Canon 20D Review (Canon EOS 20D)

Member Name: leebo87

Product:	Canon EOS 20D
Date:	06/09/06 (74 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Great camera, relatively cheap, well built and well worth the money

Disadvantages: Smallish screen, succeded by the 30D

The Canon 20D is awesome. No doubt about it. It was my first step into DSLR territory after years with film slrs and I can't believe I didnt make the change sooner.

Firstly, if you familiar with SLR's and especially canon's (as i was) you'll have no problem picking this camera and getting to grips with it within half an hour. Ok so some of the more technical things this camera allows you to do, like the Auto WB Bracketing etc may take you a little while longer to master but it really depends on your knowledge to date and not the camera.

The Canon 20D will definately not hold you back. Its creative possibilties are endless. For those of you still using the scene modes, dont worry, they're still here but are alongside fully manual and partially manual modes (ie shutter priority, aperture priority etc.) to give you full creative control.

Another great thing about this cam is its build quality. Simply put its built like a tank and wont be falling apart any time soon. You have my guarantee on that. As soon as you pick it up you can feel the superb craftmanship and build quality. Although I havnt yet, I bet it can survive a fair few drops and knocks before you have a problem.

The kit lens is perhaps a bit limiting, its optical quality (whilst good for begginers and is certainly very acceptable) doesnt compare with quality pro lenses, but this is to be expected as kit lens. This shouldnt be a problem for those of you who have used canon slr's in the past and have a collection of canon lenses to your disposal as the 20D supports the EF mount. (Although bear in mind you need to multiply the focal length of each lens by 1.6 to compensate for the crop factor of the CCD chip.)

Drawbacks (theres always a couple :D) - My main gripe with this camera is the display on the back. Although in most lighting conditions it is easy to read and the setting etc are easy to change, it does fade a fair bit in direct sunlight. So you'll find ur self squinting to see the back display to check out your latest shots. Of course the problem is resolved if u move out of the sun but it still annoys me.

Another moan is that the monitor is a bit on the small side. To be honest a larger display would be nice, but I dont think it prohibits me in many ways, checking focus isnt a problem as it allows you to zoom right in to the pic using two easily posistioned buttons on the top right back of the cam.

Oh lol I thought of another good point, the scroll wheel. It allows you to easily browze throught the photos you've taken and is such a relief from pressing directional buttons (left/right) over and over again.

So in conclusion this is a great cam aimed at semi-pro's or pro's looking for a second back up body. It wont hold you back and it will definately open a lot of doors to you.

Thanks for reading and please rate it kindly! :)

Also checkout www.leebillinghurst.co.uk for sample shots of the 20D. 90% of the shots on their were taken with the 20D.

Summary: So in conclusion this is a great cam aimed at semi-pro's or pro's looking for a second back up body.

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