Upgrade from 20D?

Scottsmadness

Just want some input. Just bought a used 20D. I like it but with the 30D that just came out, should I upgrade, even if it is just for the larger LCD? Otherwise I love the camera. I just recently got into photography. I am slowly learning the ins and outs of the camera, and believe me, there are lots of ins and lots of outs with the 20D.

Bob Bell

Scottsmadness wrote:

Just want some input. Just bought a used 20D. I like it but with the 30D that just came out, should I upgrade, even if it is just for the larger LCD? Otherwise I love the camera. I just recently got into photography. I am slowly learning the ins and outs of the camera, and believe me, there are lots of ins and lots of outs with the 20D.

Since you are new to photography, I would recommend staying with the 20D until you have a technical reason to upgrade like needing a spot meter. The sensor is the same and don't spend to much time checking out your photos in the LCD, it wears down your battery faster

gluwater

If you are new to Photography than I would stick with the 20D. In my opinion it is not worth upgrading to the 30D from a 20D. Learn your camera and what type of photography you enjoy and then decide if you want to upgrade.

illuminati919

I just bought a 20D about 5 days ago for $825.01, it was a steal and its in perfect condition. We also just got the 30D at my work, exact same other then the lcd screen. The camera is for old people who need big LCD screens and cant see things on the small one, .

saurora

illuminati919 wrote:

The camera is for old people who need big LCD screens and cant see things on the small one, .

That would be me! I wish I had been more patient and waited for the larger screen. Guess I will take the $300 bucks I saved on the 20D and buy more powerful glasses! :

Red Baron

I'd wait. What is it you feel you need that the 30D offers but the 20D lacks? Is it worth the extra $? If you upgrade every time a new camera is released be prepared to shell out every year or two which seems to be Canon's replacement cycle. I originally bought the D60, skipped the 10D and bought the 20D. For me, the 30D just doesn't offer enough serious improvement to warrant upgrading - I'll wait until the next upgrade.

Khaos

I have the 20D and don't feel any need to upgrade.

I'll keep the 20D even when I finally get a full frame dslr. The 1.6 crop is perfect when doing bird and other animal shots where a telephoto lens is needed.

So it would be 20D for wildlife and sports and full frame for everything else.

DavidTO

Support for the 30D isn't there yet, as far as RAW processors go. Stick with the 20D, I am.

leebase

Scottsmadness wrote:

Just want some input. Just bought a used 20D. I like it but with the 30D that just came out, should I upgrade, even if it is just for the larger LCD? Otherwise I love the camera. I just recently got into photography. I am slowly learning the ins and outs of the camera, and believe me, there are lots of ins and lots of outs with the 20D.

I'm of the mindset that if you like something, stick with it. There will always be something newer and better. Look at it this way -- by not getting the 30D today, you'll have more reason to get the 40D tomorrow....and it'll be better and cheaper.

That said, my 5D arrives today!

Lee

jimf

DavidTO wrote:

Support for the 30D isn't there yet, as far as RAW processors go. Stick with the 20D, I am.

Depends on which tools you use. Canon's, of course, come in the box. (I hate their tools, but the quality is very good and people do use them.) Capture One was first out of the gate with support, two days aver the US release of the 30D. Aperture got it with the OS X 10.4.6 update, a little over a week after the US release.

What's missing right now is support from Adobe (which, at this point, I'd call "overdue" given how little difference there is between the 20D and 30D formats), but there is a hack out there that will make Photoshop work if that's what floats your boat.

I agree with the general sentiment, though. The only substantive differences between the 20D and 30D are spot metering, a larger shot buffer, and (if you're shooting JPEG) style modes. If you don't have an absolute need for one or another of these I wouldn't spend the extra money, the two cameras are practically identical.

I bought a 30D but I was coming from a 300D and, at the time, there wasn't much of a difference in price between the two. What a difference a few weeks have made, currently the 20D is quite a steal. At today's prices the decision wouldn't be cut-and-dried.

DavidTO

Don't forget DxO, which has huge support for the 20D, much more than even the 5D. Maybe not mainstream software, but still important (to me, anyway). Forget about Aperture. Apple's big turd of last year, IMO.

I guess my comment is that for me the benefits of the 30D don't outweigh the loss in flexibility with the software, not yet.

Justiceiro

I haven't handled it, but I can't see where the differences in ISO or fps make it worht switching if you already have the 20d. Even if I was buying new right now, I'd go for the 20d and a better piece of glass (with the price difference).

jimf

DavidTO wrote:

Forget about Aperture. Apple's big turd of last year, IMO.

Depends on what you were looking for I suppose. If you thought it was going to be the world's best RAW converter in v1.0 you were nuts, but it's the best thing around (by far) for rapidly culling the keepers from a shoot. Since that is a big part of the time I used to spend post-shoot it was a huge win for me.

Rendering got a lot better in Aperture 1.1, huge improvements in the handling of noisy images, much better RAW processing defaults plus the ability to tune the settings. There are still shots where I opt for Capture One but they're getting fewer and far between. In 1.0 it was rare that I used it for anything but web output, in 1.1 I'm using it in production.

I think Apple overpromised, overpriced, and underdelivered but they're clearly taking steps to correct that. And, even if you hate its rendering, it's still an excellent sorting tool and a pretty good archiving tool.

DavidTO

jimf wrote:

Depends on what you were looking for I suppose. If you thought it was going to be the world's best RAW converter in v1.0 you were nuts, but it's the best thing around (by far) for rapidly culling the keepers from a shoot. Since that is a big part of the time I used to spend post-shoot it was a huge win for me.

Rendering got a lot better in Aperture 1.1, huge improvements in the handling of noisy images, much better RAW processing defaults plus the ability to tune the settings. There are still shots where I opt for Capture One but they're getting fewer and far between. In 1.0 it was rare that I used it for anything but web output, in 1.1 I'm using it in production.

I think Apple overpromised, overpriced, and underdelivered but they're clearly taking steps to correct that. And, even if you hate its rendering, it's still an excellent sorting tool and a pretty good archiving tool.

Good points. Useless for me, but there are things that are useful for others...

Ric Grupe

Khaos wrote:

I have the 20D and don't feel any need to upgrade.

I'll keep the 20D even when I finally get a full frame dslr. The 1.6 crop is perfect when doing bird and other animal shots where a telephoto lens is needed.

So it would be 20D for wildlife and sports and full frame for everything else.

Took the words right out of my mouth....er mind, I guess.:D

CGrindahl

Learning Curve
Congratulations on finding your way to photography as a hobby! And what an excellent camera you've chosen to begin your education. Like many folks who've already commented on the subject, I'd encourage you to focus your attention on how to use the camera you own and let the subject of upgrading go for now. It will become clear to you when your shooting needs dictate an upgrade and surely by that time you will know exactly the camera and lenses you need.

I re-engaged with photography about two years ago. I spent two months with a very fine Sony point and shoot before investing in the Canon 300D. I shot with that for ten months before upgrading to the Canon 20D. Six months later I picked up an excellent copy of a professional camera, the Canon 1D. It proved too heavy for my taste, so two months ago I sold that camera and bought the Canon 5D, a full-frame camera. Along the way I slowly built my collection of lenses.

I mention all of this simply to point out the obvious. As you learn to use the equipment you own, it becomes clear both what you need and what you can afford. If you're like most folks engaged in digital photography, your investment in camera equipment will be paralleled by an investment in computer gear and software. Half the fun of digital photography is sitting at your computer working on the images you captured that day. Have fun!

Liza

The 30D is a good upgrade from the consumer level DSLR series (i.e. Rebel, Rebel XT), but really isn't that big a change to warrant upgrading from the 20D. I have a 20D and a 10D right now, and the next upgrade for me will be the 1D MkIIN.

gus

I have a 20D and no way in hell would i do that upgrade. It still does more than i need.

I will wait until it carks it & look for a 2nd hand mkII.

ScottMcLeod

jimf wrote:

Depends on which tools you use. Canon's, of course, come in the box. (I hate their tools, but the quality is very good and people do use them.) Capture One was first out of the gate with support, two days aver the US release of the 30D. Aperture got it with the OS X 10.4.6 update, a little over a week after the US release.

What's missing right now is support from Adobe (which, at this point, I'd call "overdue" given how little difference there is between the 20D and 30D formats), but there is a hack out there that will make Photoshop work if that's what floats your boat.

I agree with the general sentiment, though. The only substantive differences between the 20D and 30D are spot metering, a larger shot buffer, and (if you're shooting JPEG) style modes. If you don't have an absolute need for one or another of these I wouldn't spend the extra money, the two cameras are practically identical.

I bought a 30D but I was coming from a 300D and, at the time, there wasn't much of a difference in price between the two. What a difference a few weeks have made, currently the 20D is quite a steal. At today's prices the decision wouldn't be cut-and-dried.

Rawshooter works properly with the 30D IIRC. Last release included the new profile for it.