Canon EOS 20D
The predecessor of EOS 10D is here…
With the EOS 20D, Canon has produced a model worthy of its predecessor, the EOS 10D: 8-megapixel resolution (the best in its class), excellent image quality in a wide range of ISO sensitivity and fast performance. With its sturdy well designed and disposition of its intuitive controls, the EOS 20D is friendly. It lacks spot metering and has a few minor inconveniences, but serious amateurs and professionals who need a digital SLR camera Canon compact and affordable model must place high on their list. Those who do not feel the need software to process RAW images, an optional battery grip, or a resolution of 8 megapixels, can profitably turn to the D70 Nikon 6 Megapixel . While not quite as fast as the 20D semi-professional, it offers excellent image quality and controls required by the developed photo enthusiasts.
Design and construction
It is a pleasure to shoot with the Canon EOS 20D. Robust construction, enclosure of 680 g. is quite compact for a digital SLR and offers a balanced grip. The rubber grip is ergonomic and easy to reach controls. The device has been used several times in a row without testing we felt the slightest fatigue. After experimenting with several objectives, the unit starts to seem a bit small with a zoom 70-200 mm. The setting of the optional battery grip handle can be a good way to increase the aircraft’s weight and counterbalance a great goal.
In addition to being assigned to the EOS 20D a format a little more compact than its predecessor the 10D, Canon has slightly modified controls. The start button and the locking knob are one. The unit can accommodate a small joystick which is used to select the autofocus point, scroll through images in playback mode and adjust the white balance. A joystick that is friendly and precise, despite its small size. However, if you have large hands, you may need to try before you buy.
Settings
Relatively compact, the EOS 20D does not leave much room to accommodate LCD and other lines of dedicated buttons. To change the resolution and compression level, you must go through the main menu of the LCD. The display of current settings is limited to what can fit the small screen this state on top of the device. This does not pose a major problem, but it is unfortunate that the ISO is not displayed permanently on the status screen and the viewfinder with other information about the exhibition. The 20D is not the only DSLR to suffer from this omission. Digital cameras allow you to change the ISO speed whenever the shutter speed. Accordingly, they should also provide a way to control the current settings without having to press buttons.
The layout of the controls of the EOS 20D is simple. Most buttons control two settings, each of which can be modified with one of two knobs. For example, holding the ISO-DRIVE is scroll down shooting by turning the knob on the top of the camera or ISOs in the adjustment on the back. Using the LCD menu is simple: use the MENU button to open the knob on the back of the device to scroll through the options and the SET button located in the center to make selections. This interface is clearly preferable to multiple buttons of the Canon EOS-1D Mark II, which require too much thinking. A maneuver proves inconvenient: hold one of three buttons on the top of the camera while turning the knob on top.
Features included under its box
The Canon EOS 20D offers an excellent feature set for a semi-professional camera, many of them are inherited from the EOS-1D Mark II. Among these include a 8.2 megapixel CMOS sensor and Digic II processor ensures better performance. The sensor is APS-C size (22.5 x 15 mm), you must apply a conversion factor of 1.6x optical The 20D accepts all EF and EF-S lenses, and is also compatible with a wide range of flash units and EOS system accessories. You can buy the body only or with an EF-S covering a focal range of 18-55 mm for an aperture setting between f/3.5 and f/5.6. In one case as in the other, Canon includes a generous software suite, including Adobe Photoshop Elements 2.0, a program to make panoramas, a remote capture program for controlling the device from a computer and excellent Digital Photo Professional 1.2 for RAW file processing. The 20D also accepts the Data Verification Kit DVK-E2 Canon’s optional, which allows you (or more likely your lawyer) to check the authenticity of an image. To adapt the device to your needs, the EOS 20Ddispose eighteen custom functions.
Many improvements from the previous model
Canon has made many improvements to the EOS 10D to 20D to arrive. Among the most important are the shutter speed of 1 / 8000 s, his nine-point autofocus, adjustment and bracketing the white balance and black & white. You can now choose the color space of sRGB or Adobe RGB regardless of picture settings. The two sets of standard parameters used to adjust the contrast, sharpness, hue and saturation to give your photos a more or less brilliant. You can create three sets of custom settings. The sensitivity to light between 100 and 3200 ISO with several options for noise reduction.
In terms of measurement, you have options evaluative, center weighted and partial. The measure flash has been improved by the E-TTL II Canon. A function of locking the flash exposure is also present. Unfortunately, Canon decided not to include spot metering on the 20D. It is true that most of the time, so far only partial. This covers 9% of the viewfinder image, which is the approximate area indicated by a circle on the screen development. The screen itself is new and, although it is rather satisfactory, it would have been nice if Canon implements interchangeable screens. You can choose between three types of auto focus: One Shot, Predictive AI Servo AF for tracking moving subjects and AI Focus, which automatically switches between the two previous modes, depending on whether or not the scene includes a moving object.
If you prefer that the camera takes care of everything, the mode selection dial offers five scene modes plus a fully automatic mode. You also have a way of depth of field system, which ensures that everything that appears in the image area covered by the points of autofocus is sharp. Furthermore, the 20D supports standard PictBridge and Canon Direct Print.
Features voice annotation and self-cleaning sensor would have been welcome, perhaps for a future model?
How to work with EOS 20D ?
The EOS 20 D can be shot when he feels like, to focus quickly and move images quickly reviewed. If you are a sports photographer and need the higher speed photography market, go for the top model Canon EOS-1D Mark II. For others, the 20D will provide excellent speed and responsiveness. The performance of the 20D autofocus in low light conditions are simply awesome. The device uses a new system to nine points and lets you choose between the AI servo Predictive mode, which allows tracking of moving subjects or the normal shooting Single (One Shot). The shutter lag is negligible, at 0.3 seconds, with auto focus and 0.1 seconds when the development is already done.
The EOS 20D with an EF 24-70 f/2.8L USM and a CompactFlash card SanDisk Extreme 256MB It took him only 0.6 seconds to put on and take a picture . The interval between shots was 0.5 seconds in high quality JPEG format. You can also take nine pictures in RAW or RAW + JPEG 6 files with a time between shots of about 0.6 seconds before the aircraft begins to slow. In burst mode, the camera takes six pictures in RAW or RAW + JPEG consecutively. During our test of continuous shooting in JPEG highest quality, we have made 30 shots in quick succession, while Canon announces that 23 did. The manufacturer estimates the rate of continuous shooting of the EOS 20 D 5 frames per second (fps) we could not do better than 4.8 fps, which is very close.
The focusing screen of the EOS 20D is bright and clear that is what the lighting conditions. However, the viewfinder shows only 95% of the image. A closer view of 98% would have been nice. The 4.8cm LCD is a bit small in comparison with current standards, but it produces a rather bright and clear in most lighting conditions.
Once deployed, the pop-up flash housing exceeds more than the 10D, which should result in angles of shadows more enjoyable and less frequent red eyes. Unfortunately, the layout is far from ideal. When shooting close to wide angle with the flash, the lens has cast a shadow was very noticeable in the bottom of the image. Before taking the 20D for a night out, check the results produced by the flash with the objective of your choice or pick up an external flash.
The Lithium-Ion provides autonomy satisfactory but unexceptional. During a testing session of six hours with a flash and leaving permanently on the camera, the fully charged battery has taken about 250 shots in RAW format. Canon provides a compact charger, convenient for travel.
Image Quality
The Canon EOS 20D is not content to ensure low noise and uniform tone of its predecessor the 10D: it is even better. Whether taken with ISO 100 or the maximum setting to ISO 3200, photos are sharp enough to produce beautiful prints. Combined with the excellent autofocus the 20D in low light, this impressive range makes this model an outstanding choice for night photography. The low levels of noise and resolution (the best in its class) for this device is also perfectly together if you want to achieve great prints.
The colors were well saturated and generally accurate, although reds tended to change slightly in color. The brightness of your colors depend on the set that you select. When taking pictures in JPEG images are a little warmer, while the RAW files restore the colors more accurately. Using the auto white balance indoors also produces an image very hot. Evaluative metering seemed to define more exposure for bright areas than for dark areas, producing results which tended to be underexposed. As expected, the partial measurement is more accurate.
Technical specifications
# Sensor Resolution (gross): 8.2 megapixel
# Registered file types: RAW, JPEG, RAW + JPEG
# Level optical zoom: 3x
# Screen Type” 1.8 inches TFT, approx 118,000 pixels
# Sensor Type: CMOS
# Level Digital Zoom: 3x
# ISO Sensitivity: ISO 100, ISO 200, ISO 400, ISO 800, ISO 1600, ISO 3200
