Canon Eos 20D - Advice required

[mergino]

My Canon EOS 20D is on the way :D this week :D :D so I'd appreciate any advice on:

1. Recommended accessories (I have Canon lenses & flash)
2. Any tips (or URLs for websites with tips) you have
3. Any problems you have encountered

Basically, all advice welcome...

[Ikinaa]

Mine has arrived today ...
1. Accessories : depends on what you want to shoot. I like to take nightshots : So I also bought a tripod (Manfrotto 055PROB/Bogen 3021PROB), a remote shutter release (RS80N3), for storing everything when I walk around : a Lowepro Mini Trekker AW (has also enough place for something to eat and drink), perhaps a spare battery, spare memory cards ...
2. This forum is incredible with tips and tricks...
3. No problems till now, as I will open the box in two hours :D

BTW : Welcome to the forum...

[tacos3]

I've had my 20d for about 2 months now and I have taken about 3000 images with it.

1. External CF reader, USB 2.0. I use the higher speed CF cards like Lexar 80x and Sandisk Ultra II cards. The read/write speed is awesome, one of the great features of the camera. These run about $20 USD.
2. Get come noise reduction SW like noise ninja. ISO 1600 and 3200 images are ok but they might need some post processing to get the image the way you want it.
3. extra battery or 2
4. I shoot a lot in portrait mode so I bought a grip. Some folks have had problems with it but I have had no issues.

Everything else will be based on what and how you like to shoot. Have fun and welcome to the board.

Darren

[scottbergerphoto]

Tripod/ballhead (see thread on this page for recs.)
Extra Battery (Power 2000 1500mah @BHPhotovideo.com)
RS80N3 Remote Cord
Rocket Blower
Eclipse Soln/Pec Pads for Sensor cleaning
ROR for lens cleaning
Scott

[Andy_T]

Hi & welcome to the forum!

I don't believe in buying too much equipment beforehand.
Better find out what you really need.

Read the manual.
Go out and take some pictures.
Look at your pictures and see if they are up to your expectations.
Read the forum a lot. There is a very helpful 'sticky' on top of the thread list with links to interesting 20D infos.
Take some more pictures.
Figure what additional gear you might need most...

What accessories (flash & lenses) exactly do you have at the moment?

Best regards,
Andy

Ikinaa: Great to hear you have a 20D now, too!
Looks like I beat you to it by about a week :lol:

[Olegis]

I think that a good and convenient bag for you to carry around your equipment is a must. The good ones I know and use are - Lowepro Mini-Trekker AW (can contain all my equipment and then be very heavy), Adorama Slinger (smaller, but quite roomy for its size, can even hold my 70-200 f/2.8L with the reversed hood) and Lowepro Omni-Sports (very small, can hold 10D body with 2-3 small lenses - very convenient walk-around bag).

A fast CF cards reader is also a big plus - check if your PC supports USB2.0 / FireWire transfers protocols and buy the reader accordingly. Much easier than connecting a camera to a PC ...

[Ikinaa]

...
Ikinaa: Great to hear you have a 20D now, too!
Looks like I beat you to it by about a week :lol:

haha...
Still one hour to wait before getting home...
my wife called this morning to tell me that the postman brought the package... :D

[Olegis]

Are you taking the next day off now ? :cool:

[Imperitus]

1 very important tip. Get a good financial advisor to help you figure out your plan off attack in purchasing all the lenses you will want. :)

[mergino]

That's great advice. The 'All the Best Links' sticky is very informative. I'll be using the 20D mainly for sports photography & portrait photography.

What do you suggest for:
1. Memory Card Size/Type?
2. No. of extra batteries
3. Grip?
4. Flash - worth getting the 580EX?

[Olegis]

Let's see :

1. Sandisk 1 GB Extreme III is great ($110).
2. I have the original Canon battery which came with my 10D and one no-name OEM spare battery - never had a single problem with any of them. My 10D is capable of shooting about 500 pictures on one battery, so I never ran into "out-of-battery-juice" situation - I think that the 20D is no worse and even better in this regard.
3. I don't use it, but people say that it's very convenient to use, especially in portrait photography.
4. I have the old 380EX flash and it suits me just fine. The 420EX is much more flexible, offering both tilt and swivel capabilities. The 550 is more powerful and even more flexible for its manual operations capabilities - but it may be an overkill for you (I know it is for me). The 580EX is VERY expensive - I can't justify its cost with the amount of time I do or need flash photography (in general, I prefer natural / available light).

Hope it helps :cool:

[Andy_T]

What do you suggest for:

1. Memory Card Size/Type?

Best price/performance ratio at the moment seems to be the Sandisk Ultra II ... granted, there are others that are a bit (5-10%) faster, but it's very fast at a very attractive price (<$ 100 for the 1 GB). ... get the 1 GB version at least, preferrably two of those instead of one 2 GB card. (that way you can download with one and continue to shoot with the other, and you have less exposure to risk) Take a look here: http://www.robgalbraith.com/bins/multi_page.asp?cid=6007-7303

2. No. of extra batteries

One additional battery should be sufficient in the beginning ... the camera really lasts long (> 300 photos) on a single charge.

3. Grip?

Try out the camera, if it's too small for you or your lenses are too big, then consider getting the grip. I personally don't think I need it, the camera is just perfect the size it is in. Plus, it will be really difficult to get a compact bag if you use the grip.

4. Flash - worth getting the 580EX?

Most likely the 550 EX is the better bargain now. If you want to save some money, look at the Sigma DG 500 Super (the new version) as well.

...
Mergino ... my question still stands ... what accessories do you already have at the moment?
...

Best regards,
Andy

[mergino]

Flash - 420EX
Lenses - EF 28-135 1:3.5-5.6 IS & EF100-400 1:4.5-5.6 L IS

[Andy_T]

Well, looks like you are pretty much set ... apart from maybe a true wide angle lens (your 28-135 will actually be a 45-205 lens on the 1.6 crop camera)

- Flash should be ok, unless you're missing some vital features or the strength of the 550/580
- 28-135 IS ... supposedly a good allround lens, not as sharp/fast as the 24-70/2.8 L, but very good range
- 100-400 IS ... great tele lens on the 20D, unless you want fast low light shots.

I'd suggest getting the 18-55 kit lens to have wide angle available and the 50/1.8 to cover your low light/portrait requirements.

And you'll need a bag to put your treasures into, and maybe a tripod (if you don't have one yet)

Best regards,
Andy