So, time to make the announcement. After returning my ist D, I now find myself with a C***n 20D, 17-85 f4-5.6IS USM, a 580EX speedlite, a BG-E2 battery grip, an E1 hand strap, an extra battery and a B+W MRC UV filter. I miss my kidneys.
Anyway, having had a chance to play with both, here are some comparisons. 1. The most obvious one, I miss the sleekness of the tiny ist D (even with a grip) holding the 20D and grip. It's chunky. A monstrous monstrosity. And no matter what people tell you, the 20D is ugly. The battery grip doesn't make an effort to be tiny either. The ist D's grip takes 4 AA's sideways while the 20D's grip takes 6 AA's side by side. And what's more, my 16 beloved 2500mah Inca Nimh batteries which I spent a fortune on, seem fine browsing the 20D, but don't supply enough voltage to shoot! In fact, AA's in the 20D hardly work at all, and Canon will tell you that (like they told me). On the other hand, my Inca's lasted forever in the ist D (using a 50 1.4). Felt like I never had to recharge them. I'm probably going to end up selling them now :-( 2. The ist D sounds a lot better. The 20D (because of a new mirror design to accomodate the short back focus EF-S lenses) sounds, literally, like the whole camera was made of wood. Imagine the ist D's to be a 'chlick' vs the 20D's 'chlock'. I should capitalise some of that for emphasis too.. Very ironic considering the 17-85 is quieter than a dog's tail wagging. 3. The 20D, unfortunately, does have superior image quality. I'm probably not comparing in the same price/spec range that's why. Amazingly, while the ist D produces significant noise at 1600, the 20D at 1600 produces possibly the same noise as the ist D's 400. For non RAW shooters, the 20D also provides more control over in camera settings e.g. more range to set sharpness, contrast etc. 4. The 20D's TTL with the 580EX seems to provide more accurate exposures than the ist D with the AF360fgz. In low light without AF assist, the 20D with the 17-85 focuses much faster than the ist D with the SMC F 50 1.4. 5. The 20D does not feel like a walkaround camera. Feels like it should live in a studio. This might present problems when I'm backpacking London and Paris in a few days. 6..Probably other stuff to talk about, but the 20D doesn't allow me to post to the PUG. I hope I don't end up Franken-lensing like some. Enough for now.. Cheers, Ryan PS. Will still be hanging on to my dear 5n. It's taken some good shots and I'm sentimental. Plus I need a film camera. Plus it's like a season ticket to the list :-) Just an afterthought, what are people paying for a minty SMC F 50 1.4 these days?
