Timmy did a bad bad thing (20D vs 1D)

[timmyquest]

I went into Best Buy today with my flash card and 1D. I know these pictures don’t show much but honestly, as far as image quality I’m not that impressed.

Again, i admit a few things here. The shots are not all in focus (actually more like motion blur on the lower ISO shots), the 20D shots are slightly over exposed, the 1D shots are slightly under. There were a few people looking at cameras and my mom was with me and wanted to leave so i was kind of rushed.


(links above image is full size image)

I have some more images from the 20D, they are RAW and i do not have the software, if someone wants to convert them leme know and we can set something up

http://www.questphotos.com/1dvs20d/1D%20(iso200).jpg
http://www.questphotos.com/1dvs20d/web/1D%20(iso200).jpg

http://www.questphotos.com/1dvs20d/1d%20(iso3200).jpg
http://www.questphotos.com/1dvs20d/web/1d%20(iso3200).jpg

http://www.questphotos.com/1dvs20d/20D%20(iso2300).jpg
http://www.questphotos.com/1dvs20d/web/20D%20(iso2300).jpg



Image quality aside:

I think I’m in love with the sound of that shutter. I don’t know why, it just sounds nice and really isn’t that loud to me (coming from a 1D that is)

The size doesn’t bother me at all. With the smaller lenses mounted on it, I kind of like it. The weight is nice and small.

The viewfinder isn’t as dark as I expected, and I found the AF points pleasing to the eye.

Let’s get one thing straight; 5fps is not even close to 8fps.

20D menu is FAST, write time doesn’t really seem all that much faster then my 1D, but i think that was due to the CF card i was using perhaps.

AF: It seems faster then the 300D/10D but it doesnt feel nearly as snappy as my 1D. I will admit, nither of the two lenses i used had USM. That said, i could still tell the 1D was quiet a bit faster.

The "use a 1D and everything else will fell like a toy" argument seems fairly true, but the build of the 20D is still pretty solid and really was a non issue to me.

Bottom line: I wish i could afford the 20D, it would make a great little camera to take to family events and on vacation, or as a second body with a W/A lens attatched. However, if i could afford that what i would really do is sell my 1D and get a 1D MKII.

My recomendation to anyone who shoots sports more then twice a month, get the 1D and deal with the fact that ISO 3200 isnt as clean as the 20D, but as i've shown in the past few weeks, it is still useable. Furthermore, 8mp gets you nothing but more crop. I have recently made some rather large, heavily cropped pictures, and they turned out fantastic.

[CyberDyneSystems]

Yep.. it's a handy little camera to have alongside a 1D (MkII or otherwise)...

I like to think of mine as the MkII's " tender", it's "lifeboat, or launch," ... a "dinghy" or "runabout" .... the "cutter" or "escort" ...


:lol: :lol:

I'll stop now. :roll:

[Belmondo]

I'm sorry, but I guess I'm a camera snob. I really love my 20D, but when I leave the house in the morning and only feel like carrying one camera, it's going to be the Mk II every time. Truth be known, I still haven't figured out exactly why I have the 20D except to call it my backup. Considering the level of skill at which I function, that very notion is laughable.

[Persian-Rice]

Finally an honest review......................

And people claim the 20D is "as good" as a MKII.................that's cause they have never used one I guess.

Your review is what I have been saying all along. 20D = great little SLR, but not god sent.

[Transfix]

IF you have to shoot your 1D at 3200, just use neatimage to help w/ the noise. Currently, I backup my 1dmkII with a 1D. As a sports photog, the 20d wouldn't cut it for my needs.

http://gallery.mikestrong.net

[HJMinard]

Your review is what I have been saying all along. 20D = great little SLR, but not god sent.

So the 20D is not as good as a professional grade camera that cost (new) three times as much. Shocking.

[Adam Hicks]

Exactly. I have (until recently) a BMW M Coupe and a BMW 325. No matter what I do, the M car is faster. Sure it was more expensive, but why is it faster every time I drive it?

Adam

[timmyquest]

A few things:

I dont think i spent enough time with the camera to consider this a "review". I would like to go back and do some more testing as far as image quality. The reasons i will not however are the following:

The 20D's ability to obtain a focused subject in AI Servo is not even close to the 1D's. Perhaps it can track as well, i do not know, i was un able to determain this. The speed at which it was aquired the subject seemed on par, what was off was the lag in which the camera realized i was looking at an out of focus item. The difference was small, but in the world of sports photography a "small difference" is often a very LARGE difference.

Second, and more importantly, in the last few days i have come to realize that i have vastly under estimated my cameras abilities to A.) Shoot at higher ISO's and B.) Make larger prints.

In this thread ( http://www.fredmiranda.com/forum/topic/148715 ) i proved that ISO 3200 is workable in daylight without any post process, thus i can only imagine with a little work in a noise removal program, that a shot at ISO 3200 under lower light situations is useable as well.


It is also important, i feel, that i point out one thing. This is as honest a writeup as i've ever given. As my title indicates, this was not a safe thing for me to do. I told my mom as we went into the store "I may leave here wanting a differnt camera". I have been feeling a bit of buyers remourse recently due to all of the fantastic images coming from 20D's.

HOWEVER! those feelings are now absent of my mind after today. I know i made the right choice in the 1D.

'nuff said.

[pcasciola]

Yep, no shock there. The shock is that the 20D is as close to the Mk II as it is for $3000 less, yet has so much better performance than a 10D for only $300 more.

As far as sports shooting, I've been told by several people that my recent football shots from this season were far better than another photographer shooting the same games with a 1D Mk II and 300mm f/2.8L. Go figure.

[AzzKicker]

What I'm trying to figure out is. Why are people even comparing the two and shocked at the results?



Thats like comparing a Dodge NEON to a Corvette and being surprised that the Vette looks better and performs better.


2 cameras for 2 different purposes.

[timmyquest]

What I'm trying to figure out is. Why are people even comparing the two and shocked at the results?



Thats like comparing a Dodge NEON to a Corvette and being surprised that the Vette looks better and performs better.


2 cameras for 2 different purposes.

The bigges tthing that apealed to me about the 20D was IQ, it wasnt as fantastic as i was lead to belive.

[davidwegs]

I have read several threads about this comp.

I owned the 1D MkII for six months and loved it.

When the 20d was released I bought one to use as a backup with my 10d for weddings and events (non sports). I found that over a period of weeks I used the 20d more and prefered its feel.

I sold the 1D MkII and got a couple more 20d's (one for the assistant).

Not a side by side like those offerings here, but thats my experience so far. I think if you have to have the 8.5fps of the MkII, then *thats* what you need. For all other situations the 20d fits the bill just as well.

Regrets? well only for the bragging rights aspect :)

[timmyquest]

I have read several threads about this comp.

I owned the 1D MkII for six months and loved it.

When the 20d was released I bought one to use as a backup with my 10d for weddings and events (non sports). I found that over a period of weeks I used the 20d more and prefered its feel.

I sold the 1D MkII and got a couple more 20d's (one for the assistant).

Not a side by side like those offerings here, but thats my experience so far. I think if you have to have the 8.5fps of the MkII, then *thats* what you need. For all other situations the 20d fits the bill just as well.

Regrets? well only for the bragging rights aspect :)

I own a 1D MKI

[davidwegs]

I have read several threads about this comp.

I owned the 1D MkII for six months and loved it.

When the 20d was released I bought one to use as a backup with my 10d for weddings and events (non sports). I found that over a period of weeks I used the 20d more and prefered its feel.

I sold the 1D MkII and got a couple more 20d's (one for the assistant).

Not a side by side like those offerings here, but thats my experience so far. I think if you have to have the 8.5fps of the MkII, then *thats* what you need. For all other situations the 20d fits the bill just as well.

Regrets? well only for the bragging rights aspect :)

I own a 1D MKI

Ah yes, so you do :) (observant of me hu?)

[Scott J]

Horses for courses?

Both the 20D and the 1D mk2 are cameras with potential that far exceeds the capability of most photographers.

The main reason I use a 1D mk2 over a 20D is that the mk2 is built to a much higher standard and can therefore be used in a much wider range of situations with less chance of packing up. I don't have to think about breaking the mk2 so much.

Other factors like speed of operation and so on can be used to compensate for bad technique as much as to expand the horizon of possiblities -- better to spend time sharpening the skills like "seeing" the decisive moment than fretting over 5fps vs 8fps perhaps?

[RJSorensen]

It's all good . . . love them there Canon's!