AndrewJWH
Well-known member
After 3 months and 4000 shots, here are my thoughts.
Summary:
Excellent, clean, sharp images.
Low noise up to ISO 1600, exceptional from 100-400.
Practically instant turn-on.
Very fast and accurate AF.
Impressive 5fps continuous shooting mode.
Beautiful colours, reds in particular – a bit like Velvia.
The Details:
I have been very impressed with the startup speed and minimal shutter lag, viewfinder blackout, and fast continuous shooting frame rate. Most important to me is the near instant power on. I can flick the switch to "On" with one hand and fire immediately with the other. You never miss a shot with this camera.
AF is extremely fast and reliable (I have been using mainly the EF 17-40mm f/4L), however it is best to select just the center AF point when shooting in low light. It is much more sensitive than those off the center vertical (I tested this), while the center top and center bottom AF points also seem to be very sensitive. Indoor lighting is generally more than good enough for the center points to find focus.
Image quality is astounding, especially since ISO noise is remarkably low. Many people are complaining about banding at high ISO's, but I haven't had any real problems with this provided the picture is not underexposed. At ISO 1600, correctly exposed, I have not noticed problems with visible banding, and the pictures are perfectly usable. I would say that ISO 1600 is significantly cleaner than ISO 3200. It seems from reviews that the 20D delivers some of the cleanest images at ISO 1600 or above compared to just about any other DSLR available today. Also, I have a number of photos taken at ISO 400 which look like ISO 100, there's so little difference.
As for resolution, I have tried to find out whether my 35mm Velvia slides deliver more detail than the 20D, but it seems that the 20D's sensor has the greater resolving power. For the slides, I have looked at scans, projected onto white boards to pick out fine detail, etc. 20D wins, from what I can make out. Besides, you'd need an expensive hi-res drum scan to drag anything like that detail out of a 35mm slide. (I still love my slides though
Just use good lenses on this beast.
The RAW+JPEG mode is extremely useful, and is what I use most of the time. When processing RAW it is possible to turn sharpening off completely. I've had a lot of fun using the Black & White mode, particularly because it offers colour filtering effects.
Build quality is excellent, a very solid package. The only complaint I have is that the CF card door feels a little bit loose under the right hand, it shifts very slightly as you grip the camera. It has never come open though, so it isn't actually a problem, just a little disconcerting.
Ergonomics are good, in that I can reach all the important buttons (for shooting mode) and dials with just my right hand, and the camera feels solid and stable in the hand.
Battery life is excellent, I've only properly flattened the battery twice. You'll struggle to flatten it in a day's shooting.
Problems:
I have not discovered any real "Problems."
Minor Peeves:
No Spot metering. I miss it. "Partial" metering is OK though.
There was some dust on the sensor when I got the camera.
I've had a couple of lockups and Error99's, but they were all fixed in seconds, either by turning off or by removing the battery. Don't let this put you off!
The LCD screen is too dim too use in outdoor daylight conditions. This is my biggest irritation with this camera. Fortunately the histogram is there to save the day. On the other hand, when you can actually see what's on the screen, it is very accurate in terms of contrast, exposure, and colour (much better than my old S50).
Further Nitpicking:
WB could be better, I find I need to add a little magenta to the Daylight setting. Not bad, just could be better. I wish the camera had more than 1 custom WB memory.
I would like to be able to see the selected ISO speed in either the viewfinder or the top LCD, without having to press the ISO button.
The sharpening algorithm could be better. It generates some halos, but is a world ahead of any point-and-shoot, of course. I'd like it to be more like the EOS-1D/Ds range. Sharpness "0" generally gives a pleasing result, but there are occasional halos.
Jaggies sometimes occur when processing RAW (using EOS Viewer Utility). They're only visible when viewed at 100%, but they do not appear in Jpeg's straight out of the camera.
Summary:
Excellent, clean, sharp images.
Low noise up to ISO 1600, exceptional from 100-400.
Practically instant turn-on.
Very fast and accurate AF.
Impressive 5fps continuous shooting mode.
Beautiful colours, reds in particular – a bit like Velvia.
The Details:
I have been very impressed with the startup speed and minimal shutter lag, viewfinder blackout, and fast continuous shooting frame rate. Most important to me is the near instant power on. I can flick the switch to "On" with one hand and fire immediately with the other. You never miss a shot with this camera.
AF is extremely fast and reliable (I have been using mainly the EF 17-40mm f/4L), however it is best to select just the center AF point when shooting in low light. It is much more sensitive than those off the center vertical (I tested this), while the center top and center bottom AF points also seem to be very sensitive. Indoor lighting is generally more than good enough for the center points to find focus.
Image quality is astounding, especially since ISO noise is remarkably low. Many people are complaining about banding at high ISO's, but I haven't had any real problems with this provided the picture is not underexposed. At ISO 1600, correctly exposed, I have not noticed problems with visible banding, and the pictures are perfectly usable. I would say that ISO 1600 is significantly cleaner than ISO 3200. It seems from reviews that the 20D delivers some of the cleanest images at ISO 1600 or above compared to just about any other DSLR available today. Also, I have a number of photos taken at ISO 400 which look like ISO 100, there's so little difference.
As for resolution, I have tried to find out whether my 35mm Velvia slides deliver more detail than the 20D, but it seems that the 20D's sensor has the greater resolving power. For the slides, I have looked at scans, projected onto white boards to pick out fine detail, etc. 20D wins, from what I can make out. Besides, you'd need an expensive hi-res drum scan to drag anything like that detail out of a 35mm slide. (I still love my slides though
Just use good lenses on this beast.
The RAW+JPEG mode is extremely useful, and is what I use most of the time. When processing RAW it is possible to turn sharpening off completely. I've had a lot of fun using the Black & White mode, particularly because it offers colour filtering effects.
Build quality is excellent, a very solid package. The only complaint I have is that the CF card door feels a little bit loose under the right hand, it shifts very slightly as you grip the camera. It has never come open though, so it isn't actually a problem, just a little disconcerting.
Ergonomics are good, in that I can reach all the important buttons (for shooting mode) and dials with just my right hand, and the camera feels solid and stable in the hand.
Battery life is excellent, I've only properly flattened the battery twice. You'll struggle to flatten it in a day's shooting.
Problems:
I have not discovered any real "Problems."
Minor Peeves:
No Spot metering. I miss it. "Partial" metering is OK though.
There was some dust on the sensor when I got the camera.
I've had a couple of lockups and Error99's, but they were all fixed in seconds, either by turning off or by removing the battery. Don't let this put you off!
The LCD screen is too dim too use in outdoor daylight conditions. This is my biggest irritation with this camera. Fortunately the histogram is there to save the day. On the other hand, when you can actually see what's on the screen, it is very accurate in terms of contrast, exposure, and colour (much better than my old S50).
Further Nitpicking:
WB could be better, I find I need to add a little magenta to the Daylight setting. Not bad, just could be better. I wish the camera had more than 1 custom WB memory.
I would like to be able to see the selected ISO speed in either the viewfinder or the top LCD, without having to press the ISO button.
The sharpening algorithm could be better. It generates some halos, but is a world ahead of any point-and-shoot, of course. I'd like it to be more like the EOS-1D/Ds range. Sharpness "0" generally gives a pleasing result, but there are occasional halos.
Jaggies sometimes occur when processing RAW (using EOS Viewer Utility). They're only visible when viewed at 100%, but they do not appear in Jpeg's straight out of the camera.