Canon EOS 20D 8.2MP Digital SLR Camera with EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 Lens
by Canon
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Digital Cameras Photo Reviews of Canon EOS 20D 8.2MP Digital SLR Camera with EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 Lens
Customer Review: This camera totally rocks I'm blown away
Summary: 5 Stars
If you're 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 I've 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. It's all about the lenses! If you're 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 don't use raw images very much yet, but I will of the future I'm 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. I've 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 it's an okay lens, but the other ones in the Canon family are way better.
Info on crop factor
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 camera's 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 it's 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 isn't 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 isn't really magnification.
just fyi
Okay, hope this helps have some fun-and-get-it-done!
Customer Review: Short and Sweet - This is a #1 Camera!
Summary: 5 Stars
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. Canon's 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 don't 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 camera's 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
Customer Review: Magic in your hand
Summary: 5 Stars
If you have the cash to spare and love taking photos there is only one thing to know. Buy a 20D. As soon as possible. You will be thrilled. There is no doubt that it is among the best cameras the world has ever seen. I did my research before deciding to buy a 20D. I looked seriously at the Nikon D70, another excellent digital SLR camera and a fair bit cheaper than the 20D, but I chose the 20D for its ruggedness, slightly larger 8mp sensor, and outstanding autofocus.
What is amazing about this camera? Put it on automatic and squeeze the shutter release. In a second you have taken 5 shots. You can take 20 in four seconds, each 8 megapixels in size while the autofocus tracks your running toddler. It feels GREAT in your hand, very sturdy and not overly heavy. Perhaps a tad bulky compared to the digital camera you may be used to. But I find it a joy to hold and use.
It can speed up to ISO 3200 without introducing excessive noise into the image and at 1600 and 800, noise is almost unnoticeable. That means you can take handheld photos without flash indoors in the evening under ambient room light conditions (the 50mm mentioned below, with its large maximum aperture helps too in this regard).
You could spend days researching lenses and accessories. If you are just wading in to high-end amateur photography, let me make some quick and dirty suggestions:
The kit lens (EF-S 18-55mm) is a very good lens for the insanely cheap price of $100. The EFS 17-85 which pros rave about is pricey at $600 and you don't need the 55-85 range much I find -- you will probably consider a decent telephoto (like a 70-300mm) to be a better use of your cash. You may well grow tired of the 18-55 eventually, but it does give you access to wide angle shots at a cheap price.
You absolutely MUST buy the ($75) 50mm f1.8. It is a truly outstanding lens for headshots and portraits. It has fantastic depth of field control allowing you to achieve a nice background blur, and is very very sharp within the depth of field. You will use this lens a lot. Some say it's cheaply made. Probably, but it works wonders and the price is definitely right. 50mm was standard on analog SLRs supposedly due to its rough equivalence to how the human eye observed a scene. On the 20D it becomes an 80mm lens due to the 1.6x crop factor, and at that length becomes the perfect portrait lens in my view.
If you want to photograph ships, houses and palaces, the EF-S 10-22mm f3.5 is a treasure that'll set you back $800. It's definitely not a good general purpose lens, but how cool is it to have a wide angle zoom?
You do NOT need a high speed compact flash card, but you DO need a big one. If you have a 4x 512MB CF, keep it and it will work well with the 20D. A 256MB card will fill up pretty fast as you will become addicted to firing off several shots at once. Sure the 1GB cards are down in price considerably, but don't throw out your old 256 or 512s. The buffer on the 20D is very large, and will transfer the images from the camera to the card during idle time quite happily. Of course if you want to run off 30 images in 6 seconds, go for the ultra or 80x cards. You don't need my advice either.
Buy it and love it. You'll never go back.
Customer Review: this camera does it all.....and more
Summary: 5 Stars
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 I've had with this camera have been user related, not a problem with the equipment.
I love the idea of interchangable lenses. If you're not happy with the zoom capabilities of the camera, get a stronger zoom lens and you're all set. Want to do some macro photos? There's 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.
Customer Review: amateur and pros alike can't go wrong with this digital
Summary: 5 Stars
I don't 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 can't set up their alarm clock either. Don't 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 I've 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 it's comfortable to hold. Ive heard of people complain that it's to small. Well, I've 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 it's 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 can't 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. Don't 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.