Canon EOS 20D?

[LeftPeopleFinishFirst]

Does anybody have one? I'm going to be going to school for photojournalism next year and want to save up for a solid digital SLR, because that's what the industry is trending toward. I currently have a Canon AE-1 film SLR, and am happy with the Canon brand. Is the Canon EOS 20D worth the money, and does anybody anticipate that it will come down in price in the next six months? I looked into the Nikon D70, but I've never been a big Nikon fan and am wary of getting a camera that won't stand the "test of time", so to speak.

Any help you all could give would be appreciate. I am totally inexperienced in all the digital SLR stuff! :hi:

[RagingInMiami]

1. I've got a Canon 10D and I am very happy with it. It is my third Canon

As a loyal Canon user, I would definitely go for the 20D over the Nikon. Plus, wouldn't you be able to use your lenses from you AE-1 on the new camera?
I had a Elan II-e film SLR before buying the 10D and my lenses were all compatible.

[alfredo]

2. I'm a Canon user. I have had two Canon digital cameras. I cannot

attest to that particular model, but as the overall quality and ease of use it seems very good to me. It should take lenses from the EOS film cameras, and that is a big selling point.

I have an EOS Rebel film camera. I like it.

[progressoid]

3. I'm trading my D60 up to a 20D next week.

[Schema Thing]

4. I have a 10D, and as soon as I sell it, I'll have a 20D

I think the 20D is probably the best bang for your buck in photography right now, unless you wanted to give that award to the Rebel digital, which is virtually the exact same camera, performance-wise, as the 10D.

Btw, don't expect to be able to use your canon non-auto focus lenses on it, but you probably knew that.

I would not expect the price to drop enough to mention in the next six months. Prices are coming down, but they are leveling out and not dropping nearly as fast. So, unless Canon comes out with a replacement for the 20D in the next 6 months, I'd expect it to hold at about 1500.00

[RagingInMiami]

5. how much are you selling the 10D for?

[Schema Thing]

7. I'm not sure, I was just going to put it on ebay.

you can make me an offer, or I'll send you a messege when I get the auction going if you'd like.

[RagingInMiami]

9. I'm thinking of buying one so I can have two cameras and not have to

keep changing lenses, but quite honestly, I can't afford at the moment.

[LeftPeopleFinishFirst]

6. Hmm.

I can't use my regular Canon lenses on the 20D? I was under the impression that they were interchangable... If not... what price are lenses running for these digitals?

[Schema Thing]

8. Nope... all pre-EOS lenses will not work on any of Canon's Autofocus

....cameras.

I used to think they were stupid to not have done it like Nikon (backward compatable), but looking at it now, I see that for a good while there, they lept ahead, product wise, of Nikon in autofocus/modern film cameras, and were able take a good bit of pro-photographer market share from Nikon.

So, there are long time canon people who will wish it were different, but are likely to stay with Canon anyway, as they'd have to buy all new lenses if they went Nikon anyway.

[LeftPeopleFinishFirst]

10. What do you mean by Auto focus?

Doesn't the 20D have the ability to manually focus? Sorry if these are dumb questions, I know absolutely nothing about the digital SLRs!

[RagingInMiami]

11. Yes, it has a manual and an autofocus function

as well as several functions that allow you to work the aperture or speed of the camera.

[LeftPeopleFinishFirst]

12. Gotcha

I was getting worried :)

I need a manual focus, aperture/f-stop setting, and shutter speed setting... and this Canon has all those :)

[Schema Thing]

13. Actually no. None of the Canon modern cameras have a "manual focus"...

...per se.

When Canon went to autofocus cameras (with the eos series), they chose to put the focusing motors in the lens (as opposed to focus motor in the body like the Nikons of that time). So, the bodies of any modern Canon SLR will always be giving you focus points in the viewfinder. The actual focusing auto or manual is done by the lens (or by you if you switch your lens to manual). Truth be known, Nikon now puts the focus motor in the lenses instead of the cameras too, but they've kept their system backwardly compatable anyway.

So again, your old non-autofocus lenses won't work on your 20D (or any modern Canon body). This was the big difference between Nikon and Canon's change to autofocus back (?whenever) when they made this change.


Of course any autofocus lens has a switch to turn off the focusing and let you manually focus. So yes, you will be able to focus manually, but you won't be able to mount your old lenses.

Some of the really nice new lenses actually let you just *grab* the focus away from autofocus w/o actually switching the autofocus off. It's a really nice feature, but I believe it is only available on the more expensive lenses.

An aside on Canon's lens/business philosophy: The new 18-55 (low cost) lens bundled with the new Rebel Digital, is of a design that only mounts on the Rebel and the 20d. So, Canon is once again making a change in lens design. I have a feeling that it will just be for a line of lenses that will only cover a certain size (smaller than 35mm) chip, which will allow them to make a smaller, more cost efficient lens for "serious amature" digital SLRs w/o affecting their high dollar glass and camera business. The bodies will stay "upwardly" compatible.

[LeftPeopleFinishFirst]

14. Of course

I understand all this now, I just wanted to make sure there was a manual focus option. It seems as though I'll have enough control of the focus if I need it. Thanks!