Canon PowerShot D20: Digital Photography Review

Studio scene comparison (JPEG)

This is our standard studio scene comparison shot taken from exactly the same tripod position. Lighting: daylight simulation, >98% CRI. Crops are 100%. Ambient temperature was approximately 22°C (~72°F).

Note: The studio shot comparison widget (which you can read more about here) below features the PowerShot D20 and five of its competitors. The text above the test shots highlights only the D20 - look for a comparison when all of the cameras in this shootout are reviewed. this page features our interactive studio shot comparison widget.

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Canon PowerShot D20 Waterproof Compact Camera●

$280.99

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Canon PowerShot D20 12.1 MP CMOS Waterproof Digital Camera with 5x Image Stabilized Zoom 28mm Wide-Angle Lens a 3.0-Inch LCD and GPS Tracking (Blue)	$279.00
Canon PowerShot D20 12.1 MP CMOS Waterproof Digital Camera with 5x Image Stabilized Zoom 28mm Wide-Angle Lens a 3.0-Inch LCD and GPS Tracking (Blue)	$279.00
Canon PowerShot D20 Shock & Waterproof GPS Digital Camera with 32GB Card + Case + Battery + Tripod + Float Strap + Accessory Kit	$329.95
Canon PowerShot D10 12.1 MP Waterproof Digital Camera with 3x Optical Image Stabilized Zoom and 2.5-Inch LCD	$495.99
Canon PowerShot D20 Yellow Digital Camera	$199.00
Canon PowerShot A2300 IS 16.0 MP Digital Camera with 5x Optical Zoom (Black)	$84.99
Canon PowerShot A2500 16.0 MP Digital Camera with 5x Optical Zoom and 720p HD Video Recording (Black)	Too low to display
Canon PowerShot SX280 HS 12.1 MP CMOS Digital Camera with 20x Image Stabilized Zoom 25mm Wide-Angle Lens and 1080p Full-HD Video (Black) Super Bundle- Includes camera, 16 GB SDHC Memory Card, BP-6L Battery Pack, Carrying Case, SD USB Card Reader	$279.00
Canon PowerShot S100 12.1 MP Digital Camera with 5x Wide-Angle Optical Image Stabilized Zoom (Black)	$279.99
Canon PowerShot D20 Shock & Waterproof GPS Digital Camera with 32GB Card + Case + Battery & Charger + Flex Tripod + Float Strap + Accessory Kit	$334.95
Canon Powershot SX10IS 10MP Digital Camera with 20x Wide Angle Optical Image Stabilized Zoom	$535.00

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Comments

Total comments: 82

Why do all rugged / underwater cameras except Sony have these retarded designs that look like the target audience is 12 years old?
It also seems like they skip basic camera features just for the opportunity to look dumb.

Certainly, most of the design is wasted to create some odd "look", rather than really maximize ruggedness. Whatever level of ruggedness they have could be better if the overall design was really focused on that, instead of idiotic ornamental flourishes coming from some brainwashed intern in the marketing department.

Sony's 'rugged' TX-10 shows how little is needed for the level of ruggedness and waterproofing offered.

These clunky designs are a lie and a stupid looking lie at that.

Whatever bulk you add, make it count, make form follow function.

Comment edited 3 times, last edit 5 minutes after posting

1 upvote

Really looking forward to the comparison. Perfect timing for me.

In reading reviews on other sites, it seems some of the cameras (Olympus, Pentax) have a lot of auto-focus/lens/something noise while shooting video. I would be interested to read more about this on all the models you'll be reviewing, should you encounter said noise.

Cheers!

0 upvotes

Blanket comment: Christ, what a bunch of whiners. Do any of you actually like to take, or view photographs, or do you all just like to look at MTF and chromatic aberration charts? You're like the old-school "audiophiles" who don't actually enjoy music, but instead spend all their time looking at sound-pressure and frequency response charts. Maybe if someone could create an auditory mapping of a sharpness chart and play it through a high-end stereo you could all find something to be cheery about.

3 upvotes

You have got to be kidding. This camera came out well over a year ago, which is 4evah in P&S years:

http://www.dpreview.com/news/2012/02/07/Canon_D20

There are way more interesting and recent UW cameras to review.

1 upvote

This is the first of six rugged compact reviews, and then a comparison of the six will follow. DPR has chosen the most important, current models, and D20 happens to be Canon's current model.
Digitalcamerainfo.com, for example, included the D20 in their Waterproof Camera Showdown both this and last year, so what's wrong with DPR comparing it to the new releases from other makers?

0 upvotes

I'll keep my D10. The 20 probably has a better sensor but the 10 is 2.8 at the wide end. I've gotten some decent underwater pics with it and it does surprisingly well on land.

1 upvote

@Jeff Keller: About the video on D20 - the highest resolution available on youtube is 720p - why there is no 1080 sample? And the quality is pretty low, which is surprising for 36 Mbps. Probably the codec was overloaded by constant shaking. Things like that are impossible to see from specs alone, so that is a good find, thanks! Of course people will use the camera without tripod, and that is what they are going to get.
Also, it looks like the shake is mostly rotational (look at the horizon line) - this is the kind which cannot be compensated by in-lens stabilization but only by a good IBIS, and also, knowing how video codecs work, this kind of shake is very taxing on the codec as it cannot be efficiently compressed by motion compensation algorithms.
I wonder if IBIS systems in Olympus TG-2 and Pentax WG-3 can compensate rotations - those in E-M5 and K-5 certainly can, but these smaller systems might not be up to the task.

0 upvotes

due for an update next year
I will see what D30 bring to the table

Comment edited 17 seconds after posting

0 upvotes

Seems there was at one time an "Area 51" Nikonos :
http://gizmodo.com/5532611/the-secret-behind-the-mysterious-digital-nikonos-camera

For the serious underwater guys there are all sorts of housings for DSLR's and HD video equipment. They may be a better investment that that Hasselblad Lunar:
http://www.aquatica.ca/

Personally I would like to see a prosumer level camera even if it didn't fit in my bathing suit pocket. Something like an underwater Canon G1X or Sony RX1 or NEX even a Fuji X Pro 1. If one of these were made, it would still be a $3.000 to $4,000 camera. Any takers?

Comment edited 2 minutes after posting

0 upvotes

A large sensor waterproof, at least 1 inch
I have wait many many years still just a dream

0 upvotes

Some more real world samples from the D20
http://www.dpreview.com/galleries/9208018736/albums/d20

0 upvotes

your D20 samples IQ are very good
better than I expect at ISO 100 and F3.9

by the way with no Aperture mode is the auto smart enough to always use F3.9 to avoid diffraction?

0 upvotes

There is no even point to compare anything but TG-2 and WG-3 now. Get out of the bright sun and it crystal clear why - others cannot even do what a phone can do.

1 upvote

To be fair, If you take a lot of shots near the far end of the zoom, or shoot a lot of video, their advantages become a lot less clearcut.

0 upvotes

I agree
The benefit of F2 lens is at low light and indoor which is important
I choose TG-2
If only for outdoor F2 lensis not needed than hard to say which is best. D20 better than TG-2? don't know

0 upvotes

Even outdoors, with the tiny sensors having 12-16-20 mpix, f/3.9 puts the resolution WAY beyond diffraction limit, so even on a sunny day f/2(or slightly stopped down)+built-in ND filter is better than f/3.9 on the sensors this dense. Then, it is not always sunny outdoors either, especially underwater - what is the point in ability to go 15m deep if the camera cannot see anything at this depth? What about an evening stroll at sunset after a day at the beach? Yeah, the useful range becomes something like 25-35 vs 25-100, so what, it is the most useful range anyway and much better than not having working camera able to take a street picture at all. And the colors at sunset and sunrise are the best.

0 upvotes

"Yeah, the useful range becomes something like 25-35 vs 25-100"
It's the useful range *for you* (and for me, because I like WA shots). But not everybody shoots this way. If you're taking pictures of kayakers going down a waterfall across a river, you're forced to shoot at the far end of the zoom, which means f:4.8 with any toughcam.
Same with video - for some people, video quality could be more important than UWA performance in low light. For them, a Panasonic TS-5 can outperform an Olympus TG-2 or a Pentax WG-3, despite a slower lens.
Everyone's usage is different. Olympus and Pentax have a wider "comfort envelope" of light due to a faster lens - but some users can be okay with a smaller envelope, as long as they get the results they want.

0 upvotes

Same here. A phone will do.

0 upvotes

No hot shoe. Nope. VLF or ULF radio slave sync pulse perhaps? Think outside the bathtub!

1 upvote

And no dishwashing attachment, either! What kind of a vacation camera could it be, if it can't even do the dishes?

3 upvotes

I like the waterproof roundups. I bought a Canon D10 after reading one a good few years ago and was very pleased with it. I felt they'd made a lot of good choices for a compact and I think I got some good results with it (just the underwater ones: http://www.flickr.com/photos/lancesagar/sets/72157631929724683/).

I have to say that I'm very disappointed with this latest release. Not for the first time, Canon appear to be launching an expensive new product without a satisfactory level of improvement. F3.9 at the wide end is truly shocking. No wonder the images are soft. My D10 was F2.8 and I suspect would still make a better choice.

The D10 wiped the floor with its peers (for underwater use) in its roundup. It won't be the same story for the D20.

2 upvotes

I like D10 CCD sensor
sadly CCD is dying

0 upvotes

A review first now - One year late. I've already had a D20 but returned it.

0 upvotes

It's part of a group test of current waterproof cameras. This is Canon's current camera in that category.

3 upvotes

Why is it that waterproof cameras always produce images that appear to have been taken underwater even when they are not?!? Is waterproofing THAT detrimental to optical lens performance??

0 upvotes

The periscope lens construction of most rugged compacts is perhaps detrimental to optical performance. But I believe the Olympus TG-2 has the same kind of lens as most regular compacts.

0 upvotes

The TG-2 is also a folded optic.

2 upvotes

hello DPR,

I noticed that many frames have been taken with small apertures around f/8 or f/9.
I know that such small apertures noticeably reduce picture's sharpness with my S95.
Is this the case with the D20 and his different lens system? Maybe there's no diaphragm and only an ND filter?

Thanks in advance for giving additional details.

Regards from France,
Harold.

Comment edited 14 seconds after posting

0 upvotes

If this was a true iris-type diaphragm, the images would've looked like F/64 - F/128 on 35mm. That's pinhole photography. F/8 means ND filter was enabled.

0 upvotes

Sorry, I didn't get your point... My Canon S95 has a real iris diaphragm and I can close down to F/8.0 on the whole range (no nd filter on this compact).
But at f/8.0, image quality is slightly reduced because of diffraction.
On the D20, minimal aperture is f/8.0 (wide) to f/10 (zoom).
So when the review says "images are on the soft side" with a picture taken at f/9.... I suspect all camera can be soft when used at minimal aperture (because of diffraction).
But maybe there's no iris and so, no diffraction effect? I can't find this info on the net...

Comment edited 2 times, last edit 3 minutes after posting

0 upvotes

The D20 always chooses either a wide-open aperture (F3.9-4.9) or an 'aperture' exactly two stops slower, which /strongly/ suggests an ND filter is being used.

1 upvote

Your S95 has a larger sensor and a faster lens, so an iris aperture makes sense. The D20's widest aperture is f:3.9, but because of the smaller sensor, it is equivalent to setting your S95 to f/8 or so.
In other words, wide-open D20 is similar to S95 closed all the way down. If you tried closing it down any further, you'd get way too much diffraction.
So the camera has an ND filter, but no iris.

Comment edited 5 minutes after posting

0 upvotes

A couple of photos taken with the WG-3:

https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/USgzceJmfqjHuD0KOk_qLavMyoMUQ2SfMU-t1iuhZHU?feat=directlink

https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/okMRhHwYsR5Yvb3n5EIIkqvMyoMUQ2SfMU-t1iuhZHU?feat=directlink

2 upvotes

I have recently purchased a WG-3 camera and am very impressed by it’s capabilities. Since I am a professional photographer and own some very bulky and expensive equipment, I thought this camera would be perfect for the many outdoor activities I enjoy.

I was equally surprised to find out however how few people know about this camera. I take every opportunity to show it off especially to my friends who are outdoor sports enthusiasts. Their reaction is almost always the same: “this is cool, -I didn’t even know they made this – where can I get one – I’ve never seen this in stores – does Pentax still make cameras?” After researching Pentax products further I feel that the entire line of very capable cameras is very much under-represented in the marketplace, especially in New England and the US in general.

2 upvotes

Yeah I was hoping that when the Pentax/Ricoh merger occurred, they would have come up with a new & improved marketing & distribution strategy. The fact that I have to almost exclusively rely on online resources to learn about their cams have prevented me from pulling the trigger on the K5/II and while the Ricoh GR is so tempting, I'd actually like to hold one first ;P

0 upvotes

Two of the big the camera companies have positioned themselves very well in the big-box stores and small retailers to make their presence known. Canon and Nikon specifically with a smattering of Olympus and Sony thrown in for good measure. It's unfortunate. Back in the days of film (that was shortly after the last ice age) we would call photographers and labs who only bought one brand of film and paper (the name escapes me right now, it came in a yellow box) "K---k Weenies".
There is definitely a good market opportunity here since most smart phones are terrible swimmers no less be left out in the rain - for now.

0 upvotes

You're absolutely right but even more compelling is their presence in Costco. If I were brand manager for Pentax/Ricoh, I'd teach them a thing or two....there are so many tools and strategies today that can level the playing field for smaller companies like them and Fuji. But at least Fuji is shaking it up by differentiating themselves product-wise...

0 upvotes

to go with the Chrysler Cruiser... ? Sorry the organic styling of the body just does not mesh with the lens. Thats me

0 upvotes

How cool to be able to review these cameras. I am in Thailand. Wow, to get paid to test these would be reet.

0 upvotes

$279 = €318, how cool is that? If the salary I'm getting from my American friends was converted at the same rate, I wouldn't mind. ;)

2 upvotes

Thanks for covering this segment!

I'm a fan. While my D800 is enjoying the dank darkness of the hotel safe, my Olympus is documenting the adventures of the family's sandy, saltwater logged vacation.

4 upvotes

Its been a very long time since compact super-zooms have been compared. (not bridge but the pocketable ones)

0 upvotes

That's probably my next project after the waterproof cameras are finished!

1 upvote

How timely indeed! I'm in the market for an all-weather cam to complement the X20 & XP1. Hope your upcoming reviews (and subsequent comparison) include the Oly TG2, Pentax WG3 and Fuji XP200 (I assume the AW110 and TF5 will be incl. as well). I know on paper the Fuji is prob the dog of the underwater group but the specs seem surprisingly similar to the Nikon AW110 which has gotten good reviews on other sites. Plus it boasts WiFi which makes up for the lack of built-in GPS, has some versatile video capture rates and similar 'creative' modes as the other Fuji cameras. More importantly for me tho is the use of the same NP50 battery as the X20, of which I already have three spares :)

Anyway, keep up the great work and please hurry with these reviews, I'll be on two trips in August where neither X-cam will like the environment too much ;)

P.S. I agree with the previous poster who mentioned the lack of shutter/aperture priority for these "sports" cams...makes the TG2 quite appealing

0 upvotes

The rest of the group: Panasonic TS5/FT5, Sony TX30, Pentax WG-3, Olympus TG-2, and Nikon AW110. Not necessarily in that order.

1 upvote

I think TG-2 is the best of the bunch

2 upvotes

I have a WG-3 and love it. If you have hands bigger than that of an average newt, you will also find it a pleasure to hold. I'm a working professional and am quite critical of image quality.

3 upvotes

Thanks for revealing the group details Jeff...too bad (for me) there is no Fuji XP200 in this years roundup. I suppose I'd go with the TG-2 anyway if it proves head and shoulders above the rest.

F2.0 @ wide, Sort-of Aperuture Priority, 5 FPS, auto-stitch panorama...checks all the right boxes as long as IQ holds up. Too bad the WG-3 has such a slow burst rate and the interval shooting is reduced resolution, otherwise it could be a contender for me...now if the IQ is top-notch among them...

0 upvotes

I do not follow the review priorities of this site. You spend time reviewing a camera like D20 and skip reviewing other much more important ones. This looks bad... almost "dodgy". Shape up a bit, please.

0 upvotes

Doing a comparison review of the latest crop of the rugged waterproof cameras in the beginning of the summer? That's insane! What were they thinking!

18 upvotes

How do you know that we're skipping other cameras? We've got other writers working on plenty of "more exciting" cameras. And these reviews are quite timely, as the previous poster noted.

Comment edited 32 seconds after posting

6 upvotes

our annual roundups of rugged cameras are some of the most popular pieces of content we produce. Maybe not for you, but we don't only do this for you :)

14 upvotes

Dodgy? Excuse me but are you accusing them of bias while you are probably working for a competitor site? You make me laugh.

0 upvotes

Jeff, Simon: Can you give us a hint when (approximatelly) the roundup will be finished. It would be really great if it happened before the main summer season and not afterwards (for northern hemisphere that is). Thanks.

5 upvotes

well "timely" in the sense it's nearly summer (33 degrees C today in Switzerland :-), but not "timely" in that this particular camera was announced in Feb 2012..

Comment edited 1 minute after posting

1 upvote

is there a replacement? No. Is it still available? Yes. Is it still popular? Yes. Is this camera - and is this review - still relevant to the shopper looking for a vacation camera? Yes.

2 upvotes

Will it still be relevant when D30 is released in a few weeks? No. Did you miss 1.5 years of clicks on the review of this camera? Yes. :)

0 upvotes

This would be a great review idea for April or May, but starting on June 19 means it will be finished about the time that summer is over. (Kind of like the Christmas round up dpreview posted last Dec 18!) My son's family is on a summer dive trip now, too bad this is too late for them.

0 upvotes

Nothing suggests a D30 is coming this year. It would have been announced and released already, in time for the summer season. Also, it took Canon three years to come up with a replacement for the D10.

1 upvote

You have indeed skipped more important cameras; e.g. Pentax Q. Gone. Now there is Q10. Are you planning to skip this as well?

0 upvotes

@ Anepo:

You watch too many teen movies...

0 upvotes

OK seriously? it can take a drop of 1.5m, but onto a plywood surface? is that how they test them now? (and is that 1/4" plywood supported at the extremities?)
I agree with other posters and the reviewer, that f3.9 negates BSI on such a TINY sensor. But don't I think that a 280cipa is "decent", but poor, rather.

The target market is obviously a simple consumer camera competing in the space where a smartphone cannot go, but judging by all the comments in the review "but this is typical for a small sensor camera", it doesn't seem to offer much more in terms of IQ.

I seem to remember that the D10 was rated better than this.

I'll keep a watch for the other reviews, just out of interest's sake, but I doubt I'll buy, as I am already disappointed with the last roundup's winner, the Panasonic TS3, that despite winning awards (along with the Sony of which the touch screen couldn't be used under water LOL), disappoints with less than spectacular IQ.

Comment edited 2 times, last edit 3 minutes after posting

1 upvote

About this camera: It seems the manufacturers think only divers enter the ocean. Don't they know that surfing, kiteboarders, fishing, and other water activities that demand high speed? For sports we need a dedicated shutter value at the very least.

Yes, yes, I realize there are "sports" modes, but the camera really doesn't have a clue as to when you're supposed to take a picture of a surfer in a certain position.

A good photographer can work around shutter lag by predicting and such. But without the ability to use shutter priority, it's all a gamble.

Why do manufacturers leave out manual modes?

I understand that with many point and shoots, manufacturers want customers to step up to the next level (enthusiast compacts, dslrs, etc.), but would it kill them to either add manual features to their waterproof cameras or at least make an enthusiast waterproof camera?

Water housings are fine, but how about something that is pocketable AND waterproof with manual controls?

Comment edited 2 minutes after posting

1 upvote

Most of these cameras have small sensors, and the lenses are at or near diffraction limits. So instead of an iris type aperture, they have an ND filter.
This means you pretty much control the aperture by zooming, and the exposure by setting the ISO.
The only time this doesn't work, is when the camera prefers enabling the ND filter over reducing exposure, like my Olympus TG-1 does. They added an "A" mode in TG--2 - probably as a workaround :)

0 upvotes

I'll forgive the slow lens and even the pathetic 1.9fps, but no articulated screen or EVF? Give me at least one of them! Next.....

2 upvotes

seriously??? ROTFL
it is an _underwater_ camera!
what do you expect???

4 upvotes

How would you expect to implement an articulated LCD/EVF on an underwater camera?

Come on Nikon. Give us an underwater/rugged camera with a 1" sensor AND RAW. You used to own this market.

1 upvote

As a former Nikonos owner I have to agree. That was one tough little camera! So if Nikon were to make digital version of James Bond's favorite camera (Thunderball, 1965, Sean Connery, United Artists) it should have a full frame or at least and APS-C sensor, some serious glass (interchangeable you said?!) and the ability to shoot RAW. That's not asking too much of them. I would guess something like that would fetch about $5,000 or so. Oh and the underwater LED for that is another...

0 upvotes

EVF would actually be useful for a camera used on a beach and snow a lot. Kind of like Pana LF1.

1 upvote

I think I saw this in Finding Nemo. The Pentax WG-3. Better camera all around and doesn't look like a tub toy (at least in black). Lets see that comparison! Canon makes some superb advances amateur and professional equipment; this stuff is beneath them. It's is as if Lexus made a skateboard.

4 upvotes

"WG-3 doesn't look like a tub toy (at least in black)."
But hey, there is a reason why black boxes (flight recorders) are actually bright orange, not black. ;-)

3 upvotes

WG-3 review is on the way soon.

1 upvote

Well, when in the water, the bright Orange of the Panasonic TS series makes it highly visible. Black, not so much.

0 upvotes

Look forward to the WG3 review. Was recently given a WG2 for Christmas. Def no landscape tool, but these are a must for families at the beach, people who need the microscope feature like coin collectors, jewellers, stamp collectors, archaeologists etc. A brilliant macro feature. The front LEDs and close focusing is stunning. Have to give Oly the thumbs up for general IQ, but maybe from reports, the WG3 has improved in that department.
Seriously worth having in your kit.

0 upvotes

Right because a F3.9, jpeg only, camera is just what I'd want to use while snorkeling or in rapids in a steep sided narrow river gorge, wait not. At least the new Pentax and Olympus open up to F2.0.

1 upvote

The RAW hack is great with this camera and only requires you to put a file on the card you want to capture raw with. Doesn't help with the aperture though but given that well over 99% of your posts are about RAW, you should be happy!

0 upvotes

No hot shoe? Lol, just kidding... nice review, beautiful Canon colors, sprecially the skin tones. What place was the fotos taken?

2 upvotes

yeah, what's up with that?
no hotshoe on an underwater camera! lol

0 upvotes

Most of the photos were taken in Maui, Hawaii.

1 upvote

Maui? He he, bet there were fights for that assignment.

4 upvotes

No assignment, just good timing with my vacation :)

4 upvotes

There is nothing new with underwater sync (and other kinds of) cables; it's been done for ages, and still functions. Depending upon the rest of the system, it can be dry or wet-connectable.
http://www.teledyneimpulse.com/products/wetplug.aspx is one example.
But first we'd need a serious underwater camera, to develop the system from there. This means interchangeable lenses, add-on lenses, articulated monitors and such.
So far, it seems it'd require an Act of God to make manufacturers see the light (and market)...

Comment edited 33 seconds after posting

0 upvotes

Total comments: 82

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