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From:Canon
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User Rating: Amazon Sales Rank:#11558 |
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8 of 15 customers found the following review helpful:
 The Best Digital Camera Yet!, 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.
10 of 15 customers found the following review helpful:
Well worth the price, 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.
17 of 17 customers found the following review helpful:
this camera does it all.....and more, 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 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.
83 of 84 customers found the following review helpful:
Best Digital camera for under $2000, 2005-12-27
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 maker's "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 20d's 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 can't 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 don't 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, that's 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 ain't 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).
Doesn't 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.
11 of 11 customers found the following review helpful:
to 20D or NOT to 20D that IS the question, 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 Canon's 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 you've 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 you've 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 isn't great, but it isn't bad either and for the money, it's actually a pretty good deal. USM means that it focuses very fast.
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