Is it worth upgrading to a 20D from a Digital Rebel? [Archive]

RNeudorf

7th of July 2005 (Thu), 21:06

Well, I have a 20D, and my roommate has a 350D.
The biggest difference right off is the feel. The 20D is larger and more comfortable.
You also get some extra custom functions, ISO up to 3200, 5 fps, and 9 AF points.
If you bought the grip for the 350D I could see where the feel factor would not be as important, but the 20D is one swank piece of photographic technology. :)

Do it. Do it now. ;)

grego

7th of July 2005 (Thu), 21:11

The 20D is the poor mans 1D Mark II. Minus a few features, its top of the line for anyone not in the business of photography.

Evan Idler

7th of July 2005 (Thu), 21:12

How do you like the Canon 75-300? Do you think it is a good buy? How much did you pay for yours if you don't mine me asking :)

I'm not very impressed with the Canon 75-300 compared to any of my other lenses that I've purchased. I find it falls off over 200 and becomes very fuzzy at 300. If i had to do it over again, I would either buy the 75-300 from Sigma, or spend the money of the Canon 75-300 DO IS. I have been using my 70-200 F/2.8 and getting great results, and just purchased the 50-500 for good telephoto range when I'm out walking in the woods. One of the parks that I like going to, close to Edmonton has 300+ buffalo roaming around, and I just wasn't willing to get close enough to them with the other lenses to get a good picture. I was hoping to try it out last weekend, but never made it out to the park. Maybe this weekend if the weather co-operates.

I got a deal on the 75-300 when I bought the camera. I paid $125.00 CDN for it, from a local computer shop that had brought in some Digital Rebels to test the market. They didn't know enough about cameras to be very helpful, so most people wouldn't buy from them. So when they cut the price on their stock of the Digital Rebels by 25% to clear them, I jumped at it.

--Evan

MadMesh

7th of July 2005 (Thu), 22:57

i own a 75-300 IS... its not what i really wanted in a lens. Like he said, gets soft after 200. I still like it tho. IS is really sweet. Like he said, I rather have a 2.8 lens , nice and fast and screw the IS. the 70-200 Canon 2.8 or the Sigma 2.8 is actually my nexy buy. I might get the Canon 70-200f/4 is i decide to cheap out... But i think i really want a 2.8 fstop

SurfKahakai

8th of July 2005 (Fri), 00:17

I upgraded to the 20D for the 5fps and the larger buffer. It was worth every penny.

hmongstang

8th of July 2005 (Fri), 01:59

How do you like the Canon 75-300? Do you think it is a good buy? How much did you pay for yours if you don't mine me asking :)

Stay away from the 75-300MM! please do anything to avoid that lens.. :cry:

Andy_T

8th of July 2005 (Fri), 02:27

Stay away from the 75-300MM! please do anything to avoid that lens.. :cry:

Hmonmgstang,

please elaborate which problems you have/had with yours!

Evan,

I bought the 20D early this year and am very happy with it. I think the most important improvements over the 300D would be low light performance, speed, and build. But also bear in mind that there will always be something new coming around.

That said, there have been a lot of messages on the board here some time ago as to the replacement of the Canon 20D that's supposed to be reveiled somewhere early next year with impressive improvements.

I don't know how urgent it is for you to upgrade your camera. Still, if there is no real need and you upgrade now and something great and new comes out half a year from now ... I might maybe be a little bit miffed and wish I had waited longer.

I also see that you have the most important focal ranges covered with quality glass ... apart maybe from wide angle. So why not take a look at that Canon 17-40 L or Sigma 18-50/2.8 in the meantime instead, if you don't have to upgrade immediately.

Just some thoughts...

Best regards,
Andy

condyk

8th of July 2005 (Fri), 02:59

There are good reasons to upgrade to the 20D but only if you feel the body is the weakest part of your system (you, lens, body, subject). I am still happy with my dRebel because I know I am still the weak link, however I am starting to feel an upgrade is on the cards, maybe in 3 or 4 months before I head off to Africa again.

I like the build and feel of the 20D, and that's really important but not important enough for me to change. What would be most useful to me is the greater speed and buffer performance.

The 300D is an outstanding camera capable of truly awesome results in the right hands. Upgrade only if you really are consistently being held back by it.

Pelao

8th of July 2005 (Fri), 03:20

Evan,
I recently purchased a 20D. I have had my 300D since December 03 - a great camera.

I needed better low light performance, faster start-up time and more flexibility in the control I could apply creatively. I chose the 20D over the 350 because I do not feel comfortable with the 350's size and I feel that the control ergonomics are simpler and easier on a 20D.

I am very happy I made the upgrade.

David1943

8th of July 2005 (Fri), 04:21

Hello Evan, How are you?

A difficult question to give a plain yes or no answer to, as you didn't say why you're thinking about upgrading.

As one or two others have already said, it rather depends on whether you feel your 300D is inhibiting your output. Personally, I now wish I'd bought a 20D instead of my 300D but I'm still very happy using it, as I realise it's a very good camera and I won't enter into the hassle and expense of upgrading until either somebody offers me a reasonable price for my 300D or the successor to the 20D comes out when, hopefully, lots of people will sell their 20D's off and I'll be able to either buy one second hand or get a bargain from a dealer selling off new but discontinued ones.

Regards, David :)

Edgar in ATL

8th of July 2005 (Fri), 07:21

I sympathize with your self debate about 300D vs 20D. I went through the same when I purchased the 300D not long after the 20D came available.
My strategy is this...wait for the 30D, or whatever it will be called, to reach the stores. If it is a quantum leap beyond the 20D, I will purchase a 30D. If it is not, I will purchase a 20D for a lot less than current price. Either way I will be advancing past the 300D, and I will be a more experienced and knowledgeable digital photographer at the time of purchase.
This is consistent with the strategy I employed going from the G3 to the 300D. I have not regretted my decision.
Good luck!

allanc

8th of July 2005 (Fri), 07:23

I hope it is woth it because my 20D is showing up today.

cc10d

8th of July 2005 (Fri), 09:38

My wife uses the 300D and I use the 20D. We are both very happy. I like the feel and ergonomics of the 20D. I feel it has a considerably better build quality also. Much more versatility than the 300D. I also feel the 350D is getting a bit small for my liking and also seems to have build quality similar to 300D. If I were buying a new camera today, it would be the 20D. Whenever the next model comes out, the 20D will still function as it is now, and it meets all my needs and then some. Why go without for undetermined time waiting for the next one shows up? Not quite how I felt about the 10D, though I did prefer it to the 300D. 10D is a great camera but I much prefer the 20D!!

SittingDuck

8th of July 2005 (Fri), 09:49

I had alot of error99 problems with the 75-300 lens. I can't say I'd recommend that lense to anyone. The focus did drop off over 200, but not significantly. It's definately not a free-hand lens though.

I had my 300D for a year before I upgraded to the 20D. I've not regretted it for even an instant. The frame, control and buffer make the camera. Of course, quibbling over $500 on the body is pretty petty given that the lenses are where the $$$ are going to go. I'd rather hook that $2000-$5000 glass up to something that I know will support it without any problems.

Hellashot

8th of July 2005 (Fri), 10:08

Wait for the 30D like I am.

ed2day

8th of July 2005 (Fri), 14:01

Much as I'd like the 20D, I'm sticking with my DReb. Most of the advantages of the 20D are getting aruond annoyances on the DReb. I'm not convinced I could get better pics for the most part, although I have missed some pics wating for the buffer to flush. And the lower noise is certainly nice. Personally, I'm waiting for a bigger step in Mpixels before I buy. Maybe the "30D"?

Learner

8th of July 2005 (Fri), 14:14

David1943

8th of July 2005 (Fri), 15:36

When do you think the 30D will come out and when it does, what price could the 20D get down to (range, more or less) I am saving for a 20 D. I am hoping that the lense that is included in the kit package will satisfy my needs, because I know I will not have enuff to buy fancy sigma (wish i could, but just dun have the $$)

Thanks,
Learner
I sympathise with your predicament, as buying cameras and lenses can soon run away with lots of money. People have theories about when the successor to the 20D will come on to the market but I doubt whether you'll find a very reliable answer here.

If you're in a hurry, and also bearing in mind the fact that you'll likely only be able to afford a 20D body and Kit Lens, have you considered getting either a 300D or 350XT ? Either of these, especially a 300D, will cost you much less than a 20D and leave you some money with which to buy an extra lens.

Personally, I hope to eventually acquire a 20D but I'm very pleased with the results obtainable with my 300D and, if I had to choose, would sooner have it and an decent extra lens than a 20D with only a Kit Lens.

Happy snapping, David :)

ed2day

8th of July 2005 (Fri), 18:17

Learner:
I second the suggestion to pick up a 300D and spend the extra on a lens. The 20D might seem like your ultimate camera now, but in 5 yrs it will probably be selling for a couple hundred bucks while the lens will likely serve you for decades.

lostdoggy

8th of July 2005 (Fri), 18:48

in five years we would probably see 40D or 50D by then and the 20D would've been long discontinued.

stv737

9th of July 2005 (Sat), 02:42

I absolutely loved my 300D and then I tried out a 20D. I couldn't wait to get my 20D after that, the difference in image quality at higher ISO's is amazing. At 1600 ISO on my 20D I get about the same noise as my 300D at 400 ISO. The rebel only has AI servo in the sports mode where the 20D has it in any of the creative modes. I shoot a lot of kids sports stuff and with the 20D the number of keepers is over double compared to the 300D. 5 FPS vs 2.5 FPS makes one hell of a difference shooting sports. The metering system seems to be way better than the 300D too. So is it worth upgrading??? To me there is no question, the answer is a resounding yes!:lol:

tacos3

9th of July 2005 (Sat), 07:43

I upgraded my DR to a 20D about 8 months ago and have never looked back. The features I needed were high ISO/low noise, 5fps, instant start up, fast CF write speeds and custom functions. I shoot a lot if indoor concerts and stage lighting with gel lights needs the high ISO low noise performance of the DIGIC II processor and the 8mp sensor. I noise correct very few images now where with the DR, I used Noise Ninja on every ISO 1600 image I shot.

I'm glad I upgraded and now, I'm waiting for the 1D mkII replacement.

Good luck,

Darren

lmelendez

9th of July 2005 (Sat), 08:23

I upgraded from 300d to 20d mainly because of the AI Servo (in all modes), the noise at high iso and the FPS.

When I start using it, I realized that the feeling of the camera was worth the upgrade too.

I didn't care about the 6 to 8 MP.

I liked the fact that I didn't have to hack my 20D to get Mirror Lock up or FEC.

In my personal experience, it was worth every penny.
leo.

Stooge_UK

9th of July 2005 (Sat), 10:52

Feel of 20D was what got me, along with quicker start time (was adding to a 10D).

Was shooting a 25th wedding anniversary the other weekend inside a church with both cameras, 20D with 28-75 and 10D with 70-200. Was really noticable as i swapped from one the other. Ended up setting 10D to max time beffore it turned off (after i misseed a couple of shots).
Was also shooting with out flash at around 800iso and a lot less noise from 20D...

Loving 20D more and more....