20D vs 1D II

[ehasler]

Has anyone here got both? I'm interested to know what you think of them, and how much difference there actually is between them in real world use.

[bacchus180]

I used a 300d for a while, Now I have a 1D2. never really looked at the 20D although have looked at a 10D, totally different cameras to feel and use, like comparing a BMW and a Golf, ones solid the other isn't, its like the difference between lenses, "L" lenses and the "efs" lenses... very very different. the 1D2 is a pro camera, very very fast, robust, and the quality is superb, bear in mind the pixels are bigger, the whole guts of the camera are totally different as is the outside. the only thing I would say is its not a point and shoot, If you meter badly you get crap shots.. you have to think about what you are doing... then you get good ones. I'm 8th in the Queue for the 1Ds2 and looking forward to the next couple of weeks!!

but you get what you pay for in life. its just a question of what your workflow can afford. the 20D by all accounts is a good camera. I have heard nothing against it.

[V6GTO]

See this page

http://photography-on-the.net/forum/viewtopic.php?t=44668

It's mainly a 20D review page but in a couple of the posts the guys compare them with other EOS's.

Martin.

>> Edited by V6GTO on Tuesday 16th November 15:59

[EmmaP]

I've got the 1DS and it is an amazing camera. I agree with bacchus though. You do have to think what you are doing as it is very easy to make mistakes with metering and focussing. I know someone who has had both the 20D and now has the 1DS (for their professional business use). They think that both are fantastic. In short, you get what you pay for and for the price of each, I think they both offer everything that you would want and expect for the money.

[murph7355]

I currently have a 10D and a 1DmkII and agree with bacchus and Emma.

The 10D actually felt like a solid piece of kit, until I picked up a 1DmkII! Very hefty, especially with an L lens attached.

The autofocus and frame rate of the camera are massively better than the 10D. But it's a harder camera to use overall and I'm still not convinced that the control layout is an improvement.

I also think Canon missed an opportunity with batteries on the 1DmkII. It's a heavy old lump and I do wonder if they could have standardised on the 511 style battery/gone LiON.

It depends what you'll be using it for. My prime reason for getting one was for motorsport use, where I found the 10D often let me down in terms of the speed of focussing, and it's low frame rate and small buffer were lacking.

The 20D partially addresses these needs, so may be a much better compromise if you prefer something a bit less demanding in use and more readily portable. And as pitiful as they generally are, the built in flash can come in handy at times.

PS I was also lucky that I got a good price, buying it in Japan...

[bacchus180]

but the battery is awesome.... over 700 shots before it fades... I bought a spare but have never really had to use it in anger, it goes on and on and on....

[ehasler]

I've heard that the autofocus has been improved on the 20D, which is the main problem I have with my EOS 30 film body, however I'm curious to know how close it runs the 1D II in this area considering the big difference in price.

I'm also keen to compare the output of the 20D and 1D II to see if there is any noticable difference in quality, seeing that they are both 8MP, albeit with different sensor sizes, and also to see how they compare to a scanned Velvia slide when printed out to A3.

Does anyone have a raw image from a 20D or 1D II that they'd be willing to send me? All I can find on the net are jpg examples.

[andyparrott]

One of the camera mags, might have been Photography Monthly, ran a test of the 20D last Month. Part of the write up included comparing quality of 10D, 20D and 1D MK2 images. 20D came out very well, IIRC it was ahead of both the others in most areas. This wasn't a comparative test so didn't cover other areas.
I found it particularly interesting as I have been thinking about getting a 1D MK2.

[V6GTO]

I've got an EOS1n with battery grip and I've had a 20D for a week now and I didn't notice anything different...will go away and compare now.

Martin.

OK...the findings are:-

1) The speed of autofocus seems to be the same but...

2) The 20D found it easier to "focus-lock" in my dimly lit study than the EOS1n.

There's a turnup for the books!

Martin.

>> Edited by V6GTO on Wednesday 17th November 17:40

[murph7355]

Have you tried posting on here:

http://photography-on-the.net/forum/viewforum.php?f=23

I do have some RAW files from the 1DmkII but haven't looked at them myself yet. If you want to drop me your mail address I'll try and mail you one or two. Might be next week though...