Canon EOS 20D 8.2 MP Digital SLR Camera - Black (Body Only)

I bought this camera as I was getting more and more requests from ebayers asking for higher resolution pics of my guitars for sale and I just wasnt getting the quality with a compact.This is a super camera thats very comfortable to hold.It fits just right in the hand and the shutter button is in just the right place.Im not great photographer,so tend to use the camera on full auto most of the time,but recently Ive started to use shutter priority so I can use a higher speed with the built in flash and freeze action.Its also a good trick to prevent camera shake,and even portraits in daylight can benefit by puting "catchlights" in the eyes of the subject.With its massive range of interchangeable lenses,the eos20d is very versatile no matter what kind of photography youre in to and of course,seeing the image youve just taken on the built in lcd screen on the back makes it so much easier to get it right. Im so saying that this camera is for everyone as there are much cheaper slrs available from canon that will do the job just as well,but if you intend to get into advance photographic work,then its best to buy the best you can afford.Only thing I dislike is that with digital,there is a crop factor factor of 1.6 so in fact a 50mm standard lens will act like an 80mm. This may be fine for some,but to get really wide angle shots,you have to buy a wide angle lens of 17mm or less and these can be expensive.Apart from that, I love the camera and find it very easy to use.

This is an excellent camera and can now be had for a very reasonable price.

I bought this as a gift and was originally going to get a 1000d but after trying one out they felt very cheap though some features were pretty neat. I just felt that if I'm going to part with £400 that it should at least look as though it cost that much.

I browsed ebay to see what was on offer for a similar sum and came across alot of Canon 20d and 30d cameras. I checked some reviews (dp review, steves cameras etc...) and they said they were awesome semi-pro cameras.

So I thought, 'Nice one', and picked up a 20d kit with 2 lenses and a battery grip for £250. Bargain. I had money spare to get a super dooper lens as well.

Build quality is awesome. Solid magnesium case is light and very, well, solid. These have a robust shutter mechanism which last more than double a standard Rebel range.
Nice little scroll wheel menu (like an ipod)
Tons of features
Bright 2.5" lcd screen
Over 8 megapixels
9 AF points

This feels like a professional bit of kit and will last a long time.

Sure, it's a model nearly 4 years old and it doesn't have the 'live-view' function like a standard compact camera but for the money there is nothing that can beat it and the images it captures are so good.

So if you are just wanting to start in photography then I would advise checking out the second hand market as you will get more bang for your buck. I mean, I picked one up for not much more than a good quality compact camera.

Since the introduction of video capture on newer DSLRs the price has tumbled on older models. First the consumer level 3 digit models then eventually the mid-range prosumer ones.

The 350d was the first to really hit a low price point and at the minute it is the lowest model that canon provides that has stood up to the test of time. I upgraded from a 350d to the 20d (and indeed made money from the switch).

The fact is, this is a heavy camera. People will no doubt complain about this but in actual fact it is a good thing. Coupling a camera like the 350d with a nice L lens will lead to great photography but the camera just isn't weighted enough to make it comfortable to hold. The 20d is perfectly balanced for larger lenses and much more comfortable in your hand. This is especially true for people like me with sausage fingers.

The differences between this and the lower canon models (specifically the 350 and 400d) include sensor cleaning, an extended ISO range for dark photography, noise reduction and best of all a faster auto-focus. This camera outperforms the much more expensive 5d mk2 for focusing speed and really comes into its own on fast paced photos. I use mine for wildlife photography along with my collection of M42 manual lenses so the auto-focus doesn't get used much. Occasionally, even using the standard kit lens canon provides, i do make use of it and it seems to work very quickly. Even with manual focus lenses, the Auto-focus points on the screen still work to help you ensure the focus is perfect. This is very useful with large aperture lenses such as fast fifties.

The top display on the camera displays all information you could possibly need including ISO, F-stop, Shutter speed, white balance etc.

The current range of Canon EF lenses is superb and this camera is also compatible with the smaller EF-S lenses (although i wouldn't recommend them - they would not be compatible with full-frame digitals such as the 1d so upgrades would be impossible above the mid-range models)

With the current extensive market of DSLRs being released with more and more features, the 20d sits in a unique price point between affordability and quality. It's smaller sensor, lower megapixel rating and lack of video may put some people off but large sensor cameras cost far more than this, the megapixel rating is nothing unless you plan on printing huge pictures and if you're really interested in video you would be far better using a camcorder. The fact is that this camera does everything you could realistically want in a DSLR but for a tiny fraction of the price.

Remember the golden rule of SLR photography - save money on a camera so you can spend more on a lens. The lenses matter far more than the box behind them and this particular box does its job at a very nice price point.

The camera is great value, having been "replaced" with the 30D in the CANON line up. Magnesium body, tough and resilient, features all you would expect from CANON, don't like the EF-S lenses though (PLASTIC AND GRIM), so get the body only and go for either TAMRON/SIGMA etc, or upwards with CANON'S pro lenses. 8+mp is more than enough to give you outstanding results, the 30D is also 8+mp, has only a few extra features, not worth shaking a stick at, and a larger LCD screen, which for me is not an issue (larger, although easier to view, also means easier to damage !), WHY PAY AN EXTRA (even on ebay) £200 +, for what is for the general user, the same camera ?. I rate CANON highly, (i've got a 400D and the 960iS compact as well as a 20D), all from ebay. Pick the buy carefully, you'll get a camera which will stand up to most you can throw at it.

This camera is amazing. I chose it because I will probably be taking shots of bikes on race tracks and the frame per second rate on this body is even better than a new EOS500D for nearly £600 (5fps vs 3fps). In my opinion the lower resolution is immaterial as the quality of the image is so good that unless you intend to blow the shot up to extreme proportions, you are unlikely to need any more mega pixels.
The camera uses a metal body so is much heavier than some of the newer EOS range, although I have only used the camera for a few days I really don't find the weight to be an issue, if fact it could make it more stable as it has a very solid feel.
The newer cameras have larger screens and I can see how that would be helpful but as you will almost certainly be viewing your pics on a pc this again is no real issue.
I have a lot to learn about DSLR's but I am really glad I started here, like so many things in this world it is a far better bit of kit than certainly I and probably a lot of the owners of this camera will ever need.
Pair this up with a decent lens and you will be amazed at the quality of pics you can take, it is not all about mega pixels I assure you.