Canon EOS 20D so how does thou fair?

[thomahawk]

i found a Canon EOS 20D for 400 bucks off craigslist and im wondering how good is this camera do up to the Nikon D40, Canon Rebel XT(i), Sony A200??
i noticed it was made in 2004 whereas d40, XT(i), A200 were made in the 2006 and up year

 

[jaduffy108]

i found a Canon EOS 20D for 400 bucks off craigslist and im wondering how good is this camera do up to the Nikon D40, Canon Rebel XT(i), Sony A200??
i noticed it was made in 2004 whereas d40, XT(i), A200 were made in the 2006 and up year

I'm a Nikon user, but the 20D is a cool cam. I would rather have it than a XT or Nikon D40. I haven't used any of the Sony cams, so I have no idea.

$400 sounds quite good to *me*. That way, you can invest in glass and always resell the 20D for VERY little loss. Since I strongly prefer Nikon's ergonomics, metering, flash system etc, I would encourage you to investigate which **system** you prefer before diving in...regardless of how good a deal a particular camera. DIGITAL cameras come and go!

 

[PCMacUser]

I'm a Nikon user, but the 20D is a cool cam. I would rather have it than a XT or Nikon D40. I haven't used any of the Sony cams, so I have no idea.

$400 sounds quite good to *me*. That way, you can invest in glass and always resell the 20D for VERY little loss. Since I strongly prefer Nikon's ergonomics, metering, flash system etc, I would encourage you to investigate which **system** you prefer before diving in...regardless of how good a deal a particular camera. DIGITAL cameras come and go!

That's good advice. I went down the Canon track, but that was before I knew anything about systems, etc. Now I wish I'd tried both Canon and Nikon, just to see which one I'd prefer. I'm more than happy with Canon all the same.

To the OP: $400 is about the normal price for a used 20D at the moment. What features does it have that you require?

 

[ajpl]

I paid £1300/$2400 for one some years ago. Used it for 5 months and it's been my back up camera to my 5D ever since and I've never needed it.
So for $400, you'll be getting a lot of bang for very few bucks. And the low light quality is better than any Nikon bar the D3/D700.

 

[thomahawk]

right now im just looking for a good "low-light" ability and image stabilizer also im wondering if this will fit my old Canon Rebel XT (film) lenses

im most impressed by sony's "d-range optimizer" does the 20D have something like that as well?

 

[Brien]

The lenses will work.

 

[ajpl]

right now im just looking for a good "low-light" ability

Yup it does that very well.

 

[PCMacUser]

right now im just looking for a good "low-light" ability and image stabilizer also im wondering if this will fit my old Canon Rebel XT (film) lenses

Canon EF lenses for film cameras are fully compatible with their SLR digitals. However, EF-S lenses are not compatible with Canon film cameras nor their 35mm digital cameras (5D, 1D). I'd have to recommend avoiding the EF-S range, just in case you decide to go for a 5D or 1D later on.

As for using EF lenses on the 20D, you have to account for the 'crop factor'. The 20D has a crop factor of 1.6x. This means that a 24mm lens works at 38mm on a 20D. A 70mm lens works at 112mm, and a 200mm lens works at 320mm.

 

[wheezy]

It's the camera I've shot with for almost 3 years now, it holds up great! It's missing several new features of course, but in low-light it does good enough. I've had to use ISO3200 quite often and it's been decent.

Any EF lens will work, and EF-S for that matter. I'd take it over a Rebel anyday, mostly cause I'm used to the easier access to certain menus and features, such as changing exposure comp with a spin of the thumb instead of push one button and rotate a separate dial.

Most of the pictures on my website (sig) were shot with it, but my site isn't working right now as I'm moving hosting companies today.

 

[tinfai]

Canon 20D with 18-55IS

right now im just looking for a good "low-light" ability and image stabilizer also im wondering if this will fit my old Canon Rebel XT (film) lenses

im most impressed by sony's "d-range optimizer" does the 20D have something like that as well?

Thomahawk -- While I still have a preference for my film cameras, here are some photos I took with my 20D in very low light.

20D Photos


(NB: all these were taken handheld.)

 

[bmcgrath]

I use to have a 20D. I think it was a fantastic camera. Very good image quality, decent focusing system, good ISO range and pretty low noise too.
I'd take a 20D over even the new 450D because the 20D has much much better build quality and image quality if I'm honest.

The only thing I will say to you is, try and find out what the shutter count is on that 20D. The reason is, if it's a high shutter count it may not we worth buying...
If a shutter breaks it's cheaper just buying a new camera as replacement of a shutter is just far too expensive.

 

[peskaa]

I still have and use my EOS 20D, and it's a lovely camera. Still produces nice results and good ISO handling. Sure, it lacks Live View and that kind of rubbish, but really, who cares about that?

 

[wheelhot]

Sure, it lacks Live View and that kind of rubbish, but really, who cares about that?

Well, I won't call Live View rubbish cause Im sure in certain conditions or shots, live view will be able to help the photographers to make a better shot.
Especially those kind of shots where the photographer is unable to use the camera viewfinder.

So far Sony implementation of the viewfinder seems the most logical to me, tilt-able LCDs, the only problem with that design is it adds weight and a some protrusion to the back of the camera body.

 

[rouxeny]

I have a 10D that I still use regularly and I'm rarely disappointed by the technical aspects of the shots.....the composition maybe, but that's not usually the camera's fault.

I'd say get it.

 

[maclover001]

I also have a 10D that I love. The lens is from a crappy old EOS 650 (film) that someone decided to throw away with the lens

Oh well, free lens

 

[peskaa]

Well, I won't call Live View rubbish cause Im sure in certain conditions or shots, live view will be able to help the photographers to make a better shot.
Especially those kind of shots where the photographer is unable to use the camera viewfinder.

So far Sony implementation of the viewfinder seems the most logical to me, tilt-able LCDs, the only problem with that design is it adds weight and a some protrusion to the back of the camera body.

At the moment, LV is a gimmick. Slow to AF, clumsy to use in general. If you're in the afore-mentioned crowd you're not going to have time to hold the camera and wait for it to slowly obtain focus. Coupled with the fact that only Sony has tiltable screens on some of their cameras means that you generally can't see the LV screen that well anyway.

I have it on my 1D, used it once to see what it did, then turned it off. Never missed it since.

 

[Bootsie]

I have a 20D, and I love it! I much prefer canon to nikon for my use, and the 20D has served me well for the last few years.

 

[tinfai]

2008 Hong Kong Motorcycle Show

2008 Hong Kong Motorcycle Show Photos

Here's a recent group of shots taken at the annual motorcycle event two days ago. While the 20D isn't the newest model on the block, it's extremely reliable and proved to be more than up to the task even while being bumped and knocked around in the crowded, boisterous environment. These shots were taken about 30-50 minutes before sunset. Some were assisted with flash (580 EX) and some without.

 

[tinfai]

(Hosting providers are now reporting that the servers will be down from HK time 1900-2200, 4 Oct 2008 for maintenance. Check back later.)

 

[OreoCookie]

That depends on what you want to do. Generally, newer cameras have better noise behavior, but the difference is not as dramatic anymore. Plus, the three-digit series is limited to ISO 1600 anyway.

The other factor which might be more important is speed: newer cameras have a faster start-up and a larger frame buffer. If you are shooting portraits and stuff and little action, the last point is irrelevant.

The big plus, of course, is the viewfinder, the size and the quality of the camera. I wish Nikon were to release a full-metal body for a similar price point, I like the additional weight, heft and feel.