Difference between the Rebel and the 20D?

[Daisy57b]

Ok, educate me!! What is the big difference between these two cameras? If you were going to buy and SLR camera, which one would you get and why?

Thanks!

 

[Kelly Grannell]

If budget is a constraint, then buy XT.

If budget is NOT a constraint, get 20D for the following reasons:

1. Better-built body (means less camera shake when you're taking picture)
2. Normal sized body (instead the miniaturized XT, although people with smaller hands love XT)
3. Low light AF is FAR better on the 20D, even when using Canon f/2.8 and f/1.8 L-series lenses.

I'm talking from personal experience. I have 2 20D bodies, 1 300D, 1 350D/XT and 1 5D. The worst of them all (in low-light AF, especially at the corner AF points) is the 300D (original Rebel).

Using the same cheapo Canon 50mm f/1.8 lens with only 2 x 100W daylight bulbs, I can't get the 300D to focus on either sides, only the middle.

Using the XT, it's much better, every points except the outermost corners are in focus.

Using 20D, every single points are in focus.

Using 5D, I can just use 1 100W bulb and every single point is in focus.

 

[WillCAD]

I have a 300D, and my friend, who is a wedding photoagrapher, has a 20D and a5D. He's teaching me how to use the 20D so I can help him out at an upcoming wedding.

All of the points Kelley made are valid, but come more from the perspective of a pro or serious ameture. My observations come more from the perspective of a moderate to serious ameture, much lower on the photographic food chain, as it were.

1. The 20D has a much sturdier body than the Rebel. It has more metal in it, and is larger and more comfy in the hands of someone with big hands. However, it's also heavier, and might not be so comfy if you have small hands.

2. The 20D has more features, more controls, and more capabilities than the Rebel. This makes it much more suited to high-end photography, but also makes it much more complicated for simpler stuff like vacation or family photos.

The 20D is a better camera in almost every respect, but if you're just going to be using it for vacation pics at WDW, family shots at the holidays, kid pics at soccer games and school functions, you could get away with a Digital Rebel instead. Most importantly, if the size and weight of the camera are a serious issue for you, the Rebel is smaller, lighter, and easier to handle for small hands.

Your Milage May Vary. I chose a Digital Rebel 300D mostly because I could not afford a 20D, but also because the 20D would have been a bit of overkill for the casual type of photography that I do. If I were more serious about it, I might consider stepping up to the 20D, and believe me, it is definitely a step up.

I don't think you'll be dissapointed in either camera.

But one thing - budget for a lens. The Rebel comes with a very usable 18-55 lens, but 55mm is just not enough zoom for WDW, and certainly wouldn't be enough for a sporting event or school function. I just ordered a Sigma 18-125 lens which will give me roughly 6.9X zoom, compared with the 2.8X or so that I get with the 18-55 lens that came with my Rebel.

 

[Kelly Grannell]

Ooops, I should've read it more carefully, it's 300D vs 20D (not 350D vs 20D).

Put it this way, what I wrote above are just facts. The camera I use to walk around / take on vacation? the 300D. I leave the 20D for weddings and 5D for product and fashion shots. I can't stand the 350D/XT due to its tiny size.

In other words, listen to WillCAD.

 

[mabas9395]

I have the Rebel XT (350d) and think that all those people who complain about the size are people with a lot of experience using SLR cameras. And yes, compared to other dSLR's, it is a very small camera. But for people who are upgrading from a P&S to a dSLR, I think the 350d will feel quite natural and comfortable in their hands. Moving from my Nikon Coolpix and Pentax k1000 to the Rebel XT was a smooth transition. Now when I hold my friends Nikon D50, it feels too large and bulky.

So when Daisy57b considers the two cameras (which are both great), what I think is more important than absolute size is relative size, comparing the size of the 350d with what you are used to shooting with.

just my 2 cents.

 

[jenny2]

Well, when I upgraded to a DSLR I compared these 2 cameras, and both had the features I wanted. I couldn't decide if I wanted to spend more money on the extras that the 20D had that the XT didn't have.

What did it come down to? Going to the store and holding both cameras. The 20D felt huge and heavy in my hands. The XT fit like a glove. So I went with the XT.

If you're looking for a side by side comparison... check out dpreview.com. They also have in depth reviews. Here's the link to the comparison:

300D / 20D

 

[Daisy57b]

Thanks for the info!!

 

[ndelaware]

Besides size, the two biggest differences for me are the autofocus and the frames per second. The AF on the XT is good, the AF on the 20D is fabulous. The 20D can shoot 5 fps up to 23 frames, the XT can shoot 3fps up to 14 frames. The 20D is a semi-pro DSLR and the XT is more of an entry level DSLR, but the XT performs really quite well against the 20D for most folks. However with the introduction of the 30D, and the imminent discontinuation of the 20D, the prices should begin to fall fairly soon on the 20D. Which could make the 20D even more attractive to people deciding between the two.

 

[Daisy57b]

I am really hoping the prices will fall on the 20D with the 30 coming out...I really want a DSLR and am torn between the two...the price difference is so drastic...is it worth the extra $700 for the 20D?

 

[mabas9395]

I mean this in the nicest possible way, but, if you have to ask if its worth it, it probably wont be for you. It wasn't for me, which is why I went with the XT and I have loved every minute of it.

 

[Kelly Grannell]

To me, the difference is night and day. The cleanliness in image quality is 2-stop difference (based on OP's original question 300D vs 20D). Meaning ISO1600 on the 20D is equal to ISO400 on the 300D which is a major advantage to me because I use ISO1600 almost all the time.

Also the low-light auto-focusing is much better on the 20D, even compared to Rebel XT (although they are using the same hardware, the firmware/algorithm is different).

Last but not least, Flash Exposure Compensation, you'll need that. (However, if you're comparing XT vs 20D, well, XT already has FEC)

Bottom line advice:

when I buy a camera, I buy the cheapest camera based on the specs I know I need and use that camera to learn which spec that I REALLY need, the ones I don't need at all, and the ones that I'm missing.

That's why originally I started with 300D, then I realize what I actually need, then I upgraded to 20D. And after about 2 years using the 20D, I upgraded myself to 30D. Why? Because of 1 silly thing. Larger LCD, so it's easier for the client to see the picture so I don't need to carry my laptop all over the place.

 

[murphy54]

I would buy the xt for it is cheaper(smaaalll funds)

 

[handicap18]

I don't know how Canon does it, but when Nikon came out with the D70s to replace the D70 they had basically stopped production of the D70. I don't really recall seeing a lot of huge clearance sales on the D70 as it got closer to the launch of the D70s. I wasn't actively looking at the time, but I always had an eye on it. You can still get a D70, but they will mostly be used and on ebay and not from people who upgraded to the D70s, but to those that upgraded to the D200.

I don't know, just thinking out loud,,, do most Canon users expect to upgrade from the 20D to the 30D? What happened from the 300 to the 350? Can someone looking to get a new Canon dSLR realisticly expect to see a huge price drop in the 20D because of the 30D? In my wholesale/retail experience, many companies would let a product basically run though its inventory before launching the upgrade/new version. If there was a clearance price drop its usually in very limited quantities for a very short period of time. Again, just thinking out loud and asking because I'm curious and don't really know.

I looked on amazon and ritz camera for a quick reference for myself. Ritz does not list the 20D on their web site anymore. Amazon still is selling the 20D at what looks like $200 off original price and $300 less than the preordering price of the 30D. But thats just 2 sites. Take it for what its worth. Again, I was just curious on how Canon would do it.

 

[hmgolden]

Here's my $0.02.

DH and I just bought the 20D.

The camera was a gift to me from DH to move me into the digital age, kicking and screaming. I have been a film girl for a long time

We went to B&H with the intention of buying the Rebel XT. I had borrowed the original Rebel from a friend for our trip to WDW in December and had been pretty happy with it. At B&H we chatted with the sales guy, told him what we wanted to spend and what we were looking to get. He brought out the Rebel XT, the Nikon D50, and the 20D for me to compare. Once I had the 20D in my hands, there was no way I could get the Rebel XT and be 100% happy with it. I find the 20D much easier to navigate. For me, it was more intuitive - I had a much easier time figuring out the settings on the 20D than on the Rebel, they seemed less hidden to me. In addition to that, I loved the way the 20D felt in my hands. It feels like the film cameras I am used to.

To get the 20D and still stay with in our budget, we sacraficed the quality of the lens we got. But, we had intended on buying an additional lens in a few months anyway, and decided that it was worth it to get the better camera.