Photography BLOG

Designed for advanced amateurs, photojournalists, wedding photographers
and professionals, the EOS 20D digital SLR combines speed, image quality
and ruggedness with compact size and light weight to deliver the highest
performance in its class. The EOS 20D has a new APS-C (15.0 x 22.5 mm)
8.2 megapixel CMOS image sensor designed and manufactured by Canon. It
is the first mid-range digital SLR to offer high-speed continuous
shooting of five frames-per-second with a burst of 23 frames at highest
JPEG resolution. Very robust – the camera starts up in 0.2-second and
has a shutter release time lag of only 65 milliseconds.

The all-new 9-point AF unit with high-precision cross-type sensor
raises the bar on speed, accuracy and precision in mid-range SLRs. The
new AF system has one full stop better low- light performance than its
EOS 10D predecessor. The new E-TTL II autoflash metering system,
inherited from Canon’s EOS-1D Mark II professional model, takes into
account the distance, reflectance and position of the subject for highly
stable, accurate and intelligent exposure calculations.

The EOS 20D digital SLR is both smaller and lighter than the
10D
model. The 20D camera is about 3.6 ounces lighter and Canon reduced the
width, height and depth by 5.7, 2 and 3.5 mm, respectively. The shutter
unit, mirror box, main mirror, pentaprism, focusing screen and
viewfinder optical unit have all become smaller as they were optimized
for the APS-C sensor. The 20D digital SLR has nearly 100 fewer parts
than the 10D model. The new camera retains the rugged stainless steel
chassis and magnesium alloy body covers of its predecessor for
outstanding durability.

 

The new camera’s combination of speed and available light shooting
capability make it especially appealing to newspaper photographers.
Aside from the five frames-per-second burst rate, the EOS 20D digital
SLR delivers superb low light performance and exceptionally low noise,
even at high ISOs. In fact, images taken at ISO 1600 are approximately
equal in noise to those taken with the
EOS 10D model at ISO 400. The Canon designed and manufactured CMOS sensor has a maximum
resolution of 3504 x 2336 pixels, which is sufficient for very large
prints (up to 16 x 24 inches) with fine detail. Like its big brother,
the Canon EOS-1D Mark II, the EOS 20D digital SLR satisfies the wedding
photographer’s benchmark: facial details in group-shots. With the speed
and large buffer of the EOS 20D digital SLR, wedding and portrait
photographers have a cost effective solution for capturing both posed
and candid event photographs.  

EOS 20D Major Features

• Lightweight and durable magnesium alloy body
• Canon EOS (EF/EF-S) lens mount, 1.6x focal magnifier
• New 8-megapixel, CMOS image sensor, low-noise / wide dynamic
  range
• Recording choice of 6 levels of JPEG, CR2 RAW, or RAW plus JPEG
  (choice of 6 different levels of JPEG)
• All-new 9-point AF unit with high precision cross-type center
  sensor has one full stop better low-light performance than the EOS
  10D
• Ultra-fast start-up time of 0.2 seconds, only 65ms shutter lag
  time
• Adobe RGB and sRGB color space selection
• New high-speed mirror drive normally found only in pro-level
  models allows a major reduction in viewfinder blackout time
• Processing parameters include 2 presets, 3 custom sets,
  adjustable for contrast, sharpness, saturation and color tone, and
  the new monochrome mode which includes built-in digital filtration
  for yellow, orange, red and green, and print toning in sepia, blue,
  purple and green.
• 12 shooting modes, seven Basic Zone modes (Full Auto, Portrait,
  Landscape, Close-Up, Sports, Night Portrait and Flash Off) and five
  Creative Zone modes (Standard Program AE, Shutter-Priority AE,
  Aperture-Priority AE, Manual and Depth-Of-Field AE)
• 35-zone TTL metering, Evaluative (linked to all focusing
  points), Center-weighted average, or 9.5% central-area spot metering
• White Balance: Auto, six presets and Manual color temperature
  (2800-10,000°K in 100° increments) and can be corrected for blue,
  amber, magenta or green.
• Continuous mode capture: 5fps up to 23 frames (6 frames in RAW
  mode)
• Shutter speeds: 30 to 1/8,000 seconds, 1/250 sec. flash sync
• Eye level TTL viewfinder with diopter adjustment, illuminated AF
  points, depth-of-field preview and detailed information display.
• AE bracketing and White balance bracketing
• 1.8 inch, color TFT LCD, 118,000 pixels, 5 levels of brightness
• Playback histogram and up to 10x image zoom
• ISO Range: 100, 200, 400, 800, and 1,600 (3200 with ISO speed
  extension)
• 18 Custom Functions with 50 settings available
• Built-in E-TTL II popup flash with red-eye reduction.
• Hot shoe for Canon EX Speedlites and standard PC flash sync
  connector
• CompactFlash Type II card slot, Microdrive and FAT32 compatible
• High-speed USB 2.0 interface for fast image downloads
• Video Out with selectable NTSC or PAL timing
• Powered by new BP-511A Li-ion battery pack with 25% more
  capacity. CG-580 rapid charger included
• PictBridge, CP Direct and Bubblejet Direct printing
• Optional BG-E2 Battery Grip doubles battery power and adds
  vertical grip, shutter release and controls

DIWA members from Europe and USA
have chosen the Canon EOS 20D as the best “Digital System Camera” in
2004, for which it receives the DIWA Platinum Award in its category. The
EOS 20D took a giant leap in the never-ending process of technological
development, improvement and perfection, elevating image quality and
camera performance to a new standard. The robust camera body has the
same renowned ergonomic EOS design as its professional siblings,
perfected by Canon over decades of camera development. Canon’s own 8
Megapixel CMOS image sensor delivers low-noise images over a large range
of sensitivities. Sparked by an ultra-fast DIGIC II image processor, the
EOS 20D overtakes many of its rivals in terms of shooting speed,
processing speed, storing speed and camera response. Professionals and
serious photo enthusiasts alike embrace the camera for its outstanding
value for money.