Something to bear in mind is that ultimately it is
all about the lenses.
The Canon 20D was my first digital SLR camera. I bought it back in April of 2006 (from Newegg) for $1140.
For the record it has 8.5 megapixels on an APS-C sensor. The sensor is 22.5 x 15 mm in size and yields images that are 3504 by 2336 pixels.
I began this page when I was still in the midst of deciding what Digital SLR to get. (this might have been early 2006). At that time, my choice was between the 20D, the recently introduced 30D, and the 350D (Rebel/XT) -- I ultimately chose the Canon 20D. Since then we have seen the advent of the 40D and at least one other rebels (the XTi (400D - 10 Mpx)). So consider this page in the light of it being written when I was new to digital SLR's and with different options than you have today. I have no regrets about the 20D, it has served me well. I ultimately have not missed the spot meter that the 30D would have given me. I might enjoy some of the 40D features (big LCD display, ultrasonic sensor cleaning, 14 bit ADC), but not enough to want to upgrade.
Why Canon and not some other manufacturer? Nikon is the only other camera really worth any serious consideration in the digital SLR game. A Nikon versus Canon discussion can rapidly degenerate into a pointless Ford versus Chevy kind of religious debate. Many people agreee that Canon has a definite lead in the digital world. I have also heard it said that Canon has a more extensive line of lenses and that influenced them. If you have been using Nikon gear and have a lot of Nikon lenses, you almost certainly will want to go with Nikon a digital body and retain your investment in Nikon lenses. Nikon bodies are wonderful and incredibly rugged.
In my case I was starting over fresh, and my decision was strongly affected by a number of friends and associates who have Canon cameras. I have no regrets, and you certainly won't go wrong with a Canon digital SLR.
I am certainly glad I didn't go with Konica-Minolta. They announced in March 2006 that they were throwing in the towel and getting out of the digital camera business. Canon and Nikon are certainly here to stay. Pentax? Who knows.
Something to bear in mind is that ultimately it is
all about the lenses.
I gave serious thought to the 350D (aka Digital Rebel XT) as well as the 30D. I sometimes regret not coughing up the extra money for the 30D, but at the time it was a hard to justify stretch to get the 20D, and I put most of my sweat into that decision. The 30D would have given me a spot meter, which is one thing I sometimes itch for. The bigger LCD display would have been nice, but certainly not worth the extra money, but ultimately I have no real regrets.
The 350D is absolutely a nice camera, but I am quite glad I have the somewhat bigger 20D. It just feels better, especially with some of the bigger lenses I have acquired for it. See a more labored discussion on this topic at the end of this page, mostly put together at the time I was in the midst of this decision.
Visit this link to get oriented in the Canon digital SLR lineup.
Here is a great article by Bob Atkins from photo.net on making a decision between the 20D, 30D, 5D, and more. One thing often missed when thinking about the 5D is that a bigger sensor with the same number of pixels will tend to have lower noise, all other things being equal. (I just had to throw that in, now go read the article). One conclusion drawn in the article is that as far as sheer image quality, the 20D will do fine up to 11x14, but beyond that the 5D will begin to shine. If you want to get all the wideness from your wide angle lenses, the 5D will also be a plus.
And now some links to sites with reviews and information:
For me the choice came down to the Canon 20D versus the 350D. Why did I choose the 20D? Ruggedness and ergonomics. I do not think you would go wrong with the 350D. More than anything else I was moved by the wheel on the back (a very logical way to navigate settings to my mind and fingers). I like the bigger size and weight (others might feel entirely different and like a smaller lighter camera). To learn about what some other people thought about the 20D versus 350D choice, here are some articles:
Here are some pros and cons for the 20D:
Here are some possible resources for the 350D:
Here is a lengthy, and it would seem valuable article on Flash Photography with Canon EOS Cameras
The first question (I suppose) should be whether to get a Canon or something else. Everyone I know is buying Canon equipment, so they can't all be wrong. I'll go with their choices. The next question is whether to get the 350D or the 20D (or something further up the line). Apart from the obvious issues of money the big improvement going to the 20D would seem to be a better built camera with the same features (but nobody seems to complain about their 350D falling apart ... in fact I read more about some kind of Err99 issue with the 20D than I do about problems with the 350D. For the price difference I could buy a nice lens.
The 30D gets you a spot meter, which gets my attention. There was some confusion for a while about selecting the center of the 7 or 9 "spots" for metering, but it seems this selection controls the autofocus, not the meter, and the 350D (and perhaps the 20D also) meter off the central 9 percent of the image area -- pretty much the region in the center of the central spots in the finder. A true spotmeter would be metering only the central 2 percent or so, and presumably the 30D does something like that.
And you ask now, what about cable releases? The short answer seems to be forget it, these cameras have electrical remote shutters. So just change words and ask, what about remote controls. The short answer is that the 20D uses a proprietary N3 connector for the remote. Earlier Canons uses the T3 (also Canon proprietary) and some even used the standard 2.5mm audio 3 pin connector (E3). But since we are talking about the 20D, the N3 is the name of the game. Canon offers a remote that plugs into the N3 connector.
Two companies (maybe more) also offer N3 remotes:
Here is a list of what people I know actually have and are using:
JM has:
JM says an alternative to what he bought would be the 350D body with the L series 17-40 zoom ($679). He points out that lens hoods must be purchased separately (which is an irritation).
JG has:
JG also says some handy things are a T-adapter (get this at Starizona), and a right angle viewscreen adapter, as well as the infrared "pod" that replaces a cable release. A computer link is very handy for making time lapse movies, as well as doing test images to check focus (this might be essential for microphotography).
DH has a 1D body (maybe several) and a flock of fine lenses. (The 1D is also an 8.5 megapixel camera (in one of its incarnations) , but with a bigger sensor, giving a 1.3 factor instead of 1.6) His biggest piece of advice is not to hesitate to spend money on glass. Good glass will make more of a difference than anything else. That being said, he endorsed the 20D simply on the basis of "build quality".
Here are some other tidbits of information from our short interview:
JW has (purchased from Sunshine Camera):
AK has:
TT likes:
Tom's Digital Photography Info / tom@mmto.org