoot professional quality close-ups. Canon's compact EF-S f3.5–f5.6/18-55 zoom is sold only as part of a "point of purchase" kit and is not for sale separately from Canon or Canon dealers, but it is often available used on e-bay.
Auto Focus
The EOS 20D's 9 AF point Auto Focus system is very similar to the AF system of the 10D with a little razzmatazz from Canon's little Digital Elf series and the new Multi-controller (used primarily to quickly and logically change focusing points) thrown in. Users can manually select the specific AF point they want to base focus on (which is handy for composing images with off-center subjects) or allow the camera to select the AF point (closest subject priority). Select Program AE, Shutter Priority, Aperture Priority, or Manual modes and the camera operates in AI Focus AF (it automatically switches between One Shot and AI Servo AF modes). For stationary subjects the camera automatically opts for One Shot AF mode and for moving subjects the 20D automatically switches to AI Servo AF and tracks the subject. The 20D (like the EOS 10D) provides "Predictive AF" which calculates the speed at which a subject is approaching or retreating from the camera and then focuses on that subject's predicted location, a big plus for action/sports (and toddler) photographers. The 20D's AF system is consistently accurate in virtually all lighting conditions and substantially faster across the board than the AF systems of the Digital Rebel and the EOS 10D.
Manual Focus
Manual focus (with EF/EF-S lenses) is a snap, just slide the AF/MF switch to the MF position, and use the manual focusing ring---just like in the good old days.
Flash
The EOS 20D's (higher position) multi-mode pop-up flash makes shooting flash pictures easy. The guide number is 13/43 (meters/feet) at ISO 100. The 20D's flash is small, but it covers the 18mm end of the EF-S f3.5–f5.6/18-55mm zoom. Flash recycle time is about 3 seconds. The 20D's pop-up flash does a noticeably better job of avoiding red-eye (because of its' high profile) than the lower profile unit on the 10D. The 20D provides excellent control over flash exposure, allowing users to balance flash and ambient exposure in one-half or one-third EV increments for more natural-looking pictures. In the Flash Off mode the pop-up flash (and any external flash unit mounted) are disabled.
Canon's Flash Exposure Lock button is another "pro" touch, allowing users to manually fire the flash pre-exposure to determine the proper flash setting. The 20D's flash exposure compensation function permits flash exposures to be tweaked up to +/- 2 stops in 1/2 or 1/3-stop increments. The 20D features Canon's proprietary E-TTL II flash mode (first seen on Canon's Pro EOS 1D Mark II) for more accurate flash coverage with the built-in speedlight (the 20D is compatible with all current Canon speedlights except the 160E and 200E), but to fully realize all the benefits (true focal plane flash sync, flash synch up to 1/8000th of a second, flash exposure bracketing with external flash units, flash modeling, and E-TTL II exposure control) of this very impressive flash system users will need to purchase either the Canon 550EX or 580EX speedlight. Third party flash units will work, but only in manual mode. For portraitists and studio photographers the 20D also provides an external flash synch (PC) port and a remote (electronic) shutter release port.
Image Storage/File Formats/Connectivity
The EOS 20D saves images to type II CompactFlash cards and is FAT/FAT32 compatible for use with high capacity storage media. Purchasers should plan on buying a (minimum) 512MB CF card. Images are saved in JPEG and RAW formats and there is a new RAW JPEG mode that saves a RAW file with an embedded JPEG file. The 20D features a fast USB 2.0 connection (firewire would have been nice) to transfer images to the computer and features a Video Out jack for TV connection (for slideshows).
Power
The 20D draws its power from Canon's new BP511A battery pack. Canon claims the BP511A provides almost 30 per cent more power than the older BP511. Canon claims the BP511A is good for up to 700 exposures (half time flash use) and up to 1000 exposures with no flash. My friend and I used the 20D through two weekends of heavy shooting (without re-charging the battery) and the BP511A seemed to have plenty of juice left. Users who want their own spot on the national power grid can purchase the optional BG-E2 Battery Grip (two BP511A's or 6 AA's) which also provides a vertical shutter release. The included CG-580 charger needs about 90 minutes to fully re-charge the BP511A.
EXPOSURE
The EOS 20D provides photographers with a full complement of exposure options including: full Auto, Program AE, Scene Modes (which Canon calls the Image Zone) including Portrait, Landscape, Close-up, Sports, Night Portrait, and Flash off that automatically pre-set all exposure parameters making it simple for neophyte photographers to capture good pictures in a variety of classic shooting situations, plus Aperture Priority, Shutter Priority, full Manual, and a nifty Auto Depth of Field mode. The Auto Depth of Field mode is especially nice for novice photographers, because it uses the 9 AF points to determine the nearest and farthest points in the composition and then matches that data with the focal length setting of the (Canon EF or EF-S) lens to determine the smallest aperture and the fastest shutter speed combination possible. More advanced photographers can use the 20D's depth of field preview to do the same thing manually.
The 20D's Continuous Shooting mode can capture up to 20 frames at 5 fps (hi-res JPEG) or up to 6 frames (RAW) at 5 fps, a very useful feature for shooting sports and action. Another nifty feature is the ability to lock exposure and focus independently which is great for images with an off center subject and busy borders or a dramatic background.
Metering
Metering modes include Evaluative, Partial (sort of spot-metering mode), and Center-Weighted. Lock button which (temporarily) shifts metering to the Partial mode. More advanced shooters can also use the Exposure Compensation function to bias exposure +/-2EV in 1/3 EV increments. Auto Exposure Bracketing, ISO sensitivity (100 to 1600), and white balance settings may also be used to provide more user input into the exposure process.
White Balance
The EOS 20D provides a very comprehensive range of White Balance options, including TTL automatic and pre-sets for Daylight, Shade, Cloudy, Tungsten, Fluorescent, Flash, and a Custom (manual) setting that bases color balance on a gray or white card reading. The 20D allows users to bracket white balance (the camera captures one image and writes 3 image files with +/- 3 steps in 1EV increments representing successive color values (more or less red, or more or less blue or conversely more or less green/magenta). In addition, users can manually shift WB using the joystick on the back of the camera to nudge color balance to precisely where they want it. Color space options are sRGB or Adobe RGB. The 20D's auto setting does a very good job as do the outdoor settings (Daylight, Shade, Cloudy) and Custom setting, we didn't try the Tungsten, Fluorescent, Flash, or Kelvin temperature (2,800 to 10,000 degrees) settings.
Sensitivity
The 20D provides a very nice sensitivity range including Auto, 100, 200, 400, 800, & 1600 (ISO equivalent). Like its predecessor the 20D also provides an ISO speed extension which boosts the maximum sensitivity setting to 3200.
Noise Reduction
The EOS 20D is very good in low light, with very well managed image noise even at higher sensitivity settings. Most currently available digital cameras (both P&S and dSLR) use what's called Dark Frame Subtraction to eliminate fixed pattern image noise. The way this works is that the camera captures two identical exposures (one with the shutter closed) and then superimposes the dark frame over the actual exposure and subtracts the fixed pattern image noise that appears in both frames. The problem with dark frame subtraction is that while it is an effective method of reducing fixed pattern image noise it is very slow (users must wait for the camera to capture two successive exposures and then subtract the image noise from the first). Canon's 20D is much faster in standard NR mode than any digital camera I've ever used, with no appreciable delay between capturing the image and writing it to the card. The 20D does provide dark frame subtraction NR (called long exposure noise reduction) via the custom function menu.
In-Camera Image Adjustment
In camera image adjustment is very important because it gives savvy shooters the tools they need to ensure tack sharp resolution, manage image noise, balance contrast, and fine-tune color saturation. The EOS 20D features a nice range of In-Camera Image Adjustment options. Users can easily counter environmental/lighting problems or more precisely reflect their personal creative vision. Photographers can accomplish many of the same functions with post exposure image management software, but in-camera image adjustments are always more convenient than post-exposure image manipulation.
The 20D allows users to select the Parameters option and choose the Parameter range (Sharpness +/-2 steps, Saturation +/-2 steps, Contrast +/-2 steps, Color Tone +/-2 steps, and Sharpness +/-2 steps) that best suits their imaging needs. Parameter 2 (default) sets contrast, sharpness, saturation, and color tone to neutral (zero). Also available under the parameters menu are Black & White, filter effects (like a digital version of the yellow, orange, red, and green screw in filters used by shooters of B&W film), and toning effects (which adds sepia, blue, green, or purple tint) to B&W images.
The 20D's Exposure Compensation function allows users to tweak exposure through a series of small increases or decreases from +/-2 EV in either one-half or one-third EV increments. The automatic exposure bracketing function permits users to capture three identical images and vary exposure slightly with each shot ( +/-2EV in 1/2 or 1/3 EV increments). The exposure bracketing function launches from whatever exposure compensation setting users have already set.
CONTROLS, DESIGN, BUILD QUALITY, & ERGONOMICS
At first glance the EOS 20D looks much like its predecessor, although it is a bit smaller and a little lighter. All controls are logically placed and easily accessed, but the back of the 20D is slightly different from the layout familiar to 10D owners. The camera feels well constructed and should be tough enough for anything short of combat photography and extreme climates (the frame is magnesium alloy with a polycarbonate shell). The 20D handles a little better than the 10D, the smaller hand grip on the right hand side of the camera front seems to provide a more balanced feel.
Technical Specifications
Camera Type: Interchangeable Lens Digital SLR
Resolution: 8.2 Megapixels (3504X2336)
Viewfinder: TTL Pentaprism (fixed)
LCD: 1.8" Color TFT
Exposure: Auto, Program AE, Image Zone (Portrait, Landscape, Close-up, Sports, Night Portrait, and Flash off), Aperture Priority, Shutter Priority, full Manual, and Auto Depth of Field modes
Lensmount: Canon EF/EF-S
Auto Focus: 9 AF point phase detection
Manual Focus: yes
Metering: Evaluative, Partial (spot), and Center-Weighted
Flash: built-in multi mode and hot shoe for external flash
Sensitivity: 100, 200, 400, 800, 1600 ISO equivalent
White Balance: automatic and pre-sets for Daylight, Shade, Cloudy, Tungsten, Fluorescent, Flash, and Custom (manual)
Memory Media: CF type II
Image File Formats: JPEG, RAW, RAW JPEG
Power: one BP511A Li-Ion rechargeable battery
Kit Price: 20D body and Canon f3.5–f5.6/18-55mm EF-S zoom $1599.00
Included
Canon f3.5–f5.6/18-55mm EF-S zoom, BP-511A Li-ion rechargeable battery pack, battery charger, neck strap, A/V & USB cables, software CD-ROMs, camera manual, and software manual (both printed)
Optional
SLRs (like the EOS 20D) are modular imaging tools with an almost unlimited selection of prime and zoom lenses (both OEM and third party), external flash units, etc.
In the Field/Handling & Operation
My friend (who sells new and used digital and analog photography equipment) finally managed to shake loose a new Canon 20D kit with an f3.5–f5.6/18-55mm EF-S zoom for us to play with. The first thing we did was to run some color/WB tests by shooting a selection of colorful plastic children's beach toys laid out on a white background. The 20D consistently produced color accurate and well-saturated (but not garish) images in both the automatic and manual white balance modes. After we finished our color/WB tests we took the camera to Springs Station Mall on a very cold Saturday afternoon in mid January. There was just over half an inch of fresh snow and the temperature was hovering at about 20 degrees, but the sky was blue and the light was very good.
Springs Station was a tiny pioneer settlement at the end of the eighteenth century, a full days journey from Louisville. All that's left of the settlement is an old cemetery right in the middle of the parking lot in front of the "Books-A-Million" store. The city of Louisville has grown exponentially over the past two hundred years so old cemeteries tend to turn up in some strange places. The old burial plot is surrounded by a chest high wall of huge blocks of hand cut native Kentucky limestone, placed without mortar. A small arched limestone gateway with a very old cast iron gate, hanging precariously from one hinge, adds a picturesque frame for the half dozen "country" style monuments. Two larger and more elaborate marble tombstones add a nice balance to the picture seen through the ancient gate.
The limestone walls and most of the markers are of a pale gray color, the marble tombstones a creamy yellowish white, and the new snow blanketing everything was a pure pristine white. The sky was a lovely winter blue, without a single cloud. My major challenge was to figure out how to show the sky in its perfect and striking blue, without losing the subtle color differences in the snow, limestone walls, and marble markers. White or light colors tend to fool camera meters pretty easily and the 20D's was no exception. The 20D's metering system had difficulty handling the subtle shades in the cemetery (snow, light gray, and creamy yellowish white) and the blue sky. It is very easy to expose for the snow and end up with bluish snow, or to expose for the sky and end up with un-naturally "washed out" no detail snow, so we used the exposure compensation function to tweak the image until we found a compromise exposure somewhere between blown out and blocked up that seemed to offer the best solution. Contrasty scenes, are best shot in the RAW mode with the 20D, JPEGS of high contrast scenes tend to blow out highlights pretty consistently with a washed out look and muted saturation because compression narrows the dynamic range of the image.
We got together again Sunday morning to continue our tests with the 20D. The day started out a bit warmer than Saturday with flat overcast skies (there are no reflections or glare under overcast lighting, so colors appear more intense) and we decided to shoot some Eliot Porter style intimate landscapes in Iroquois Park. The park covers a large heavily forested hill that rises more than 800 feet above the surrounding suburbs. Once you are inside the park, it is easy to imagine that you are somewhere out in the woods rather than on the outskirts of a large metropolitan area. We checked out one of our favorite shooting spots, an old fallen tree that is slowly being reclaimed by the forest. At one point along the bark free bleached bone length of the old tree's gray white trunk we found a small depression with a small clump of dead dry yellowish brown stalks. Wind had filled the tiny depression with snow, surrounding the dead yellow brown plant with white. Both of us started looking for something to pull the composition together, a small splash of color to relieve the almost monochromatic (light gray, white, light yellowish brown) look of the scene. My friend found a rust orange oak leaf still on the tree and we plucked it off and artfully placed it at the base of the old grayish tree trunk, just to the left of the clump of dead weeds. We shot several tight mini landscapes (reviewing each one after capture) until we got just what we wanted.
The following Saturday afternoon we headed for Cherokee Park to shoot some intimate landscapes along the banks of Beargrass Creek. The weather was warmer with pale blue skies, dark clouds, intermittent rain, and temperatures in the low forties. The scenic loop road traverses several miles of rolling hillsides and open meadows with old growth woods lining both sides of Beargrass Creek. It's possible to capture great stuff just a few yards from the road, images that look as if they were shot out in the middle of nowhere. We found a patch of dark green moss surrounded by windblown dead leaves that were spotted with raindrops and shot some moderate close-ups. The old growth trees threw the creek into shadow but the 20D produced consistently sharp and well-exposed noise free images even in the shade under the old trees. Kentucky is gorgeous three seasons of the year, unfortunately winter is not one of those three seasons. We shot images along the creek for a couple of hours, but there really wasn't anything very impressive to be found and we finally gave up and called it a day. Photography is much easier in the spring, summer, or fall. Picture opportunities are much harder to find in the winter partly because the Ohio Valley isn't the prettiest place in the world when almost everything is in shades of dull gray and flat brown.
Sunday morning we got together and drove to Cave Hill Cemetery, another favorite local shooting location for both of us. The weather was cold and damp with a heavy ground fog and we thought it would be interesting to shoot some of the old mausoleums and tombstones rising moodily out of the fog. The cemetery was completely deserted when we got there and we were able to quickly drive to the oldest area and shoot some of old headstones surrounded by ankle deep fallen leaves, everything softened by the thick fog. The 20D did an absolutely superb job of capturing the melancholic look of the old cemetery. We also shot several of the old nineteenth and early twentieth century mausoleums along the road above the lake, where the fog was at its heaviest. The slightly soft look of the images (Parameter 2 – default setting) really contributed to the "look" we were after.
After we finished up at Cave Hill we were wet and freezing so we headed for Morris' Deli on Taylorsville Rd. (an old fashioned southern style deli featuring sandwiches, barbeque, and home made soups) for a bowl of the best white bean soup in Louisville The Deli (a tiny little place with only two tables) is located in a combined liquor store and beer depot so the decor is straight out of the early sixties. We got a couple bowls of bean soup and took turns photographing the deli's interior while we ate and warmed up. Everything looked really "retro" in Black & White and Sepia Tone (using the 20D's toning effects mode). After we finished with our soup we reviewed the images we'd shot over the course of our 2 weekend test with the EOS 20D and Canon f3.5–f5.6/18-55mm EF-S zoom. The 20D did a good job in auto mode and an excellent job in manual mode, proving this camera kit can be used by almost anyone from beginner to semi pro with consistently good results.
PERFORMANCE
Image Quality
The EOS 20D and Canon f3.5–f5.6/18-55mm EF-S zoom kit's images are consistently very good. Color is hue accurate and nicely saturated, although the 20D does have a slight tendency to warm up images shot in dim lighting. We printed two 8 megapixel RAW files at 8X10 (with an Epson Stylus Photo 2200 on Epson matte photo paper) from our adventures with the 20D and the enlargements were on par with ISO 100 film prints. Photographers looking for a digital SLR at a reasonable price aren't going to be able do much better than the EOS 20D with Canon f3.5–f5.6/18-55mm EF-S zoom kit. Both of us were amazed at just well the 20D manages image noise, we shot stuff at ISO 400 that looked like it was shot at ISO 100. In the final analysis dSLR image quality is going to be more dependent on the lens mounted on the camera than it is on the efficacy of the camera's processing and exposure systems. The Canon f3.5–f5.6/18-55mm EF-S zoom is not only a very good lens with very respectable performance, but it is a good starter lens that can be replaced eventually with a better quality EF or "L" zoom.
Timing/Shutter Lag
The EOS 20D is the fastest dSLR I've ever used, Shutter Lag range is from about ? second to real time, shot to shot times (about ? second), write to card times, and Cycle (boot-up/shut down) times are very close to on par with analog (film) SLRs. The one caveat I will offer here is that AF lag is actually more dependent on the lens in use than it is on the camera. The Canon f3.5–f5.6/18-55mm EF-S zoom is pretty fast from scratch and less than ? second with pre-focus. Some EF mount lenses will be slower than others and third party lenses are almost always a bit slower than their OEM counterparts. Timing will also rise and fall based on the CF card in use – a faster card will contribute nicely to the 20D's speed while a cheap or old CF card will slow everything down.
Tweakability Quotient
How responsive is the 20D? Does it allow savvy users the ability to create truly personalized images via exposure compensation, flash compensation, exposure bracketing, AF bracketing, in-camera image adjustment (saturation, contrast, sharpening), and white balance fine-tuning?
My scale begins at 1 (auto exposure only---no ability to "tweak" exposure parameters) and runs through 10 (virtually unlimited ability to "tweak" exposure parameters).
A higher "TQ" number identifies a camera that provides users with much wider flexibility and individual input into the exposure process (and consequently a higher degree of creative freedom). A lower TQ number identifies a camera that limits user input into the image making process and the degree to which that limitation inhibits the creative process.
The 20D rates a very good 9.0 which makes it my new tweakability champ.
A Few Concerns
I really don't have any serious concerns about the 20D, but my friend told me that some of the first production run 20Ds had a lock up problem that required removing the battery and then re-inserting it to re-boot the 20D's CPU. Industry buzz claims that this problem has been fixed on later production runs. My friend thought the 20D's shutter was a bit loud, but it didn't bother me. My all time loud shutter champ, the Praktica MTL3's shutter could be heard at 100 yards and the 20D isn't anywhere close to that, but a loud shutter could be a problem for photographers shooting wildlife or candid street scenes..
My major complaint with the 20D is that the small pentaprism, coarse textured focusing screen, small reflex mirror, and slow (kit) zoom combine to produce a somewhat dimmer than expected viewfinder image. The 20D's focusing screen is so grainy it is sometimes hard to be sure if everything is in sharp focus.
I hope Canon will add a true spot-metering mode (2-3 per cent spot) to replace the 20D's partial metering mode (9.5 per cent spot) on its successor.
Conclusion
To put it simply, the EOS 20D and Canon f3.5–f5.6/18-55mm EF-S zoom for $1500.00 is about as good as it gets at this point in time.
Links
For definitive advice on How to Choose a Digital Camera please see my review:
http://www.epinions.com/elec-review-2E46-17B174E2-39A418E3-prod1
Looking to ramp up your digital imaging experience and create a home digital darkroom? Check out my review of a very capable pro quality ink-jet printer, the Epson Stylus Photo 2200. http://www.epinions.com/content_167980076676
Not quite ready for the EOS 20D? Check out its little brother (below) and save six hundred bucks.
Canon EOS 300D Digital Rebel
http://www.epinions.com/content_116460850820
