Printable View
I know a lot of guys on this site are into photography and I have the chance to buy a second hand Canon eos 20D. So my question is does anyone have any feedback on this camera? I will be useing it as my main camera, so is it a good allrounder? and lastly the camera seems to be in just about perfect condition and comes with a 35 - 150mm lens, what would be a fair price?
I know this is a lot of questions but I hope you can help.
Thanks.
Mike.
I have a 20d and love it---i bought it new--- ebay may be an indicator as to what the market is now---i run a 28-135 zoom almost all the time,
i got it wet on my last tarpon trip and thought id be in the market for a new one but after letting it dry it worked fine.
Most of the ones I see are running from $250.00 - $550.00 U.S. Unless your friend is going to make you a real sweet heart of a deal you can pick up a new or factory demo of other brands for the same price.
Not to bash Canon as they make a great product but they are #1 in sales and charge you for the name. Unless you are getting a great deal on this, say in the $200 - $300 U.S. range I think I would take a serious look at a Pentax, Olympus or Nikon.
Check these guys out. They are very fair on their prices, ship overseas and have excellent service:
http://stores.ebay.com/Cameta-Camera...QQftidZ2QQtZkm
You might consider taking your friends camera to the local photo shop and have it's value estimated.
I'd have to respectfully disagree with nighthawk on this one, but only due to my own experience. I don't have any experience with Pentax or Olympus--but I know that you cannot go wrong with a Canon or a Nikon. They're the number one sellers for a reason. I don't know what your photographic experience is, but I'd bet almost anyone would be happy with a 20D. I have a good friend who owned and operated a very successful home-grown photography service (marketed to kids up through high-school sports teams) and he shot everything with a 10D. His pictures are of the upmost quality and I'd say professional without hesitation.
I currently with shoot with an XTi eos that I bought new off ebay a couple years ago. It is a couple steps down from the 20D, but I absolutely love it. I've shot portraits, engagement pictures, 2 weddings and it does great for that. I've also shot a lot of landscapes and various other things, but I don't yet have a great lens for that. I've had it down two very dirty and dusty caves in Utah and after it's a tough camera. I haven't tested it in water yet and don't ever plan on it, but...you get my point. Depending on the quality of lens you're getting with the camera I'd imagine paying between $800-$1400. I know that is a broad range, but it really depends on the quality of the lens you're getting with it. If you can get it for $850 or less I'd definitely buy it.
Just for fun, here are a few pictures with it. Just keep in mind the 20D will probably produce better quality images.
http://inlinethumb43.webshots.com/39...600x600Q85.jpg
http://inlinethumb35.webshots.com/21...600x600Q85.jpg
http://inlinethumb41.webshots.com/25...600x600Q85.jpg
The price point using ebay on used equipment is a good suggestion. Be sure to test the camera and lens. Run it through it paces. Check for hot pixels, dust on the sensor and if it uses a compact flash card check that the pins are not bent.
As others have stated you cannot go wrong with Canon or Nikon. They are the top tier of DSLRs manufacturers and lenses.
If you plan on printing be sure to look at a quality photo printer from Epson and use a calibration tool (hardware and software) for your monitor for best results.
The one thing i might add is that the canon lenses work better than the aftermarket lenses because they are linked ultrasonically for the automatic focus and aperture and make all the adjustments a lot quicker than non canon lenses---the 28-135mm zoom is also inertia stabilized so it removes some camera shake too---there are sensor cleaning kits that im looking into now(easy to do)---i have some reoccuring spots on all my pics
I do have experience with Pentax, Nikon, Olympus and Canon. As I said in another post the biggest factors are Optics, mega pixels and the skill of the photographer. Just like in the old SLR film cameras it went Optics, Film quality and skill of the photographer.
Nobody beats Nikon and Asahi/Pentax for quality of their optics. Canon is number one for the same reason G.M. used to be number one in automobile sales. Canon chose to put great marketing behind a very good quality product. There is nothing wrong with that. How many commercials from the other manufacturers do you see as compared to the number of Canon commercials? Before anyone takes me to task over that, which will happen anyway, let me repeat that there is nothing wrong with selling a quality product as Canon does and I am not bashing Canon I just think, again like G.M., that their products are overpriced.
Oh well, consider the source. I am the one that bought Sturm, Ruger & Co. rifles when everyone else said, "Ruger makes bolt action rifles?", Savage Arms when everyone thought they were not in business anymore, Pentax/Asahi cameras, Simmons scopes and Ford vehicles. Go figure.:rolleyes:;):D
http://i65.photobucket.com/albums/h2...IMGP0443-1.jpg
http://i65.photobucket.com/albums/h2...IMGP0446-1.jpg
http://i65.photobucket.com/albums/h2...IMGP0414-1.jpg
http://i65.photobucket.com/albums/h2...IMGP0161-1.jpg
I consider all of those photos of mine to be poor-fair in quality.
Thanks very much for the input guys, nice pics! I certainly have a few things to think about. The lens is a Canon 35 to 150mm and I can use the camera for a few days to try it out so I will probably do so this weekend.
Thanks.
Mike.