Autofocus speed and (for me) accuracy.
Vast range of lenses available.
Exposure accuracy (non-flash; see below).
Ease of use/handling (great feel with the battery grip installed)
Built in flash for emergencies.
Low noise at all settings to ISO 1600 (coming from digital P&S and scanned slides, this was by far the most noticeable improvement for me).
Frame rate/buffer.

Consistent 1 stop underexposure with E-TTL auto-flash (built-in or external 420EX). This caught me off guard. I was wondering why my autoflash exposures looked so dark and only used the lower 1/2 of the histogram. I made an exposure using the flash exposure lock function and the darkness was remedied. Since then I have had to set flash exposure compensation to +1 stop to get accurate autoflash exposure. Although now when using flash exposure lock, my pics are 1 stop over exposed. I have a return authorization from Canon, but haven't sent the body in yet. I'll post the results when I get it fixed.

I guess I can't really add that much to what has already been said. This is my first digital SLR and I am very (understatement) pleased at the image quality I am getting. Recently I have started printing 13x19s on my Epson R1800. I have never printed this large in 35mm film. I must say that I am amazed at how well the prints have turned out. Now if only I were a good photographer! The focus has been accurate on mine so far. I think that I purchased a recent build since it came from the dealer with the most recent firmware installed. Hopefully all of the niggles have been resolved (except the one explained below).

Overall this is a great camera. There was really no learning curve for it's operating system having switched from the Elan 7. The 20D seems to be just the digital equivalent of this camera.

I give it 5 stars because even though it has a flash exposure problem it is still the best camera I have ever used. And shall be fixed shortly.

Customer Service

Very helpful on the phone. No hassles getting information to return the camera.

Similar Products Used:

Nothing else comparable except Canon's film bodies which also are very nice.

Good image quality. Reliable in most situations. Minimal learning curve for the trained photographer.Relatively light weight for a DSLR.

Noisy at iso 400and above. No wireless remote available. Noisy shutter.
Slow and sometimes inaccurate auto focus. Difficult to use in studi with wireless strobes.Costly.

I upgraded from the diital rebel to the 20d aftr reading the rave reviews. Having said that and used both I fail to see the much image quality difference . The biggest difference is the body build . The rebel is plastic and the 20d is metal but is that worth the extra money? I do not think the 20d is sturdy enough for professional daily use . Both the rebel and the 20d use the same mnmetering and
Digic processor. I have not seen much improvement with the 20d in image quallity.
In the 20d price range I thin the nilon D200 is a far superior camera. There is no spot metering in the 20d no available wireless remote at least not one that i am aware of. I am disappointed with the autofocus at hig fps and will probaly go back to using my nikon . I think the 20d was overpriced and I am a little disappointed. The introduction of the 30d will probably drive down the 20d price but in my opinion you are really still buying the same product with a defined shutter use rating a larger LCD on the 30D. Is that really an advance i think not.
Nikon has taken the lead at this point.

Customer Service

Relaiable

Similar Products Used:

nikon d70 nikon D200 canon 300d

Image quality, 5FPS is fine for most. With pricing dropping with the 30D release this camera is a bargin.

This camera is getting long in the tooth. Unfortunalety the 30D doesn't improve much on the 20D weaknesses. Mirror Lockup why Canon is it so hard? If you shoot birds or action sports 5FPS is OK, but your lack of focus points will have you missing 30% of you shots. Long lenses really bring the focusing problem out. Try tracking a Spoon Bill at 500-600mm and you will know what I mean. Focus screen is not very bright and lack interchangable screens. No real equal to a EOS 3 yet.

Have own this camera since it initally came out. Compared to the 10D it a hugh improvement. Picture quality is great and have gone to 13 X 19 prints consistently, You have to be careful about 3 party lenses, especially wide angle lenses.
This is one of Canon's few DSLRs that is reasonably priced.

Similar Products Used:

EOS 7e, EOS3, 10D,

see above

see above add : even my old Canon 30 D takes better pics in iso 100 and 200!?

This camera is for me a mix of hate and love! in some areas its quite good BUT then it dissapoint me much.For some reason i think i got two lemons. Picture Quality ; i also think theres somme differ here; you can buy a good one or bad; for my case both models i bought made enormous amount of Crap DUST..Grrr. totally unuseable for Proffesional work. THIS was under all circumstances and conditions,even though i only worked with ONE lens and never changed it;;they made lots of DUST on the sensor.Nice crappy spots on the pics ..Horrible..and issue i cant live with and DO not accept. Furthermore i think the shutter noise is so irritating that strangers hate it and look very harmfull when firing the camera! the shutter sounds as and old bad russian machine gun. Even more frustrating is that i do not think that the 20D makes 5 pcs per sec ...or maybe its the shutter lag that is very slow even compared to my old Nikon D1H?! Every time i press and push the shutter it takes too long time.I could go on with the list of negative aspects ,for instance the camera house seems plasticky and crappy and NOT sturdy enough! for an amateur it might be okay but even the old 10D is much much better made and more FIT than this newcomer. Please take a look at the new Nikon D200 and you will know exactly what i mean,this model feels a little better and more> put> together.Almost as the 10D. The Pos; The pictures you get is so sweet and both soft and delicate at the same time,BUT they needs a lot of work in PS-.For my Pro PJ work i dont have the time for it and therefore prefer other cams. The fast response is okay(compared to 10D or 350 D)..BUT .its not worth the extra dollars.To make a long story short; If you need Proffesional cams,strongness,versatility and speed buy the 1 D mk 2 or Nikon D2X ,D2H,an Old D1H or better a newNikon D200 and if you are an amateur ..save your money buy the 300 or 35D and Or the Nikon D70s which all in all is a far better investments.Or get rid of the crappy Dust problem and buy the Olympus E500 system which is perfect and the industrys state of the art in this matter. Please note IM not saying the Canon 20D is a bad camera ,but its too expensive and not up there where i want it to be.I think other brands is taking the Lead for the moment .

Customer Service

yep..change of sensor

Similar Products Used:

Canon 1d..1 d mk2 canon 5D...Nikon D1H,D2H,Nikon D2X .Olympus E1 ,E300 E500 and others.

Picture quality is great, nice selection of lenses, price is reasonable for image quality, good screen on back, quick power-on

Build quality iffy, tedious menus to adjust basic controls (white balance, image size/type, ISO), Canon lenses feel cheap and breakable to me -- though I've no complaints on performance

When I went digital, I went Canon and left my Nikon film days behind. Had the D200 been around when I switched, who knows... But it wasn't. At any rate, at the time I felt Canon was the way to go. I believed (and still believe, to some extent) that Canon's corporate diversity and deep pockets keep them ahead when it comes to developing the inner workings of digital cameras. I only had one concern: Build quality. Nikons have always felt tough to me, Canons haven't. No exception with the 20D. Picture quality is great; no complaints. I've shot all manner of assignments (including studio product shots) with the 20D and they've all looked great at the newsstand and in prints made for clients. However, I have had quality issues. After a shoot in Palm Springs, during which the temperature reached roughly 125 degrees, the 20D started acting funny, shutting itself off after each shot, lagging with regard to shutter response, etc. It wasn't in the heat for long stretches, but it still broke down. Wasn't a battery issue. Problem was eventually solved. But even from an overall "feel" point of view, the 20D doesn't feel sturdy to me. For $1k+, I'd like to see a bit more in terms of integrity. That said, when I bought this, Nikon's D70 was the closest competitor -- no sturdier, to my mind. Now, with the D200 on the table, hard to say. Considering I had Nikon glass, I wouldn't leave Nikon for the 20D today, but I don't exactly regret my switch considering what was on the table at the time. The 20D still works for me, even though I feel I have to baby it more than I ever did my Nikons.

Customer Service

Good.

Similar Products Used:

Canon EOS1, 1n Nikon F100, F4, F3

fast start up, 1/8000 shutter, lighter then the 10d, 5d, 1d mark II and 1ds mark II, parameter set up is better. It's must buy camera.

none at this moment eventhough heard some from a friend that is also using 20D but for me it's depend on how you are using it and take care of it...

very good and would be say the best camera in the market, quality of image capture, start up speed, the parameter is absolutely best... Worth buying especially for photographers that need a backup camera and for travellers you are buying the right camera.

Customer Service

A BIT UNPROFESSIONAL IN BRUNEI DUE TO LEAK OF PRODUCT KNOWLEDGE AND NO IN HOUSE REPAIR AS I'VE FACE WITH MY 10D.

Similar Products Used:

EOS 300D, EOS 10D, EOS 350D, EOS 1D MARK II, EOS 66, EOS 33, EOS 3, EOS 5, CANON AE1 ETC.

Lots of camera for the money. Extensive lens selection - can mount EF or EF-S lenses. Light AND durable. Fast, fast, fast.

In the 3 months I've used this camera, I can't think of a single negative thing to say about it.

I traded my Digital Rebel (300D) for a used 20D recently, and I couldn't be happier! The first thing I noticed was the control layout was similar, but slightly different. The primary controls were the same, but the back uses a rotary control and also has the multi-directional stick/button. I find this to be a MUCH better solution than what the Digital Rebel has. Upon taking my first shots with it, I noticed that the time to take a single shot was much quicker. It wasn't as 'lazy', like the Digital Rebel now feels. The buffer is also much larger, and can write to the CF card MUCH faster. The 20D almost keeps up in real-time when shooting in Large JPEG mode - almost. Shooting in RAW mode puts more load on the buffer and transfer to the CF card takes a little longer, but it's still a big improvement over what the Digital Rebel can do. If you've got a 20D already, do yourself a favor and get a fast CF card with 1GB of capacity or larger. With a 2GB card, you can get about 180 shots in RAW mode. For me, that's an entire day of shooting! Image quality is going to depend greatly on your lens choice, shooting conditions, and you ability to set the camera to capture the image as intended. That being said, the 20D provides a great foundation to get the shot. Those that say it's not sharp enough just don't know how to get the most out of their gear. Unless it's a defective unit, you'll get the shot you want if you take the time to set it up right. Who should buy this camera? Well, it's a lot of camera for beginners, but it's not going to break the bank of someone with enough disposable income. Otherwise, it's a great choice for amateurs moving up from the Digital Rebel (either version) or for Pros or Semi-Pros looking for a backup body. It definitely feels solid enough for taking the lumps of outdoor shooting where some hiking isn't out of the question. It's light enough (without the battery grip) for casual walk-around shooting, as well. Add the battery grip (BG-E2), and you've got a great studio camera. In short, just about everyone can find something to like about the 20D.

Similar Products Used:

Digital Rebel (300D)

Excellent image quality...Long battery life and quite light.

Ergonmics of the Battery Grip. Not well thought out.

This review is basically in response to the precedent review, which I find ludicrous to say the least.. I have been a professional advertising/fashion & beauty photographer for over twenty years. I have won several awards for advertising , specifically the "Marie Claire" Gold Award for best advertising campaign for "Lux" soap for J.W.Thompson agency in Paris. My most recent campaign has been the "Swarovski" X-Mas World Campaign for the agency "Saatchi & Saatchi" and most recently being published in the cutting edge magazine "Tank" for December 2005 with a special high fashion story featuring the designs of "Christian Lacroix". Why am I tooting my own horn? I used the Canon 20D on every shoot I have done in the past year. Most art directors think I shoot Medium format which I gave up over 18 months ago. When they look at my portfolio, there jaw drops when I tell them that the images were shot on either my 20D or prior to that the 10D. In fact I was chosen as Canon's Photographer of the Year in France and had my exhibition in Cannes for the 3rd Festival of Fashion Photography, where they exposed 8 x5 meter canvases shot on the 10D. The professed professional that wrote the precedent review basically "DOES NOT KNOW WHAT HE IS TALKING ABOUT"...He is either a plant of a competing brand or is on drugs... Soft images...Just look at the still life images I shot for "Swarovski". I used the 20D and the Tamron 90 SP Macro. The fashion was shot with the Hasselblad and a 22 meg pixel back, but the still life was the Canon.. I suggest you post some images and show us these examples. Being a professional, I am sure we might all learn something... I have posted approximately 100 images that you may view to prove my point..Where are yours?

Customer Service

None

Similar Products Used:

Canon 1Ds MK II, Canon 10D, Canon 350D

Start up speed; multipoint focus; image quality.

None so far...except I wish they'd put the old stainless strap lugs back on. Also, it seems that a standard cable release would be easy to engineer onto this and all other digital SLRs.

After leaving my 35mm equipment (Canon F1s & AE1s) in the bag for a number of years, this camera finally put some joy back into shooting. It's intuitive, quick, and solid. It lets me set up anyway I choose easily and has so far never given me a bad photo that wasn't my own fault.

Customer Service

not yet

Similar Products Used:

Nikon, Minolta DSLRs

everything, well built silky smooth to use, well laid out. What's not to like?

Mirror lock up should have its own setting. One other thing I would like is a viewfinder that has gridlines that match an 8in x 10in format so I would know how to frame the shot better for wedding albums

I upgraded the d60 for the 20d as i was working for a newspaper and was finding it hard to get great flash exposures with the d60, in my first week of getting the eos 20d and grip along with the efs 17-85 is lens and 580 ex flash, my pictures had improved 100% but i found that by setting the flash exposure + 1 stop on the camera at all times my pics were even better. now i try to use AV mode with flash indoors if the light is ok, even if i have to set the iso to 400 or 800, it gives me faster shutter speeds and you can hardly tell the difference, except for the sceene looks like natural light, its beautiful. A friend of mine has a nikon d70 and he is so jelous his flash pictures are not half as good as mine. Some people have been complaining about pictures being soft out of the camera, but i have my parameters set up so i never have to use unsharp mask in photoshop and the colours are always vivid.For everyone who moans about softness learn about parameters. This camera is so good i hardly use mu eos 1v anymore because i can see the finished result and fire away at my leisure and i also find that i am getting more prints developed now. I am thinking of trading in my 1v for the new 5d when it comes out, I already have the 28-70 2.8L lens to go with it, for weddings along with the 20d to grab the candids it will be an awesome combination.

Customer Service

I have had to send a few cameras for repair, and had them back extremely fast. yeah canon!

Similar Products Used:

canon AT-1, Eos 600, T90, Eos 5, Eos 3, Eos 1v, Eos d60