Canon EOS 20D

Reviewed July 2005

Characteristics

The EOS 20D is equipped with a single-plate CMOS sensor with an RGB primary colour filter, and a low-pass filter, located in front of the sensor, which is non-removable. The sensor has a total of 8.5 million pixels, of which 8.2 million are effective, producing 3:2 format images with a maximum image size of 3504 x 2336 pixels.

The CMOS sensor of the EOS 20D offers a sensitivity range that begins 100 ISO, and continues with 200, 400, 800, and 1600. In addition, when enabled in the Custom Function (see further), the range can be increased up to 3200 ISO.

As with many other digital SLR's, the area of the sensor is smaller than a full 35mm frame size, so the marked focal length of any EF or EF-S lens has to be multiplied by 1.6 to obtain the approximate 35mm equivalent. Therefore, with the 18 to 55mm EF-S lens included in one of the kit versions of the 20D, the lens's 35mm equivalent when mounted on the 20D is 28.8 to 88mm zoom. This lens, the same as is bundled with the Rebel XT, has apertures that start at f3.5 at the wide angle end, closing down to f22, while at the telephoto end, apertures start at f5.6 and finish at f36. Worth noting, the EOS 20D is also sold as a kit with a 17 to 85mm IS USM EF-S lens.

The EOS 20D has an excellent shutter speed range that covers from 1/8000 second to 30 seconds and which provides an unlimited exposure time when the Bulb mode is activated.

Auto focus is achieved using a 9-point system that can be manually controlled using the Multi-controller, which can be used to both select a focus point, or return the camera to wide area AF mode when the button is pressed first.

With all shooting modes, three image sizes are offered with the EOS 20D, and each can be stored with either of 2 compression levels: Fine or Normal, with Normal applying approximately twice as strong a compression as Fine.

In addition, when the camera is set to one of the Creative Zone modes (P/Tv/Av/M/A-DEP) images can be recorded using Canon's non-lossy RAW format, or in a very useful combination of RAW and JPEG that allows printing or ordering prints of JPEG images immediately, while retaining the original image. Worth noting, the image quality for the Basic Zone and the Creative zones can be independently set.

The image quality option is part of the 20D's menu, itself composed of 3 sections that are identified by a colour and an icon that appears at the top of the screen:

• identifies the Shooting menu,
  
• identifies the Playback menu,
  
• identifies the Setup menu.

The menu of the 20D is continuous, and flows from one option to another and one section to another as the Quick Control Dial is turned and if needed, the process can be speeded up by pressing the JUMP button, which immediately accesses the first item in the next section. Each option is identified on the left side of the display, while its current setting is shown on the right. Opening any option to change its setting is done by pressing the SET button in the middle of the Quick Control Dial:

• Quality: to select the image quality, as outlined above.
• Red-Eye Reduction: On or Off. Controls the activation of the red-eye reduction lamp, positioned on the front part of the body, near the upper grip and the shutter release.
• Beep: On or Off. Controls the beeps produced by the camera during some operations.
• Shoot without card: On or Off. Decides whether or not the shutter release will work when there is no memory card in the camera.

• Auto Exposure Bracketing (AEB): provides for three exposures — one with the standard exposure, one underexposed and one overexposed over ±2EV in 1/3 EV increments. If the Continuous mode is set, the 3 shots are taken in a burst, while if the Single mode is in use, the shutter release must be pressed 3 times.
• White Balance Shift/Bracketing: uses a graphic display to decide how the bracketing is done (see right) allowing variations over Blue, Green, Amber or Magenta.
• Custom White Balance: allows photographing a white object, and then using it as reference for a custom white balance setting.

• Colour Temperature: serves to set the white balance by colour temperature, from 2800 K to 10,000 K in 100 K increments.
• Colour Space provides two choices for the colour space to use: sRGB, for normal photography; or Adobe RGB for images that will be used for commercial printing. Note that sRGB is set automatically in the Basic Zone modes.
• Parameters decides the image processing parameters:
  • Parameters 1: processes images so they appear vivid and sharp. Images captured with Basic Zone modes are processed using Parameters 1.
  • Parameters 2: Produces images with more subdued colours, making the colours look more natural.
  • Set 1, 2, 3: allows recording up to 3 sets of personalized settings for Contrast, Sharpness, Saturation, Colour Tone.
  • B/W: records black and white images.

At this point, the menu carries on into the Playback options:

• Protect: allows selecting photos and tagging them so that they cannot be accidentally erased. Images can be selected one at a time from either the full screen view, or the thumbnail view.
• Rotate: rotates an image by 90° or 270°.

• Print Order: the EOS 20D is compatible with Direct Print and Bubble Jet Direct Print and PictBridge making it possible to print directly to any printer that supports one of these standards. To connect to a compatible printer, the Communication option of the Setup menu needs to be set to PTP (see the Interface and Software section of the review) which allows a special menu to be displayed.
  
  The menu makes it possible to select the paper type, superimpose dates and file numbers on the photo, create index prints, and make prints with or without borders, print the same image more than once on a page, or use printing effects (vivid, noise reduction, vivid + noise reduction), and even crop images if desired. Note that RAW images cannot be printed directly.

• Auto Play: is a fully automatic playback mode that allows images to be displayed as a slide show either on the monitor or a TV.
• Review time: sets the time during which a just captured image will be displayed on the LCD monitor. The options are to show the image for 2, 4, or 8 seconds. Hold, which leaves the image on the screen until a button is pressed, or Off, which does not display the image.

After the Playback options the menu continues into the Setup options. The Setup options address the basic settings of the 20D and these options are outlined in the Interface and Software section of this review. However, when the camera is set to one of the Creative Zone modes, the Setup menu also includes one option called Custom Functions which provides 18 additional camera settings:

• C. FN-01: SET function when shooting decides the function assigned to the SET button in the middle of the Quick Control Dial:
  • 0: No Function.
  • 1: Change Quality. Allows changing the image quality with either the Quick Control Dial or the Main Dial and using the LCD panel on top of the camera.
  • 2: Change Parameters. Allows changing the image Parameters with either the Quick Control Dial or the Main Dial and using the LCD panel on top of the camera.
  • 3: Menu Display. Displays the menu when pressed.
  • 4: Image Replay. Provides the same function as the Playback button.
• C. FN-02: Long exposure noise reduction:
  • 0: Off.
  • 1: On, reduces noise in exposures that are 1 second or longer.
• C. FN-03: Flash synch speed in Av mode:
  • 0: Auto.
  • 1: 1/250 (fixed), which sets the flash synchronization speed at 1/250 second in the aperture priority mode.
• C. FN-04: Shutter button/AE lock button determines how the shutter button and AE/FE lock buttons behave:
  • 0: AF/AE Lock: the default setting, which has the shutter release button lock both autofocus and auto exposure when pressed halfway.
  • 1: AE Lock/AF allows pressing the button to auto focus, and the shutter button halfway to get AE lock.
  • 2: AF/AF Lock, no AE Lock: in the AI Servo AF mode, the button can be pressed to stop the AF momentarily as something passes by, preventing the AF from getting thrown off. The exposure is set at the moment the photo is captured
  • 3: AE/AF, no AE Lock: useful for subjects that keep moving and stopping repeatedly Using the AF Servo mode, the button can be pressed to start and stop the AI Servo AF operation. The exposure is set at the moment the photo is captured.

• C. FN-05: AF assist beam controls how the AF assist — available when the flash is raised as it emits a brief burst of flashes — works:
  • 0: Emits: default.
  • 1: Does not emit: turns the system off.
  • 2: Only external flash emits: only functions when an EOS-dedicated external Speedlite is used.
• C. FN-06: Exposure level increments decides EV steps:
• 0: 1/3 EV
• 1: 1/2 EV.

• C. FN-07: Flash Firing controls whether or not the built-in flash, or an external Canon Speedlite, or a flash connected to the PC terminal will fire:
  • 0: Fires.
  • 1: Does not fire.
• C. FN-08: ISO Expansion:
  • 0: Off.
  • 1: On, allows selecting an ISO speed up to 3200 ISO.

• C. FN-09: Bracket sequence/Auto cancel controls the order in which images are captured while performing Auto Bracketing, or White Balance Bracketing:
  • 0: Standard, –, +/ Enabled.
  • 1: Standard, –, +/ Disabled.
  • 2: –, Standard, +/ Enabled.
  • 3: –, Standard, +/ Disabled.
• C. FN-10: Superimposed Display controls whether or not the AF point (s) flash in red when the cameras has auto focused:
  • 0: On.
  • 1: Off.

• C. FN-11: Menu button display position decides how the menu is displayed:
  • 0: Previous (top if power off): displays the last accessed option unless the camera has been turned off, in which case the first menu option (Quality) is displayed.
  • 1: Previous: displays the last accessed option when the menu button is pressed.
  • 2: Top: displays the first option (Quality) when the menu button is pressed.
• C. FN-12: Mirror lockup flips up the mirror when the shutter release is pressed the first time, and captures the photo when the shutter release is pressed a second time, avoiding the possible impact of vibrations on the image:
  • 0: Disable.
  • 1: Enable.

• C. FN-13: AF point selection method controls how the AF point is selected:
  • 0: Normal (default) press the button then the Multi-controller.
  • 1: Multi-controller direct: allows selecting the focus point with the Multi-controller, and the automatic focus selection mode with the button.
  • 2: Quick Control Dial direct: the dial can be used to select the focus point without pressing the button. But exposure compensation can be set by pressing the button and then turning the button.

• C. FN-14: E-TTL II decides how flash metering is performed:
  • 0: Evaluative, provides for fully automatic flash photography under all conditions, from low light to daylight fill-flash.
  • 1: Average, the flash is averaged for the entire area covered by the flash (automatic flash exposure compensation cannot be performed, but can still be done manually).
• C. FN-15: Shutter curtain synch selects whether the flash synch:
• O: 1st-curtain synch, fires the flash at the beginning of the exposure (captures leading light).
• 1: 2nd-curtain synch fires the flash just before the end of the exposure(captures trailing light).
• C. FN-16: Safety Shift in Av or Tv:
  • 0: Disable.
  • 1: Enable: adjusts for a sudden shift with the subject's brightness just before the exposure is captured.
• C. FN-17: Lens AF stop button function controls the function of the AF stop button of Super Telephoto Lenses:
  • 0: AF Stop.
  • 2:AF Start.
  • 3: AE lock while metering.
  • 4: One Shot <-> AI Servo.
  • 5: IS Start.
  C. FN-18: Add original decision data provides added provenance security:
  • 0: Off
  • 1: On. (Requires the use of the optional Data Verification Kit DVK-E2 to interpret).

The EOS 20D uses CompactFlash memory cards, up to 2GB or more, and Microdrives. The memory slot is located on the right side of the camera, covered by a large solid door.

Currently, the camera kit does not include a memory card, however, as a guide a chart showing storage capacities with an optional 512MB card is presented here:

While the chart below shows the number of RAW + JPEG images that can be stored:

All external connections for the EOS 20D are located on the left flank of the camera, covered by a single flexible plastic cover which can be opened to reveal the upper or the lower connections, or both.

Uppermost is the high-speed USB 2.0 port , while directly below is the Video Out jack. The EOS 20 D is capable of producing either an NTSC signal, or a PAL signal, as selected in the Setup section of the menu (see the Interface and Software section of the review). Both cables are supplied with the camera, either body only or in the kit.

Below are two other connections. The first on the left is a PC Terminal, allowing for the connection of 3rd party flash units or lighting systems to the 20D. The other connector is for Remote Switch RS-80E3 or Remote Controller TC-80N3 which are both optional.

Last the 20D can also be powered using regular AC current when the optional AC Adapter Kit ACK-E2 is used.