20d, 30d or 40d

Okay I am finally leaving film behind and getting a digital. I was between a 40d and a 5d but after enough reading I think I need a 40d. My question is this - what is the biggest difference between these cameras? Do I really need a 40d or should I save some money and get a 20d or 30d. I have heard there is not a big difference between these two anyway.

The difference between the 20D and 30D comes down pretty much to the 30D has a bigger (2.5" vs. 1.8") LCD and spot metering. It supports Picture Styles, but you can add those to RAW photos from the 20D in post-processing if you really want them. The 40D adds an extra 1.5 fps (from 5 to 6.5) in continuous shooting mode, has a 3" LCD, self-cleaning sensor, 20% more pixels (about a 10% increase in resolution) and Live View. How much any of these are worth to you, only you can say.

A word to the wise, though - if you're used to wide angle in 35 mm, you're in for a shock when you put your wide angle lenses on a cropped camera. They just aren't wide any more. This works to your benefit with telephotos, though it means across the board that you can't hand-hold at the same speeds you were used to in 35 mm. The cropped sensors give pictures that need to be enlarged more, and that means unsteadiness is also magnified.

So the 30d doesnt have the self cleaning sensor, where as the Xti does?

Pilky wrote in post #4212712
So the 30d doesnt have the self cleaning sensor, where as the Xti does?

Correct!

To me the biggest difference between 20D and 40D was the AF system, very much better on the 40D. But the 40D is better than 20/30D in all respects and well worth the extra money.

Right. Of course the XTi's about a year newer.

In my opinion the 30D will give you the most camera for your money right now.

definately the 40D...it has finally solved all the problems of the 10-30d

The autofocus is better, the dynamic range is huge (read the dpreview article) obviously more megapixels. The big thing for me is sharpness...the 10-30ds are a struggle to keep sharp. I've been using manual focus for years on those cameras because the autofocus is just too inconsistent...or the backfocus is too consistent The 40D is a killer camera. THe only complaint I have is that it can give a "plasticy" kind of look...so be careful with the in-camera sharpening and stuff.

The biggest difference will be the price, the LCD size, and the buffer size. Image quality may be the least different. If money is a factor and you don't need the greatest and the latest, a 30D or even a 20D may do. If the price difference is not a factor and/or you like having the latest and the greatest, the 40D may be the way to go.

Get the best you can comfortably afford. I had a 10 and a 20 and recently added the 40D. It's worth the extra money.

Best bang for the buck right now is a used 20D for under $500. Money saved ( about $800 ) over a new 40D can be used to get a good quality glass. Then when you finally figure out digital ( which has a huge learning curve with post processing and all ), you will be ready to upgrade to the latest greatest at that time. For now, get the 20D, learn and enjoy.

Unity Gain wrote in post #4214853
definately the 40D...it has finally solved all the problems of the 10-30d

And apparently created a few new ones if all the front focusing issues being reported are to be believed.

Personally I would go 20D or 30D and spend the savings on a good lens such as the EFS 17-55mm F/2.8 IS.

Don't forget the improved AF, particularly the off-center AF points being cross sensors

Do they even sell 20Ds new anymore? I see lots of deals on 30Ds since the 40D came out. I'd go 30D or 40D depending how much you want to spend, the tiny screen on the 20D would bug me personally.

Just throwing another question into the picture: Does the 30D improve on the AF of the 20D?

mc3smith,
Welcome to the forum
Like others said, faster frames per sec, better AF, bigger LCD, Picture Styles, more Megapixels, Live View and the one everyone forgot - a brighter viewfinder
Get the 40D as its a great camera (at least for me it is)