1DII vs 20D

[Paul Maier]

its tax rebate time in Australia and my 300D is about to die.

i have a few K to spend and am thinking of upgrading to a 1DII or 20D. apart from the price difference and 1.6 vs 1.3 crop factor, i dont know much more about the two.

can anyone who has handled both units please provide some insight and perhaps offer some advice as to what unit they would purchase-


i have visited dpreview etc regarding specs etc- but would like imput from people who know about what i would like to do with it.

also anyone knowing of a good supplier- im aware of BH, Samys etc- but if anyone else knows of a good realiable and cheap dealer that ships internationally, it would be great.

cheers, aprreciated.
Paul

[F3Hadlow]

I haven't actually handled either of these cameras however I have heard of a lot of problems with 20Ds and some users saying they wish they had never got them. This dosen't mean there all like that for sure but be aware that quite a few other 20d users have been known to critcise.

[B7772ADL]

20D is a fantstic piece of kit and i don't regret for one minute buying it. Yes it has had a few niggles in the ealrly days which were sorted out with software upgrades, and i now only get the occassional lock up which needs me to remove the batteries, but it's now at the point where it was no worse than my 300D for lock ups.

My only gripe at the moment is it's liking for dust, but with regular cleaning it's not a problem.

I bought the 20D as I couldn't justify spending the extra on the 1D2. I sat there and thought, what extra functions would it give me over the 20D? I came to the conclusion that as an amateur avitaion photographer, for me the 20D has everything. I don't need the 1.3 crop factor as lenses like the 10-22 will give me any wide coverage that i'll ever need. 5fps is way fast enough for most things, and for lumbering 747's you simply don't need that anyway. The 20D output quality surpasses anything i really need.

In a nutshell, I simply at the moment don't need a 1D2, and have put the extra money towards a 17-40, and a couple of trips to go use it.

[paulc]

Have a 20D but it was replaced over the weekend with a new 20D body as the autofocus was only working about 60% of the time. Tried many different settings etc / tried my lens on a mates 10D - worked fine, tried his lens on my old 20D and had the same problem. Having said that I am very pleased with the results it provides and just hope that this one lasts longer than 7 months.

[G-DALE]

If you're just shooting aviation photography then my advise is to go for the 20D. Otherwise you could consider the 1D MKII.

Dale

[Tanner_J]

I have used both and my advice would be to go for the 20D. You haven't exactly told us what you would be using it for; and the step in price probably isn't worth it.

The 1DII is big and definately alot heavier than the 20D and with a lens attached the camera is extremely heavier (the lens I used was the 70-200 f2..

[Darren Howie]

G'day Paul
One of the fundamental differences between the two is that the 1D has 2 processors as compared to the 20D one.
WIth a dedicated processor for both metering and a seperate one for AF you will get better results "some" of the time.
However it is important to remember that the 20D has most of the components of the 1D Mk2 Af/metering sysytem and is a far superior camera to the 10D/300D in "all" conditions.
The 20D has a far superior AF system to the 10D and even the AI servo function works beautifully with both fast(fighters) and slow(747's) targets.
The 1Dmk2 is an excellent body but the question is is it worth the price of 3 20D's even after the rebate from Canon.
From my 20000 or so frames with the 20D i'd say no.
If i was comparing against a 10D or 300D i'd say yes.
At the end of the day its the "Glass" which makes for great photo's not the body.
If you have that much to spend i'd look seriously at a 300/2.8 for shots around Sydney as it would be perfect.
You can pick one up for around 6.5KAus
Having been totally spoiled by the 500F4 thats whats next on my list not a 1Dmk2.
Cheers
Darren

[Airbus_A320]

Look at these 2 pages and compare.

20D: http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/spec...non_eos20d.asp
1DII: http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/spec..._eos1dmkii.asp

[DeltaASA16]

I think you should blow all your money on the mark2 because its a lot cooler looking and can take pictures faster.

[Felipe Garcia]

Go for the 20D and use the saved money on better glass.

[Longreach747]

your going to have to fork out money for a flash for the 1D also, it's not got one built in like the 20D, personally Paul, don't waste your money on the 1D just to take photos for websites! get a lens as Darren said!

[Paul Maier]

thanks people. ill more than likely take bits of everyones advice. looks like a 20D for me.

[HelmutS]

The fundamental differences between 20D and 1DII do not express themself in some technical numbers.

As you know, the 1D is as professional a camera as they come. Someone once said, and he's likely right, that if you're attacked by a Rhino, smack the Rhino with your 1D. The Rhino will not like it, but the 1D won't mind.

1D have been dropped, submerged, been in sandstorms, in desert heat etc. and all keep working.

The body is weather-sealed. With the right lenses you should be able to shoot in rain or dust storms all day long without a problem.

The biggest reason for me to get a Pro Body (which would have to be one of Nikon's, however) would be that you just don't need to worry about the "fragile" nature of digital camera equipment with them.

Another bonus for me would be the vertical shutter release which is IMHO ergonomically superior to the 20D battery grip.

But if you don't plan on doing shooting under extreme conditions, then there's not much of a reason to get a 1D.

[KiwiRob]

Bodies change so often I wouldn't worry about getting the 1D2, my preference would be buying the 20D with grip and getting a 300 f2.8, which sure beats the heck out of getting the 1D2 without it.

I've got a 20D and have had no problems with it at all, it's been a really reliable solid dependible camera. It's also reasonably cheap so when the next replacement comes out I'll probably trade it, or perhaps wait until the replacements replacement arrives. Also there isn't much difference in the images both cameras take as far as I can tell, however after reading FM reviews a lot of photographers believe the 20D takes a better image.

Also you could buy 2 20D's and keep a lens on each so no worrying about changing lens just as that great shot arrives.

[Felipe Garcia]

Bodies change so often I wouldn't worry about getting the 1D2, my preference would be buying the 20D with grip and getting a 300 f2.8, which sure beats the heck out of getting the 1D2 without it.

I've got a 20D and have had no problems with it at all, it's been a really reliable solid dependible camera. It's also reasonably cheap so when the next replacement comes out I'll probably trade it, or perhaps wait until the replacements replacement arrives. Also there isn't much difference in the images both cameras take as far as I can tell, however after reading FM reviews a lot of photographers believe the 20D takes a better image.

Also you could buy 2 20D's and keep a lens on each so no worrying about changing lens just as that great shot arrives.

Right, also, if a body has to be sent to service, you can still use the other.

The 20D with the grip looks similar to a 1D2.