Canon Eos 20D Digital SLR [8.2Mp, up to 5fps] - Body Only

The biggest improvement is on the turn-on time. It's now instant, and this was the main improvement compared to the EOS 10D, which took so long to reboot after auto switch-off that you often missed the moment.

Focussing is slightly quicker and sharper, and seemed better in low light.

The 8.2MP, plus the fact that you can record RAW files at the same time as JPEG, means that you could get less than 50 photos on a 512MB card - therefore don't forget to budget for a big CF card. These are coming down in price now, however.

I much prefer the joystick for navigating pictures, and I like the purple, sepia and green "black and white" tones. You'll have to read the instruction book well to use these, but it's worth it, and easy when you work it out.

The flash is a lot higher than on the 10D, which should keep it awa from the wide angle lenses you need to compensate for the 1.6x magnification.

The only major downside is the noise, which seems very loud compared to the 10D. Makes you sound like a professional though, especially if you take 5fps!

For this price, it's a real bargain to my mind.


should be happy with this for a few years.   February 28, 2005
31 out of 32 found this review helpful

I upgraded to a 20d from a 300d. The 20d seems to be better built and just as easy to use although I personally find the two rotating controls a little confusing and keep changing the wrong settings. The 20d is quick to power up and use and generally quick at doing everything. A nice touch over the 300d is that you have 3 focus modes including continuous focus in all of the creative or manual modes not just in sport. You can also change the ISO, shutter speed, metering and all other common settings quickly and easily.

The camera is very easy to use and if you have used anything similar you will no doubt get the hang of it in no time at all. The only criticism's I have at the moment are that the on / off switch is for me a little difficult to operate compared to the 300d and the focus and sharpness are still a little soft compared to one or two rivals even on parameter 1 and after cranking the settings up manually.

Overall I am happy with the 20d, 8.2 meg should be enough for most people, and I would recommend that anyone looking at a 10d, 300d or 350d or any of the competitors should concider the 20d as it is so good that once you have one you will probably be happy with it for years to come and if you buy a 300d or 350d instead you will save a few quid but might always suspect that you bought a cheaper alternative.

PS. So far I have had no mirror lock ups or any other errors.


Mirror lock-ups   November 1, 2004
Jon Clayton (Marlow, UK)
30 out of 34 found this review helpful

Mirror lock-ups (as described by Malc the talc can be easily solved by upgrading the firmware via Canon's website.


Amazing piece of kit.   March 22, 2006
Mr D Richardson (HULL, East Yorkshire United Kingdom)
11 out of 12 found this review helpful

The 20D has to be equal or probably better than anything in it's class, personally I don't go amateur /professional, if you have the cash and you want one then definately get one regardless of whether you are new to DLR's or a pro.
Ignore the elitist's out there as this camera is very easy to understand, and you will be taking some amazing shots in no time at all, I wouldn't say the body is heavy I would rather say it's very well made, and like other reviewers would recommend as much memory as you can afford as once you get snapping you won't know when to stop.The controls are very easy to adjust whilst composing the shot such as exposure/flash compensation and the pop up flash although limited will do a job,(usually as much as a full stop extra I have found) but I reckon will be used for mainly fill in during daylight hours.
A battery grip is also very important if you need to add extra lens such as telephoto's (fast ones are very heavy) as the grip gives balance, another fantastic add on is the 580EX flash unit giving basic studio results with no fuss at all. Even with the new 30D body out now, the 20D should not be ignored as it is around £300 cheaper especially if you're not bothered about a bigger screen. One piece of advice though IMHO is to get as good a lens as you can afford to get the benefit from this body, something like a 24-105mm f4L walkabout or 24-75mm f2.8L then you WILL see some amazing results even if you are a beginner.