Canon 20D Comparison Review

The Canon EOS 20D is a DSLR (Digital Single Lens Reflex) camera that was officially introduced in August 2004 and is equipped with an APS-C sensor. It offers a resolution of 8.2 megapixel.

Is the Canon 20D a good camera? The 20D has a Camera Elo of 1015. This rating puts the 20D below average of all digital single lens reflex cameras. In terms of its sensor size category (APS cameras), the 20D also ranks below average. Based on its within category standings, the camera earns a 2.5-star performance rating. – Well, the Canon 20D is more than 20 years old, and there have been many other good digital cameras released since 2004.

Read on to find out more about the camera's size, sensor, features, reception by expert reviewers, and how it compares to other digital cameras.

Body comparison with a credit card

An illustration of the physical dimensions of the Canon 20D vis-à-vis a credit card is provided in the side-by-side display below. Three successive views from the front, the top, and the rear are shown. All width, height and depth dimensions are rounded to the nearest millimeter.

The table below summarizes the key physical specs of the Canon 20D alongside a set of similar cameras. If you want to review a particular camera pair side-by-side, just move across to the CAM-parator tool and choose from the broad selection of possible comparisons there.

Body Specifications

		Camera Model	Camera Width	Camera Height	Camera Depth	Camera Weight	Battery Life	Weather Sealing	Camera Launch	Launch Price	Street Price
1.		Canon 20D	144 mm	106 mm	72 mm	770 g	700	n	Aug 2004	EUR 1 599	ebay.com
2.		Canon 7D	148 mm	111 mm	74 mm	860 g	800	Y	Sep 2009	EUR 1 499	ebay.com
3.		Canon 7D II	149 mm	112 mm	78 mm	910 g	670	Y	Sep 2014	EUR 1 699	ebay.com
4.		Canon 10D	150 mm	107 mm	75 mm	850 g	500	n	Feb 2003	EUR 1 999	ebay.com
5.		Canon 30D	144 mm	106 mm	74 mm	785 g	750	n	Feb 2006	EUR 1 399	ebay.com
6.		Canon 40D	146 mm	108 mm	74 mm	822 g	750	n	Aug 2007	EUR 1 299	ebay.com
7.		Canon 50D	146 mm	108 mm	74 mm	822 g	800	Y	Aug 2008	EUR 1 099	ebay.com
8.		Canon 60D	145 mm	106 mm	79 mm	755 g	1100	Y	Aug 2010	EUR 1 149	ebay.com
9.		Canon 300D	142 mm	99 mm	72 mm	649 g	400	n	Aug 2003	EUR 1 095	ebay.com
10.		Canon 350D	127 mm	94 mm	64 mm	540 g	400	n	Feb 2005	EUR 899	ebay.com
11.		Nikon D200	147 mm	113 mm	74 mm	920 g	400	Y	Nov 2005	EUR 1 799	ebay.com
Note: Measurements and pricing do not include easily detachable parts, such as add-on or interchangeable lenses or optional viewfinders.
Convert to Imperial

The listed prices provide an indication of the market segment that the manufacturer of the cameras have been targeting. The Canon 20D was launched in the US market at a price of $1,499. Usually, retail prices stay at first close to the launch price, but after several months, discounts become available. Later in the product cycle and, in particular, when the replacement model is about to appear, further discounting and stock clearance sales often push the camera price considerably down. Then, after the new model is out, very good deals can frequently be found on the pre-owned market.

Check 20D offers at
ebay.com

Sensor comparison with a 35mm slide

The size of the imaging sensor is a crucial determinant of image quality. A large sensor will tend to have larger individual pixels that provide better low-light sensitivity, wider dynamic range, and richer color-depth than smaller pixel-units in a sensor of the same technological generation. Further, a large sensor camera will give the photographer additional creative options when using shallow depth-of-field to isolate a subject from its background. On the downside, larger sensors tend to be associated with larger, more expensive camera bodies and lenses.

The Canon 20D features an APS-C sensor and has a format factor (sometimes also referred to as "crop factor") of 1.6. Within the spectrum of camera sensors, this places the Canon 20D among the medium-sized sensor cameras that aim to strike a balance between image quality and portability.

For most cameras, data on sensor performance has been reported by DXO Mark. This service is based on lab testing and assigns an overall score to each camera sensor, as well as ratings for dynamic range ("DXO Landscape"), color depth ("DXO Portrait"), and low-light sensitivity ("DXO Sports"). The adjacent table reports on the physical sensor characteristics and the outcomes of the DXO sensor quality tests for a sample of alternative cameras.

Sensor Characteristics

		Camera Model	Sensor Class	Resolution (MP)	Horiz. Pixels	Vert. Pixels	Video Format	DXO Portrait	DXO Landscape	DXO Sports	DXO Overall
1.		Canon 20D	APS-C	8.2	3504	2336	none	21.9	11.0	721	62
2.		Canon 7D	APS-C	17.9	5184	3456	1080/30p	22.0	11.7	854	66
3.		Canon 7D II	APS-C	20.0	5472	3648	1080/60p	22.4	11.8	1082	70
4.		Canon 10D	APS-C	6.3	3072	2048	none	21.1	10.9	571	57
5.		Canon 30D	APS-C	8.2	3504	2336	none	21.5	10.8	736	59
6.		Canon 40D	APS-C	10.1	3888	2592	none	22.1	11.3	703	64
7.		Canon 50D	APS-C	15.1	4752	3168	none	21.8	11.4	696	63
8.		Canon 60D	APS-C	17.9	5184	3456	1080/30p	22.2	11.5	813	66
9.		Canon 300D	APS-C	6.3	3072	2048	none	21.0	10.8	544	55
10.		Canon 350D	APS-C	8.0	3456	2304	none	21.8	10.8	637	60
11.		Nikon D200	APS-C	10.0	3872	2592	none	22.3	11.5	583	64

It should be noted that unlike many modern cameras, the 20D does not provide the possibility to capture videos.

Feature comparison

Apart from body and sensor, cameras can and do differ across a range of features. For example, the 20D has an optical viewfinder that provides a field of view of 95% and a magnification of 0.56x. The following tables report on some other key feature differences and similarities of the Canon 20D and comparable cameras.

Core Features

		Camera Model	Viewfinder (Type or 000 dots)	Control Panel (yes/no)	LCD Specifications (inch/000 dots)	LCD Attach- ment	Touch Screen (yes/no)	Max Shutter Speed *	Max Shutter Flaps *	Built-in Flash (yes/no)	Built-in Image Stab
1.		Canon 20D	optical	Y	1.8 / 118	fixed	n	1/8000s	5.0/s	Y	n
2.		Canon 7D	optical	Y	3.0 / 920	fixed	n	1/8000s	8.0/s	Y	n
3.		Canon 7D II	optical	Y	3.0 / 1040	fixed	n	1/8000s	10.0/s	Y	n
4.		Canon 10D	optical	Y	1.8 / 118	fixed	n	1/4000s	3.0/s	Y	n
5.		Canon 30D	optical	Y	2.5 / 230	fixed	n	1/8000s	5.0/s	Y	n
6.		Canon 40D	optical	Y	3.0 / 230	fixed	n	1/8000s	6.5/s	Y	n
7.		Canon 50D	optical	Y	3.0 / 920	fixed	n	1/8000s	6.3/s	Y	n
8.		Canon 60D	optical	Y	3.0 / 1040	swivel	n	1/8000s	5.3/s	Y	n
9.		Canon 300D	optical	n	1.8 / 118	fixed	n	1/4000s	2.5/s	Y	n
10.		Canon 350D	optical	n	1.8 / 115	fixed	n	1/4000s	3.0/s	Y	n
11.		Nikon D200	optical	Y	2.5 / 230	fixed	n	1/8000s	5.0/s	Y	n
Note: *) Information refers to the mechanical shutter, unless the camera only has an electronic one.

One convenient feature of the 20D is the presence of an on-board flash. While this built-in flash is not very powerful, it can at times be useful as a fill-in light to brighten deep shadow areas.

Connection comparison

For some imaging applications, the extent to which a camera can communicate with its environment can be an important aspect in the camera decision process. The table below provides an overview of the connectivity of the Canon EOS 20D and, in particular, the interfaces the cameras (and selected comparators) provide for accessory control and data transfer.

Input-Output Connections

		Camera Model	Hotshoe Port	Internal Mic / Speaker	Microphone Port	Headphone Port	HDMI Port	USB Port	WiFi Support	NFC Support	Bluetooth Support
1.		Canon 20D	Y	- / -	-	-	-	1.1	-	-	-
2.		Canon 7D	Y	mono / -	Y	-	mini	2.0	-	-	-
3.		Canon 7D II	Y	stereo / mono	Y	Y	mini	3.0	-	-	-
4.		Canon 10D	Y	- / -	-	-	-	1.1	-	-	-
5.		Canon 30D	Y	- / -	-	-	-	2.0	-	-	-
6.		Canon 40D	Y	- / -	-	-	-	2.0	-	-	-
7.		Canon 50D	Y	- / -	-	-	mini	2.0	-	-	-
8.		Canon 60D	Y	mono / mono	Y	-	mini	2.0	-	-	-
9.		Canon 300D	Y	- / -	-	-	-	1.1	-	-	-
10.		Canon 350D	Y	- / -	-	-	-	2.0	-	-	-
11.		Nikon D200	Y	- / -	-	-	-	2.0	-	-	-

Further information on the features and operation of the 20D can be found in the free online Canon 20D Manual or on the Canon support site.

Expert reviews

While the specs-based evaluation of cameras is instructive in revealing their potential as photographic tools, it remains incomplete and does no justice, for example, to the way the 20D handle or perform in practice. User reviews that are available, for instance, at amazon can sometimes shed light on these issues, but such feedback is all too often partial, inconsistent, and inaccurate. This is where reviews by experts come in. The table below summarizes the assessments of some of the best known camera review sites (amateurphotographer [AP], cameralabs [CL], digitalcameraworld [DCW], dpreview [DPR], ephotozine [EPZ], photographyblog [PB]).

Review Scores

		Camera   Model	AP   score	CL   score	DCW   score	DPR   score	EPZ   score	PB   score	Camera Launch	Launch Price	Street Price
1.		Canon 20D	..	..	..	+ +	..	..	Aug 2004	EUR 1 599	ebay.com
2.		Canon 7D	5/5	+ +	..	84/100	4.5/5	4.5/5	Sep 2009	EUR 1 499	ebay.com
3.		Canon 7D II	4.5/5	+	3.5/5	84/100	4/5	4.5/5	Sep 2014	EUR 1 699	ebay.com
4.		Canon 10D	..	..	..	+ +	..	..	Feb 2003	EUR 1 999	ebay.com
5.		Canon 30D	..	+ +	..	+ +	o	..	Feb 2006	EUR 1 399	ebay.com
6.		Canon 40D	..	+ +	..	+ +	4.5/5	4.5/5	Aug 2007	EUR 1 299	ebay.com
7.		Canon 50D	..	+ +	..	+ +	4.5/5	4.5/5	Aug 2008	EUR 1 099	ebay.com
8.		Canon 60D	5/5	+	..	79/100	4/5	4.5/5	Aug 2010	EUR 1 149	ebay.com
9.		Canon 300D	..	..	..	+ +	..	..	Aug 2003	EUR 1 095	ebay.com
10.		Canon 350D	..	80/100	..	+ +	o	..	Feb 2005	EUR 899	ebay.com
11.		Nikon D200	..	+ +	..	+ +	o	..	Nov 2005	EUR 1 799	ebay.com
Note: (+ +) highly recommended; (+) recommended; (o) reviewed; (..) not available.

The review scores listed above should be treated with care, though. The ratings are only valid when referring to cameras in the same category and of the same age. Thus, a score needs to be put into the context of the launch date and the launch price of the camera, and comparing ratings of very distinct cameras or ones that are far apart in terms of their release date have little meaning. It should also be noted that some of the review sites have over time altered the way they render their verdicts.

Check 20D offers at
ebay.com

Camera to camera comparisons

In case you would like to check on the differences and similarities with other camera models, just make your choice using the following search menu. Alternatively, you can follow any of the listed hyperlinks for comparisons that others found interesting.

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