Review based on a production EOS 20D, Firmware Version 1.0.5
It's been four years and four months since they revealed the EOS D30, the first digital SLR which amateur photographers could really afford. So here we are, 52 months later with the latest incarnation of that original design, the eight megapixel EOS 20D. Not since February 2002 (the EOS D60) has Canon increased the resolution of this line of digital SLRs, in the EOS 20D we have a 1.9 million effective pixel increase, a new AF system, 50% faster continuous shooting and more than double the buffer space.
First impressions of the EOS 20D are good, it feels far less 'prosumer like' and instead feels more like a 'baby EOS-1D' (as described by one of our team). Gone are some of the annoyances of the EOS 10D, the 20D now switches on virtually instantly and focuses quickly, it feels very solid and yet weighs slightly less than the model it replaces. So far so good.
| Model | Announced | Effective pixels | AF | Continuous (JPEG) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| EOS D30 | April 2000 | 3.1 million | 3 point | 3.0 fps, 3 frames |
| EOS D60 | February 2002 | 6.3 million | 3 point | 3.3 fps, 8 frames |
| EOS 10D | February 2003 | 6.3 million | 7 point | 3.3 fps, 9 frames |
| EOS 20D | August 2004 | 8.2 million | 9 point | 5.0 fps, 23 frames |
A summary of new features and improvements can be found on the third page of this article.
In addition to the EOS 20D Canon has also announced two new EF-S lenses which are clearly aimed at the EOS 20D buyer. The EOS 20D will be offered as a body only or a kit with the EF-S 18 - 55 mm F3.5 - F5.6 lens we first saw in the EOS 300D kit. In my honest opinion the 17-85 mm lens is a superb companion to the EOS 20D, it offers a great range of focal lengths and image stabilization in a fairly compact package.
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| EF-S 17 - 85 mm F4.5 - F5.6 IS USM (27 - 136 mm equiv. FOV, 5x zoom) EU: €649, US: $599 |
EF-S 10 - 22 mm F3.5 - F4.5 USM (16 - 35 mm equiv. FOV, 2.2x zoom) EU: €899, US: $799 |
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If you're new to digital photography you may wish to read the Digital Photography Glossary before diving into this review (it may help you understand some of the terms used).
Conclusion / Recommendation / Ratings are based on the opinion of the reviewer, you should read the ENTIRE review before coming to your own conclusions. Images which can be viewed at a larger size have a small magnifying glass icon in the bottom right corner of the image, clicking on the image will display a larger (normally 1024 x 768 or smaller if cropped) image in a new window. To navigate the review simply use the next / previous page buttons, to jump to a particular section either pick the section from the drop down or select it from the navigation bar at the top. DPReview calibrate their monitors using Color Vision OptiCal at the (fairly well accepted) PC normal gamma 2.2, this means that on our monitors we can make out the difference between all of the (computer generated) grayscale blocks below. We recommend to make the most of this review you should be able to see the difference (at least) between X,Y and Z and ideally A,B and C. |
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This article is Copyright 2004 and may NOT in part or in whole be reproduced in any electronic or printed medium without prior permission from the author.
Canon EOS 20D 8.2MP Digital SLR Camera (Body Only) | $599.99 |
Canon EOS 20D 8.2MP Digital SLR Camera with EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 Lens | $1,998.93 |
Canon EOS 20D 8.2MP Digital SLR Camera (Body Only) | $599.99 |
Canon EOS 70D 20.2 MP Digital SLR Camera with Dual Pixel CMOS AF (Body Only) | $1,199.00 |
Canon EOS 70D 20.2 MP Digital SLR Camera with Dual Pixel CMOS AF and EF-S 18-135mm F3.5-5.6 IS STM Kit | Too low to display |
Canon EOS 70D 20.2 MP Digital SLR Camera with Dual Pixel CMOS AF and EF-S 18-55mm F3.5-5.6 IS STM Kit | $1,349.00 |
Canon EOS 70D 20.2 MP Digital SLR Camera with Dual Pixel CMOS AF and EF-S 18-135mm F3.5-5.6 IS STM 32GB Pro Kit - Includes camera, Lens 32GB Secure Digital SD Memory Card, Compact Deluxe Gadget Bag - DC74m 3pc. Lens Cleaning Kit | $1,547.00 |
Canon EOS 30D 8.2MP Digital SLR Camera (Body Only) | $100.00 |
Canon EOS 70D 20.2 MP Digital SLR Camera with Dual Pixel CMOS AF (Body Only) 32GB Pro Kit - Includes camera, 32GB Secure Digital SD Memory Card, Compact Deluxe Gadget Bag - DC74m 3pc. Lens Cleaning Kit | $1,199.00 |
Canon EOS 40D 10.1MP Digital SLR Camera (Body Only) | $1,195.00 |
Canon EOS 70D Digital SLR Camera & EF-S 18-55mm IS STM Lens with 75-300mm Lens + 32GB Card + Battery + Case + Tripod + Filters + Flash + Telephoto & Wide-Angle Lenses + Accessory Kit | $1,549.95 |
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