Very interesting, Ryan. Thanks for posting. As much as I hate to admit it, the 20D sure looks attractive on paper, but that has to be balanced against real world experience.
t On 11/10/04 7:45, Ryan Lee wrote: > So, time to make the announcement. After returning my ist D, I now find > myself with a C***n 20D, 17-85 f4-5.6IS USM, a 580EX speedlite, a BG-E2 > battery grip, an E1 hand strap, an extra battery and a B+W MRC UV filter. I > miss my kidneys. > > Anyway, having had a chance to play with both, here are some comparisons. > > 1. The most obvious one, I miss the sleekness of the tiny ist D (even with a > grip) holding the 20D and grip. It's chunky. A monstrous monstrosity. And no > matter what people tell you, the 20D is ugly. The battery grip doesn't make > an effort to be tiny either. The ist D's grip takes 4 AA's sideways while > the 20D's grip takes 6 AA's side by side. And what's more, my 16 beloved > 2500mah Inca Nimh batteries which I spent a fortune on, seem fine browsing > the 20D, but don't supply enough voltage to shoot! In fact, AA's in the 20D > hardly work at all, and Canon will tell you that (like they told me). On the > other hand, my Inca's lasted forever in the ist D (using a 50 1.4). Felt > like I never had to recharge them. I'm probably going to end up selling them > now :-( > > 2. The ist D sounds a lot better. The 20D (because of a new mirror design to > accomodate the short back focus EF-S lenses) sounds, literally, like the > whole camera was made of wood. Imagine the ist D's to be a 'chlick' vs the > 20D's 'chlock'. I should capitalise some of that for emphasis too.. Very > ironic considering the 17-85 is quieter than a dog's tail wagging. > > 3. The 20D, unfortunately, does have superior image quality. I'm probably > not comparing in the same price/spec range that's why. Amazingly, while the > ist D produces significant noise at 1600, the 20D at 1600 produces possibly > the same noise as the ist D's 400. For non RAW shooters, the 20D also > provides more control over in camera settings e.g. more range to set > sharpness, contrast etc. > > 4. The 20D's TTL with the 580EX seems to provide more accurate exposures > than the ist D with the AF360fgz. In low light without AF assist, the 20D > with the 17-85 focuses much faster than the ist D with the SMC F 50 1.4. > > 5. The 20D does not feel like a walkaround camera. Feels like it should live > in a studio. This might present problems when I'm backpacking London and > Paris in a few days. > > 6..Probably other stuff to talk about, but the 20D doesn't allow me to post > to the PUG. I hope I don't end up Franken-lensing like some. > > Enough for now.. > > Cheers, > Ryan > > PS. Will still be hanging on to my dear 5n. It's taken some good shots and > I'm sentimental. Plus I need a film camera. Plus it's like a season ticket > to the list :-) Just an afterthought, what are people paying for a minty SMC > F 50 1.4 these days? > > > > > >
