20D a good place to renew my acquaintance?

Torque

Torque

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Alastair
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Some time ago I bought myself a new Pentax K10D with twin lens kit I but soon got brassed off with it and sold it all off at quite a loss so, now that I want to return to the DSLR fold and with a planned trip to Canada later in the year I've done my reading and the EOS 20D looks to fit the bill, can be picked up relatively cheaply and produces great images when linked to a decent lens oh, and I'm not interested in taking movies with my stills camera so that's fine.

I am however after a bit of confirmation / reassurance that I'm going down the right road or, whether I should be looking at a newer, more expensive 2nd hand camera like a Nikon d5000 or an EOS 550D.
 
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Canon 20D or Pentax K20D?
 
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The 550D is a great camera, with a superb screen and great resolution and will take some very nice photos with the right lens on it. I started with one and only because of a windfall I upgraded to a 7D and a 5D2. I wanted to keep the 550D though, because it's such a great little camera, and ended up giving it to the wife instead of selling it.
I haven't used the 20D, nor have I seen many of the photos produced by it, but I've just looked at the specs of it and I'm sure it will be a very capable camera. If I had a choice of the two I'd definitely go for the 550D though, budget allowing of course.
 
I assume the OP means the Pentax K20D.
It is still a very good camera and, if you had the K10D before, will be easier to learn/remember how to use rather than moving to a Canon or Nikon

If you mean the Canon 20D then it is a good camera to start with (and very cheap) but I would suggest paying just a little more for at least a 450D or a 30D
 
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Apologies, I am looking at the Canon EOS 20D rather than the Pentax for 2 reasons, there's more accesories and I have been delighted with my Canon compact.

So, have a look at the 30D ...... Okay, thanks for the advice and please keep it coming, as for the 450 I held one in a local camera shop and didn't like how it felt.
 
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I can vouch for the 30D, it's what that bald mush is holding in my avatar :wave: (and the 20D is very similar). They're getting on a bit now (as is baldy) but are both still very capable (as is... well maybe not :D) cameras. Dirt cheap on the 2nd hand market these days too. :thumbs:
 
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Thanks zonev and modchild I won't ignore the 550.
 
Personally there was nothing significantly different between the 20D and 30D

If you put the right lens on the front, the 20D still a great camera. Images taken with a 300mm f2.8 and 70-200mm f2.8 on a 20D

300mm
IMG_5997_copy_1.jpg


70-200mm
IMG_6068_copy_1.jpg


300mm + 1.4 & 2x TC stacked
IMG_6377_copy_1.jpg
 
Thanks Pete, the bottom picture of yours taken with the 20D was one that I saw when researching, fantastic! I am aware though that a good lens is important and the person behind the camera has a lot to do with it :thumbs:
 
I've got a 20D bought from mpb photographic just over a year ago and i absolutely love it, i was looking at the 30D couldnt justify the extra cost for a few extra features which are spot metering, 2.5 inch screen 1.8inch on the 20d.
 
Nowt wrong with a 20D - I still have and use mine!
 
20D has a tiny screen. I could never go back to that now. 40D is still a great camera, or maybe 450D?
 
depends how much you want to spend a good 20D from Mpb is about 130 (they've got a tatty one for 94 quid at the mo), 40D is about 300 - both good for the money,

the 40D is a 'better' camera but then again its more than twice the price - it depends whats important (personally i very rarely chimp and mostly have the screen turned off to conserve battery)

(IMo the 30D is just a tarted up 20D - there nothing wrong with it but it doesnt justify extra spend in my opinion)
 
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Thanks folks, I know I may be running before I can walk but I do fancy something which I'm not going to be bored of in no time, so the 20, 30, 40 perhaps even a 50D is the sort of range that I'm hoping to get into.

big soft moose I've read such good reports on MPB that I'd really struggle not to buy from them :thumbs:
 
Get a 20D or perhaps a 30D, then when you can, buy a 50D or a 7D and voila, a second body you can still use.
 
Yep they are my store of choice for second user kit (apart from classifieds here - which you wont be able to access yet) - I've had about 8 items from them since discovering them early last year
 
Thanks folks, really. What a friendly, helpful place this is :)

I must admit the 40D is looking good at the moment and MPB have a plethora of them although is that a bad sign, are people getting rid because they're sick of them :shrug:

Realistically I want to get something which I'm going to get to grips with fairly quickly but also something which I won't mind too much putting as my back up camera when I get properly back in to photography and get myself up to a 1D Mk IV :lol:
 
nah - most likely people who suffer from shiny kit syndrome are changing them in against 60Ds and 7Ds etc , nowt to worry about
 
40D is a more significant upgrade - better focussing points, Digic III, 14bit RAW, slight resolution increase etc but in practice I don't think there's all that much between it and the 20/30D.

They're all great cameras, go for what you can afford (without eating into your lens budget). :thumbs:
 
I'll just keep my eyes on MPB for a 20,30 or 40D then once I've researched lenses and prices which is a whole other thread I presume.
 
the 20D and 30D are almost indentical as mentioned and same goes for their price. The 40D is nice and the have been recently going quite cheap here on the forum and is defo a great buy. I got mine 2 weeks ago and I love it it feels better than the xxxD Canons, at least for me
 
Cheers plamen, I've a good few days to go yet until I have access to the classifieds but I may well give MPB a call tomorrow for a chat :-)
 
a good plan is to work out what lenses you want (which very much depends on what you want to do) make sure mpb have got it all in stock then ring them up and ask them to do a deal for a bulk buy
 
I'll be doing countryside, nature, animals and motorsport photography in the main so what's the recommendations for those?
 
thats really a how long is piece of string question - what's your budget

I'd say basically you want something wide, something short, something medium, something long and a macro kit

the poor mans option would be something like a sigma 10-20, Canon 18-55 IS, Canon 55-250 IS, something like a sigma 135-400 or 170-500, and a set of extension tubes

If you are minted on the other hand you could go Canon 10-20 or tokina 11-16, 17-50 f2.8, 70-200 f2.8, 100-400 IS, and Sigma 150 f2.8 1-1 macro

lots of other options - but it depends on the cash
 
Yep, sorry it was a bit of a silly question but I'm happy to build things up as I go along. Money isn't an issue and I want to be sure that I get good performing lenses which I can use for years to come. I'll certainly forego the macro until sometime in the future and would like to get a couple of lenses to start off with, I was thinking something like a 17-50 plus a nice zoom, the 100 to 400 sounds nice plus then I'll need a tripod and not forgetting some filters.
 
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basic two i'd suggest would be the 18-55IS (£69 on MPB) and the 55-250 (135 on MPB or amazon currently)

If you want to spend slightly more cash you could look at a 17-85 IS instead of the 18-55 (£179 on mpb)

One note if you aspire to getting a one series most of these lenses are efs and won't fit - if you are serious about the 1 (or 5) series then you should look at getting EF lenses instead like a 17-55 and a 90-300


Then on the longer lens keep an eye out for a bargain on something like a canon 100-400 IS (about 8-00 s/h or a grand new) or if you'd rather have a prime the Canon 400mm f5.6 is a good lens - or the 300mm f4 and 1.4 conveter
 
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You're a star, thanks very much.

I'm off to pick the Mrs up now so I'll pick this thread up tomorrow.
 
big soft moose said:
One note if you aspire to getting a one series most of these lenses are efs and won't fit - if you are serious about the 1 (or 5) series then you should look at getting EF lenses instead like a 17-55 and a 90-300
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I've had a 17-85mm and I can't really recommend it. A 17-50mm f2.8 from Canon, Tamron or Sigma is a better buy IMVHO.

Note that the 17-55mm is an EF-S lens.
 
Tamron 17-50 is supposed to a really good one to go for. 50mm 1.8 Canon is also very good and cheap
 
oop I meant the 17-50 f2.8 :bonk:

the nother lens defintely worth getting is a nifty fifty - canon 50mm f1.8 prime - about 70 nquid new or 50 quid second hand , build quality isnt all that but its a great little lens for the price (the minted among us can get the much superior 50mm f1.4 for about £250 )
 
Brilliant feedback, thanks again folks.

EF it is, I don't know whether I'll ever get to a 1 but you never know. Plus, looking at lens prices I'm sure I could sell them, replace them with EF S' and have change.
 
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Right so for me to start with 2 lenses MPB have a Tamron SP 17-50mm f/2.8 XR Di-II VC, Canon EF Fit fine, but am I better pairing this with a Canon EF 55-200mm f/4-5.6 II USM or a Canon EF 70-300mm f/4-5.6 IS USM?
 
Torque said:
Right so for me to start with 2 lenses MPB have a Tamron SP 17-50mm f/2.8 XR Di-II VC, Canon EF Fit fine, but am I better pairing this with a Canon EF 55-200mm f/4-5.6 II USM or a Canon EF 70-300mm f/4-5.6 IS USM?
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Tamron SP 17-50mm f/2.8 XR Di-II VC & Canon EF 70-300mm f/4-5.6 IS USM would be a good combo
 
Thanks Pete.

Camera and 2 lenses decided and all listed for when I give them a ring tomorrow to see what sort of a deal I might be able to strike.

2 final things for now; which filters should I be looking to get and any advice on a tripod? MPB have a used Manfroto carbon one in but at £199 I thought I'd check here first.
 
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Thanks Pete.

Camera and 2 lenses decided and all listed for when I give them a ring tomorrow to see what sort of a deal I might be able to strike.

2 final things for now; which filters should I be looking to get and any advice on a tripod? MPB have a used Manfroto carbon one in but at £199 I thought I'd check here first.
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Is the filter just to protect the lens or are you after something more specific.

Hoya pro UV filters or skylight filters would do to protect the lens, or Lee filters if your looking for something more specific.

As for a tripod, the carbon one is great, alot of money, but very light and portable, unlike my metal manfroto 055 pro, weighs a ton. Red Snapper is another good make and I think it still has tie's with TP, check them out, significantly cheaper.
 
Filters it depends on what you are doing - if its for landscapes i'd say a Cokin P system (or Lee if you can afford it) and a set of ND grads, and maybe a couple of NDs for long exposures (maybe a 3 stop, and the big stopper or its hitech equivalent) - dont worry about warm ups its easier to do that in photoshop

Other than that if you are going to be doing anything that involves a lot of spray/dust or flying cack of any description you might want a screw on UV for each lens to protect the front element

Tripod wise manfrotto are a good make - but it depends on whether you are going to be doing a lot of walking with the tripod whether its worth getting a CF one for weight or going with the cheaper steel version.

Also don't neglect extra batteries (BP511A) 7 day shop is the best place for cheap non OEM ones, CF cards unless you already have them, and a BG E2 Battery grip is well worth getting (44 quid from MPB) - if you want to do long exposures you might also want to get a cable or IR release (canon ones from MPB, or 3rd part radio triggers on ebay)

And finally dont forget to get a decent bag to put all your new kit in

And camera insurance (unless your house insurance covers it)

Oh yeah and a talk photography camera strap ;)
 
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Cheers guys, I think primarily for filters it'll just be to protect the lens but I've also observed how they can take away glare and yet make the picture brighter and more clarified.

I won't be walking great distances as I have a bad leg but might manage a couple of miles when out nature watching or when following a car rally.

The bag I can get cheaper new than 2nd hand from MPB so that can wait.

Nearly forgot, the 40D that I've got my eye on comes with 3 batteries.
 
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Torque said:
Cheers guys, I think primarily for filters it'll just be to protect the lens but I've also observed how they can take away glare and yet make the picture brighter and more clarified.

I won't be walking great distances as I have a bad leg but might manage a couple of miles when out nature watching or when following a car rally.

The bag I can get cheaper new than 2nd hand from MPB so that can wait.
Click to expand...

To cut reflection and enhance colours you need a circular polariser filter

and battery wise I'd say you still ought to get another few - especially if you chimp a lot - I usually carry 6 - and like i said a battery grip (which goes on the bottom of the camera and hold two batteries) is well worth the investment - apart from giving you more power without having to change batts, it also makes vertical shooting much easier as it features a second shutter button
 
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:D just ordered a 40D, Tamron SP 17-50 F2.8, Canon EF 70-300mm and a BG-E2.

Roll on Monday and thanks again folks for all your invaluable advice.
 
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