Canon EOS 20D Review | 108 Data compared

The DPReview evaluation of the Canon EOS 20D praises the 8.2-megapixel DSLR as a responsive, robustly built "baby EOS-1D" offering significant speed upgrades over its predecessor. Key pros include excellent image quality, low noise across ISO 100-3200, a fast 5 fps continuous mode, and a durable magnesium alloy body. Conversely, the 20D lacks a dedicated spot metering mode and struggles with auto white balance in tungsten lighting, notes DPReview. Other drawbacks include a loud shutter, a small 1.8-inch LCD, and a design flaw that wipes buffered images if the memory card door is opened prematurely.

The Canon EOS 20D is a semiprofessional 8.2-megapixel dSLR camera that excels in performance, build quality, and image rendering, making it a strong choice for enthusiast photographers. It features a sturdy, well-balanced 24-ounce body with intuitive dual-dial controls and a highly precise joystick for quick navigation and focus point selection. The camera delivers highly responsive operations, boasting an impressive 0.3-second autofocus shutter lag, a 5 frames-per-second continuous shooting speed, and highly clean, low-noise images across a broad sensitivity range extending up to an ISO 3,200 equivalent. Additionally, it includes a robust software package, featuring Digital Photo Professional for processing raw files to maximize image sharpness. Despite its high marks for design and image quality, the EOS 20D has several distinct limitations. On the downside, it completely lacks a dedicated spot meter, its evaluative metering tends to slightly underexpose images to preserve highlights, and automatic indoor white balance leans noticeably warm. Users face physical design constraints as well, including an APS-C sensor that enforces a 1.6x lens-conversion factor, a slightly small 1.8-inch LCD screen, and a viewfinder restricted to a 95...

The Canon EOS 20D is a highly capable prosumer DSLR offering significant upgrades over the 10D, featuring an 8.25-megapixel APS-C CMOS sensor, a fast 5 fps shooting speed, and excellent battery life. Key advantages include an enhanced 9-point autofocus system, improved ISO performance up to 3200, and overall greater responsiveness for photographers. Conversely, the review notes that the 20D possesses a dimmer and less smooth viewfinder compared to the 10D or 1D Mark II. Furthermore, the camera's frame buffer is limited during extended bursts, and it lacks several high-end features found on the professional 1D series.

The Canon EOS 20D is a highly competent fourth-generation prosumer DSLR that brings massive performance upgrades over its predecessor, the 10D, despite its minor physical drawbacks. Its standout features include a powerful 8.25-megapixel CMOS sensor that delivers clean, virtually noise-free images up to ISO 400 and usable quality even at ISO 3200. The camera excels in action photography by offering a blazing fast 5 frames-per-second shooting speed and an essentially instantaneous 200-millisecond turn-on time, entirely eliminating the painful delays found in earlier digital models. Additionally, it features a more compact and lightweight magnesium alloy body, a highly intuitive multi-controller joystick for rapid focus point selection, and an improved E-TTL II pop-up flash that sits higher to reduce red-eye.

The Canon EOS 20D delivers exceptional image quality and highly accurate color reproduction, though it shows slight undersaturation in greens and yellows and a minor red tint in light skin tones. A major strength is its superior resolution compared to the older 10D, giving it a clear advantage for large prints and heavy cropping. Furthermore, its noise performance is excellent; luminance noise at high ISO settings is notably fine-grained without clumpiness, making speeds up to ISO 800 very clean and ISO 1600 or 3200 highly usable with standard noise reduction software. The camera also effectively eliminates moiré, as none was detected across hundreds of test frames featuring intricate patterns. Conversely, the review highlights several drawbacks, specifically contradicting Canon’s marketing claims of a two-stop noise advantage over the 10D, as bench tests prove their signal-to-noise ratios are essentially identical. A notable physical downside is the viewfinder, which is slightly dimmer due to a smaller pentaprism, mirror, and ground glass. This coarser-textured ground glass can create a distracting graininess under bright outdoor lighting conditions. Additionally, the reviewer criticizes Canon's bundled RAW software...

The Canon EOS 20D is characterized as a significant upgrade featuring an 8.2-megapixel APS-C CMOS sensor and DIGIC II processor, delivering high-quality, low-noise images with a robust, semi-professional magnesium alloy body. Key strengths include a 0.2-second startup time, 5 fps continuous shooting, EF-S lens support, and an advanced 9-point autofocus system. Conversely, the camera's limitations, typical of its era, include a small 1.8-inch LCD screen with poor outdoor visibility and a restricted raw buffer that limits continuous shooting to 6 frames. Other drawbacks noted are visible noise at high ISOs and the absence of a dedicated spot-metering mode. YouTube ·

The Canon EOS 20D Digital SLR is highlighted as a milestone camera that delivers professional-grade image quality capable of matching film SLR standards. Built with a magnesium alloy frame, it offers a tough construction suitable for daily use and light rain, and its ergonomics can be significantly enhanced by adding the BG-E2 battery grip. Key performance strengths include its exceptional speed—characterized by a near-instant startup from sleep mode, 5 frames per second firing capability, and lack of shutter lag—alongside excellent file quality from its 8-megapixel sensor that produces low noise even at ISO 3200. These high-quality files easily support large canvas prints up to A1 size, making the camera a highly viable tool for serious amateurs and semi-professionals alike. Despite its strong performance, the reviewer notes a few notable drawbacks. Without the optional battery grip, the camera body can feel positively tiny and fiddly in larger hands. While its magnesium frame handles light rain well, it is explicitly not as fully weatherproofed or durable as Canon's top-tier professional models like the EOS 1D MKII. Additionally, from a functional standpoint, the...

The review on Fstoppers looks back at the Canon EOS 20D, a camera released in 2005, to see how it holds up against modern gear like the Canon EOS 5D Mark IV. The author praises the camera's classic design. Its button layout on the back is so good that Canon still uses similar styles today. The camera body has a great size and weight, making it fun to hold and use in the field. Photos taken in good light are still very useful and crisp today. This shows that the 8.5-megapixel APS-C sensor can still deliver good results under the right conditions. However, the review points out several major cons when compared to newer cameras. The tiny 1.8-inch LCD screen has a very low resolution, making it nearly impossible to check if a photo is in sharp focus. Looking through the optical viewfinder feels like looking through a small, dark hole. The camera also lacks modern features like live view, video recording, touchscreen capabilities, and Auto-ISO controls. Finally, the sensor's dynamic range falls short. Bumping up the shadows by even...

The Trusted Reviews analysis of the Canon EOS 20D describes it as a refined, lightweight, and durable 8.2-megapixel DSLR aimed at serious users, featuring a 9-point autofocus system and a 5 fps shooting speed. Performance highlights include the rapid DIGIC II processor and improved buffer capacity, while the build boasts a magnesium alloy chassis. Conversely, the camera is noted for lacking spot metering, which limits exposure control options, and for ergonomic issues regarding a rough texture on the lens mount. Additionally, the pop-up flash can cast shadows with certain wide-angle lenses, and the camera is limited to the older EF-S lens mount, rather than the newer RF system.