Canon EOS 20D

Used my Canon 20D for the past 12 months and love (almost) all of it. I have used a wide range of both Canon & Nikon SLRs so feel that I can speak with some confidence (and I will not play the Canon bashing Nikon or Nikon bashing Canon game) but feel free to disagree with me! . Its worth investing in some decent glass (such as L Lenses) as the 20D is still earning its keep with loads of pro photographers -its that good.

I love the images you can obtain from its 8m sensor - clean and clear even at high ISO settings. The camera reacts FAST and the autofocus is vastly better than say the Nikon D70 (which I have also used LOTS). Things I don't like are the rear screen which is too small and not that sharp so checking the screen is of limited value, the shutter goes off like a machine gun and sounds like it at 5FPS (Nikon D70 is much nicer but slower) compared to my Canon 50E (I have two -I like them that much - best shutter action ever? ) the 20D shutter is a bag of nails - but does its job well and I never feel that it will let me down

FAST autofocus. GREAT value - price is dropping all the time - get a decent second hand one and ENJOY! Superb image - and don't forget that's what using a camera SHOULD be all about
Great high ISO pictures (FAR better than Nikon D70)

Poor screen (but good for its day) Loud shutter and not as smooth as the Nikon D70 which means I can't hand hold as well at low speeds as I can when using a Nikon D70. Complex controls (not as easy as Nikon D70)

Canon 50E (wonderful Eye control - please bring this back CANON!) Canon T70/ Canon A1/ Canon F1n etc Nikon D200/ Nikon D70/ Nikon FE/ Nikon F3HP/ Nikon FM/ Nikon F100 (wonderful camera) etc

None as yet and I do not expect to use it either - Canon 20D's are built to last!

Excellent camera to go with when upgrading from a film camera. I have used Canon equipment for over ten years and haven't looked back. Even though Canon has discontinued the 20D it's predecessor's, 30D and 40D will be an excellent replacement. I have the Canon BG-E2 vertical grip on my 20D and it really make vertical shots a lot easier, especially with long lenses. The extra battery power is great and you don't have to recharge near as much if you just had one battery. I use the 18-55mm kit lens, Sigma 70-300 DL Macro lens and a Canon 100mm 2.8 Macro lens with this camera. They all work really well and if I need to ever upgrade my beloved 20D, I know my lenses will go with me.

As mentioned above in my Summary.

None

Canon Rebel
Canon EOS3
Nikon DH1 DSLR
Nikon F3HP
Nikon F4

In 2002 I had to use them on a lens one time and they did OK. Had to fight for them to get on the ball with my IS lens. Had to have them overnight it when it was done, b/c I had to send it back after they messed up the zooming on the lens. Maybe they have tightened up since then.

For a while, I had been debating among 20D, Digital Rebel XT, and Nikon D70. I finally picked 20D not only because of its fast frame capture rate and pixel resolution but also because of its sturdy magnesium alloy body. One of my friend has a Rebel and the body feels cheap. Some of the labels imprinted on the plastic actually started to fade.

I bought the 20D at the time when the 30D almost came out. Boy I made the right choice of not going for 30d but taking the rebate on the 20D. When pair up a good lens, the 20D is a very good performer. I extremely like the 5fps feature allowing me to pick the best shot by taking successive shots rapidly.

The built-in flash is adequate for casual shootings. It even comes with ISO3200 which I never use.

Start up time is fast which is important for me to shoot any unexpected event.

Solidly built
5 frames per second
Support Microdrive
Huge collection of EF and EFS lenses to choose from
Ease of use

Obsolete quickly especially after Rebel XTi is out in the market.
A lot more expensive than Rebel
USB does not work properly with my old SONY VAIO PC
CMOS sensor seemingly more sensitive to noise when in comparison with CCD of Nikon D70
Shutter doesn 't sound as nice as Nikon

I have tried Nikon D70 but still I prefer Canon 20D

Excellent camera. I have 3 other digitals but this is the one I shoot 98% of my commercial shots with. It is easy to handle and has performed flaulessly in all types of weather and temperatures.

Ease of use and reliability

None so far.

Minolta and Olympus digitals and several Canon film cameras as well as Bronica medium format equipment.

Haven't needed any as the camera is excellent.

After reading the reviews posted, I believe I must have purchased a bad specimen because my experience with the Canon 20D has been nowhere near the five star rating that the other reviewers have noted. Like others , I upgraded from the 300D which I thoroughly enjoyed. Unfortunately, I didn't get to take many pictures with it until over a year after I bought it. I took about 175 pictures last Christmas, mostly inside with flash, and none of the flash pictures were exposed correctly and many of the outside pictures were also underexposed. I wrote it off as being an amateur and set out taking more pictures. The next set was 75 pictures, mostly outdoors without flash. Again, almost every picture was underexposed with the exposure histograms shifted 25% to the left. When I got home and saw this I set out testing the camera with various setting and lenses and found out that the camera's exposure was off a full step. I emailed Canon and they recommended sending it to one of their service centers. "Electrical adjustments were carried out on the AE assembly." , which cost $180 plus shipping and the camera still underexposes by at least 2/3s of a step. I cannot imagine being a professional photographer and taking 500 or 1000 pictures and then having to use software on every picture to get a good shot. Of couse a professional would have figured this out the first time he/she touched this camera and dialed in a full step of exposure compensation immediately. This is what I am planning to do, but it essentially means that I cannot use any of the basic modes anymore. Why do I bother to write this? If you are considering this camera be aware of this underexposure issue. Test a model out if you can before you purchase it, or buy it from a reputable dealer who will let you exchange it if you don't like it's performance. While correcting underexposure with software is easy and better than having a camera that leans more towards overexposure, it is still a disappointment to see every picture underexposed. This was not my experience with the Canon 300D.

Underexposure

Canon 300D

Unsatisfactory