Canon EOS 1000D vs EOS 20D

clio_16v

I'm looking at buying a Canon camera 2nd hand. I'm looking at 2, an EOS1000D for 330 euro or an EOS20D for 250. Which is better value? My brother has the EOS1000d and swears by it but a friend has the EOS20D and reckons its better

Diabhal_Glas

http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/canoneos20d/page2.asp

http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/canoneos1000d/page3.asp

Id go for the 20d if it was in good nick

FoxT

The 2 cameras are quite similar. Main differences seem to be

Live View - 1000D has it, 20D does not.
display- 1000D seems to have a better display
Frames per second - 20D will shoot more more fps.

Then you have - 20D is bigger, heavier, better built, older, cheaper.

Live view can be very useful for situations where you are focusing manually, eg macro or semi-macro.

The higher fps will be great if you want to shoot action.

The megapixel difference is completely immaterial (8 Mp vs 10Mp) - not only will you not notice any difference, you will find a difference difficult to detect even if you look for it.

I have a 40D myself & love the handling of the camera. I would probably opt for the 20D over the 1000D because I prefer the handling, it is cheaper & shoots higher fps. These are more important to me than live view - but you need to decide for yourself what your priorities are.

Best of luck with it,
FoxT

.Longshanks.

Would the 1000d handle noise 'better' cos of the newer technology?

zerohamster

Having owned both cameras I can give you a little advice that should help.

Both are nice cameras to start off with for one the 1000D will be easier to learn with and if a beginner you will probably not appreciate the extra features that the 20D offers bar one...the build quality is far superior and the 1000D feels quite plastic (unless it is the only DSLR you have used).

1000D pros:

1. LCD, it has a far better screen. this for me would be a major point to consider as the 20D screen is very small when reviewing.

2. live view, you will see 100% of what the sensor will see as opposed to the optical viewfinder a 95%, this is not something that I would consider a major advantage over the 20D however as I found I rarely used it at all as there is a larger delay between release and capture, also it is slower to take consecutive shots with.

3. weight, the 1000D has a fully plastic body which makes it very light to carry around and is quite nice when carrying on a walk for a long period of time.

4. 10mp sensor and digic 4 processor, these should be an advantage but really they handle noise similarly and the 20D can take consecutive shots much faster especially on RAW (the 20D is possibly better at higher ISO but I cant tell from looking)

1000D cons:

1. plastic body, the build quality is very plastic with no rubber grips etc... this feels nice if you have never used another DSLR but if you do use another DSLR you will notice the difference alot. the body is quite weak compared to the 20D and there is no weather sealing at all.

2. the body is quite small and if you have larger hands then this might feel a little too small and uncomfortable to hold.

3. the body is weaker and as a result so is the mount, you are more likely to damage the camera with a heavy lens on the front if it takes a bump because the mount is not too strong.

4. continuous shooting in RAW is only 1.5fps which is deliberately stunted to make it the entry level model.

20D Pros:

1. better build quality as mentioned above

2. bigger body which feels more rugged, comfy and solid in your hands which makes a difference when out and about as you are less afraid to damage it.

3. there is a back dial in which you can use to change settings when using manual or other modes instead only being able to change either shutter speed or aperture at one time. also this wheel dial is used in playback and menus.

4. 5fps continuous shooting and a high max shutter speed of 1/8000th of a second makes this camera much better suited to sport or high speed photography although I myself had little use of the extra speed and burst capabilities.

5. 9 AF points as opposed to 7 which is nice but I rarely use any other then the most accurate centre one.

Cons:

1. older model and therefore more likely that it has been used longer and will fail earlier (shutter actuations is something to look out for).
this model is widely accepted to have a 50K shutter life of which can vary massively either way, be very wary of this as it is like the milliage on a car and shutter replacement is an expensive repair for a camera you bought for €250.

2. the controls are a little more complicated to get used to then the 1000D but then again this is only a con if you are a complete beginner and is something that can be easily overcome by use and learning how to use the camera so not really a con as such, just something to be aware of.

3. small screen, This was annoying for me after using a 1000D because the detail of the screen is so much lower and makes reviewing photos on camera a pain and not the most effective way to check if the photo came out as you wanted as you would have to zoom in and check details etc... which is time consuming.

Conclusion:

There are probably a few things I have forgotten but Im pretty sure I got the main ones in there. All of these are purely from my experience with the camera and despite my various gripes about the 20D screen I would definitely take a good condition 20D over the 1000D and as an amatuer would be more then I would need as a camera. (the lenses are the most important part of equipment when dealing with SLRs and definitely something you should take time to research and read reviews etc...)

When buying the camera, ask for the amount of actuations (shutter cycles) that the camera has and if below 10K then you are doing well.
Also for that price on the 20D what comes with it as regards to CF cards, batteries, lenses etc...?

I hope this helps and if you have any questions Id be glad to help

zerohamster

kev_Longshanks100 wrote: »

Would the 1000d handle noise 'better' cos of the newer technology?

I have read that the 20D deals with noise better at higer ISO but I never noticed any big difference. I do recall the 1000D having a huge amount of noise at its highest ISO though and not so much so on the 20D.

oshead

I always find it is handy to measurebate over on DxO it to help make the decision.

dubhoop

oshead wrote: »

I always find it is handy to measurebate over on DxO it to help make the decision.

measurebate over on DxO i had snikered.