Canon EOS-20D Preview is out!!!

[kerpalz]

but u dun benefit as much if u get 580ex without 20D/MKII

for other EOS body, 580EX only gives you longer battery life, smaller, lighter, faster recharge and slightly higher GN

for battery life, and faster recharge, my CP-E2 already can take care of it.

lighter, smaller and better control....dun really need it, but if the price is same as 550ex, i dun mind to get one as backup

wai thz for saying this to me..... if not wait i blur blur sell my 550ex and get a new 580.....i tink i will do the same as u.... get a 580 if the price is the same as 550ex.... but somehow i doubt so... maybe therange will hit btw $580 to $650 for a new 580ex :sweatsm:

 

[Wai]

http://www.usa.canon.com/templatedata/pressrelease/20040819_580ex.html

Canon's new Speedlite 580EX flash and Compact Battery Pack CP-E3 will be available in October for estimated selling prices of $479* and $220*, respectively.

*in USD$, that's S$820+ & S$376+, hopefully that is the retail price but not street price

BTW, the new CP-E3 uses 8 x AA batteries. CP-E2 uses 6 x AA

 

[haohan]

Just thot this might be of interest to all of us:
see http://luminous-landscape.com/reviews/cameras/20d-part1.shtml

..excerpt:
"As mentioned, the 20D has been reduced in size over the 10D and previous models in this line from Canon. Such shrinkage is not without its price though. It has been achieved by reducing the size of both the pentaprism and the instant return mirror. This makes the viewfinder a bit dimmer and a bit coarser than the previous generation. The coarseness isn't all that apparent indoors or under low contrast outdoor light conditions, but outdoors on a bright sunny day it's painfully obvious. (Canon claims that the coarseness to aid manual focusing, but that's just marketing BS; simply an attempt to turn a deficiency into a feature).

Everything is a trade-off. Consumers want faster and better digital cameras and expect to pay less for it than they did at this time last year. Manufacturer's are squeezed to make a profit and be competitive in a ruthless and fast changing environment, where you're only as good as your latest product. Canon has obviously decided that smaller, lighter and less expensive to build is the success formula for the 20D, so long as the buyer still gets a bigger sensor, clean images and faster shooting speeds.

Is the trade-off worthwhile in this case? I believe so. Unless one looks though the viewfinder of a 1Ds, and then one realizes the huge gap that exists in viewfinder brightness and size between models and between these price ranges. The reason that I believe that consumers will accept the situation is because in the end they are getting perceived value, and the somewhat darker and grainier viewfinder of the 20D is a price they'll likely be willing to pay."

 

[DenKoh]

wah... Heng man. I was about to get a 2nd hand 10D or D70 to replace my film based SLR. Something to get me started in the dSLR world.
Looks like I might as well wait. I can either buy the 20D or get a 2nd hand 10D which would be much cheaper....

 

[benny]

Coupled with 5fps on 20D and 20+ shot buffer, expect to see more people burning out their flash tubes and complaining about how come Canon quality so lousy.

Can someone explain more about this?

Cheers,

 

[Wai]

Can someone explain more about this?

Cheers,

A flash will generate a lot of heat at full power

if you keep shooting continuously without letting the flash rest, the heat is going to kill the bulb and that may not be the worst case yet.

Since 20D is now faster (5fps) with a larger buffer, while 580ex and CP-E3 are capable of faster recycle time and higher power, it is very important to use the flash properly, esp for those who are new to SLR system, u have to make sure that the flash will not fire at full power when shooting at high speed continous.

 

[jpcc]

Any idea if dust in CCD is still a problem for 20D?

If it is a nagging problem, why does Canon not learn from Olympus E1 and
include an auto-clean feature?? Any reason???

 

[dkw]

Any idea if dust in CCD is still a problem for 20D?

If it is a nagging problem, why does Canon not learn from Olympus E1 and
include an auto-clean feature?? Any reason???

I've shot more than 10K each on my 300D (9 months) and 10D (5 months) and have only ever had to clean my sensor once for either camera, and that's with constant swopping of lenses. Sensor cleaning is a 5 minute job, takes less time than downloading a full 1GB CF card. To me, if "sensor clean" function adds more cost to the camera, I don't want it.

 

[roy2978]

Wat would likely to be the Sg RP for 20D? and if 550EX is compatible with it?
:think:

 

[Wai]

Any idea if dust in CCD is still a problem for 20D?

If it is a nagging problem, why does Canon not learn from Olympus E1 and
include an auto-clean feature?? Any reason???

if you think 10D has serious dust problem....i guess you have not seen other camera models.

anyway, it is not something that serious to me, unless the dust particles are so big that u can them in your image.

 

[benny]

A flash will generate a lot of heat at full power

if you keep shooting continuously without letting the flash rest, the heat is going to kill the bulb and that may not be the worst case yet.

Since 20D is now faster (5fps) with a larger buffer, while 580ex and CP-E3 are capable of faster recycle time and higher power, it is very important to use the flash properly, esp for those who are new to SLR system, u have to make sure that the flash will not fire at full power when shooting at high speed continous.

Thanks wai!

Just a curious question. Even with CP-E3 and the 580EX, there is still a lag time when the flash recharge. Wouldn't that be sufficient cooling time?

Besides, with ETTL II, the flash normally don't fire at full power unless the situation warrants it.

Cheers,

 

[Wai]

Thanks wai!

Just a curious question. Even with CP-E3 and the 580EX, there is still a lag time when the flash recharge. Wouldn't that be sufficient cooling time?

Besides, with ETTL II, the flash normally don't fire at full power unless the situation warrants it.

Cheers,

well, if you set the flash to bounce, it will fire at full power

for me, i will make sure i use direct flash with high ISO and -EV if i want to use flash + high speed continous mode.

Even i dun shoot at high speed mode, my flash and battery pack can get rather hot after sometimes when i shoot event at night, imagine if i was shooting in high speed mode... :sweat:

 

[Adam Goi]

Heads-up people ... the 2nd part of the 20D review is out!

 

[Red Dawn]

Any idea if dust in CCD is still a problem for 20D?

If it is a nagging problem, why does Canon not learn from Olympus E1 and
include an auto-clean feature?? Any reason???

Dust? wat dust? Dust was never a problem for the D30, the first consumer class DSLR by Canon and it was never an issue with the 10D. i should know, cos i shot with both a lot and change lenses often!

 

[erwinx]

as far as i can tell, my D60 had no problems with dust too.

 

[Wai]

Not for my 10D too, i have never cleaned my CMOS since the day i got it replaced a year ago. cos i see no point to clean it when i cannot see any black dots in my pix