Canon EOS 20D and new EF-S lenses: First impression

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With the EOS 20D, it's obvious that Canon intend to reclaim the market grounds they have lost to Nikon D70. The new model is replacing EOS 10D, and both construction and features overpowers the 10D by a vast margin.

Without repeating the technical specs or the press release too much, I'd say it's quite amazing that this very well equipped semi-professional system camera only costs a few lousy notes more than the EOS 300D. The price signals that Canon want to "outsmart" the Nikon D70. I will not be surprised if so happens, but I'd be surprised if Nikon is taken by surprise. You can be sure that this war has only just started - and it woun't end with the D70 and the EOS 20D!

My question is rather: What else does a semi-professional photographer need? From the beasts with 2 megapixels a few years back, with a price tag similar to that of a car, we now digital system cameras that looks like a conventional SLR, that works like one, and with a price that makes a fairly close match.

I expect that the most demanding of us amateurs (I consider myself to be one in this respect), will find the features of the EOS 20D quite satisfying. 8.2 megapixels resolution is more than enough for most of us, and the same goes for 23 continuous frames with 5 frames a second, USB 2.0 High Speed, 9-point AF, 18 Custom Functions with 50 settings and ISO-values from 100 to 3200. From before, Canon has proven that their CMOS image sensors has minimal noise and as the DIGIC image processor in D20 is upgraded to 2. generation (same as in EOS 1D Mark II), the time has come for even the most conservative film enthusiast, to go digital.

My first impression of the EOS 20D is that it reminds me more of the EOS 1D Mark II than the EOS 10D, which it replaces. However, the price is remarkably close to the EOS 300D, although 40% above, but the specifications and the finish gives a quality impression that exceeds the price difference, I think.

Test shots (below)
The time did not permit me to make a proper test, nor did Canon allow me to bring the camera outside their premises. Therefore, the images are not very exciting. All of them were taken with 8.2 Mp resolution with Fine JPEG quality, Program exposure, ISO 100 and Auto White Balance.

The images are downloaded as they came from the camera, without any kind of adjustments. The vertical shots are not even rotated! The idea was to show the performance of the camera and the lenses in ordinary circumstanses and with the most common settings. My prime task was to see how the light meter tackled various lighting conditions and to enforce evidence of lens deficiencies, such as cromatic abberation/purple fringing.

Once again, I underline the fact that the camera and lenses were so-called BETA versions from an early production. The items have not been quality approved by Canon.

PS: You need to register and log in before downloading full size images. See "Min side" menu on the left.

Image 1:
As expected, the light meter forced the exposure downwards, leaving the dark areas on the left almost without details. But, stay calm, it's an easy task to regain those details in any imaging software. Instead, take a look at how the camera has captured details in the clouds outside. I have made a few experiments with this image and my conclusion is that the exposure just couldn't have been any better!

Image 2:
Full wide angle and harsh contrasts provoked the new EF-S 17-85 mm to reveal its chromatic abberation weaknesses. Not much at f/10.0, but clearly visible at large magnification along the contrast lines.

Image 3:
At tele, on the other hand, the abberation is gone. It's therefore quite obvious that the lens alone is responsible for the purple fringing, not the image sensor.

Image 4:
Even at 1/15 sec shutter speed at full 85 mm tele, I had little problems holding the camera steady with the image stabilizer activated. I'd rather say that the image is so sharp that it's too revealing for a flattering portrait. The auto white balance had some difficulties deciding what algorith to use. Blue daylight from the glass roof above dominated the light mix, blended with some indoor fluorescent light, supplemented with a warm tungsten lamp inside the reception desk. The cheeks and nose are suffering from a cool, unattractive colour cast (an attempt to correct it in Photoshop turned out to be quite a tricky process).

Image 5:
Macro and telephoto produce minimum depth-of-field, in this case the EF-S 17-85 mm at aperture f/7.1. The press release pointed out the pleasing background softness, thanks to six aperture leaves forming an almost perfect circle. This image was an attempt to confirm Canons claim.

Image 6:
Cromatic abberation is a phenomenon that tends to increase with wide angle lenses. I was therefore fearing the worst with the super-wide EF-S 10-22 mm f/3,5-4,5. The subject is a bit unkind for putting a brand new lens under pressure for the first time, so to relieve the pain a little, I stopped down to f/11. As you'll see from the water drops in the lower left hand corner, some chromatic abberation is detectable, but far less than I had feared.

Image 7 and Image 8: Just for fun!

Conclusion:
The preliminary verdict for Canon EOS 20D and the two new EF-S-zooms is overwhelmingly positive. The camera simply behaves like a genuine EOS professional camera, and I found no immediate weaknesses or construction flaws. Also the new EF-S lenses performed very well, considering their modest price level. The few test shots I made are not sufficient evidence, of course, but my general impression is that the life ahead will get tougher if your name is Nikon D70........and even more so if you're called Canon EOS 300D!

Canon has also published their own BETA images, available here.