Canon EOS 20D

Reviewed July 2005

Interface & Software

The menu system of the EOS 20D is easily controlled using the Quick Control Dial, a large wheel positioned to the right of the LCD monitor, that is easily spun in either direction with the thumb. The menu is composed of three sections that flow from one to the next: the shooting menu, the playback menu, and the setup menu. If desired, the menu can be set to open at the last menu option that was used even if the camera has been turned off.

The Setup section of the menu is not only the access to some basic settings, it also provides the access to the 18 Custom Functions of the EOS 20D:

• Auto Power Off: decides the delay before the camera shuts down automatically: 1, 2, 4, 8, 15, 30 minutes, or Off.
• Auto Rotate: On or Off. Automatically rotates vertical shots so they are displayed correctly on the monitor, or on a TV.

• LCD Brightness: to adjust the brightness of the LCD monitor over 5 increments.
• Date/Time: to set the time and date on the camera.
• File Numbering: allows files to be incremented continuously, or reset.
• Language: sets the menu language: English, German, French, Dutch, Danish, Finnish, Italian, Norwegian, Swedish, Spanish, Simplified Chinese, and Japanese.
• Video system: NTSC or PAL.
• Communication: PC Connection (Mass Storage Device), or Print PTP (Picture Transfer Protocol) which serves to connect the 20D directly to a printer.

• Format: to format a memory card or a Microdrive.
• Custom Functions (C. Fn): access to the 18 Custom Functions of the 20D (see the Characteristics section of the review).
• Clear settings: returns all camera settings to the factory defaults.
• Sensor cleaning: lifts the mirror so the sensor can be cleaned using a manual blower.
• Firmware Version: displays the version number of the current firmware.

Canon provides complete documentation with the EOS 20D. First a compact printed manual that can be slipped in a camera bag is provided, covering all the functions and shooting modes of the camera. Second, a Pocket Guide is also included, perfect for keeping in a wallet. Third a software manual is provided, detailing the uses and functions of the EOS Digital software that is bundled with the camera (see further). Finally, some foldouts containing information on compatible system accessories and lenses are included.

Three discs are supplied with the EOS 20D:

• EOS Digital Solution containing:
  • EOS Viewer Utility,
  • EOS Capture,
  • PhotoStitch 3.1,
  • Canon camera WIA Driver.
• Digital Photo Professional, a sleek-looking package that can handle RAW images.
• Adobe Photoshop Elements 2.0, a program that includes some of Photoshop's features in a simpler and lighter interface.

EOS Utility Viewer is able to show RAW and JPEG images. While all images can be rotated right or left, and the camera's focus point for any one image displayed superimposed on the image, only RAW images can be adjusted. RAW images can be adjusted for exposure, white balance, contrast, colour saturation and colour tone, colour space and sharpness.

EOS Utility also serves to call up EOS Capture, a remote shooting utility that is a perfect tool for studio use when the camera is connected to a computer.

Digital Photo Professional is an even more advanced piece of software, designed specifically for EOS cameras. The software is able to process RAW images quickly, and is intended to meet the needs of serious amateur photographers and professionals. The program not only supports Canon's RAW formats (.CRW and .CR2), it also supports Exif-TIFF and Exif 2.2 or 2.21 JPEG and JFIF images and supports CMS (Colour Management Systems).

Digital Photo Professional provides a number of editing functions and allows for batch processing through the use of "recipes" that can be used to edit series of images. Raw images can be adjusted for many parameters — brightness, white balance, dynamic range, colour and more — and a scalable preview window reflects any adjustment quickly.

PhotoStitch 3.1, also included with the EOS 20D, is to create panoramic images by stitching series of photographs together. As the 20D does not include a Panoramic mode, any use of the software will require that images are captured with a sufficient overlap, and comparable exposures for the program to assemble them.

Finally, the inclusion of Photoshop Elements 2.0 provides a powerful image editor for those who may not have access to Photoshop itself.

Photoshop elements provides advanced and very precise image editing tools, and layer capability, making it possible to select very precise portions of an image for editing, cloning etc, and work in on one layer without affecting what is on another.