20D User's Manuals available for download

Canon Canada has posted the PDF versions of the camera and software

user's manuals for the 20D. The link is (please forgive me, I'm not

an HTML user):

 

 

http://www.canon.ca/product_reg.asp?

lng=en&pid=299&pname=EOS+20D&pr=0&shlink=http%3A%2F%2Fcanoncanada%

2Ecusthelp%2Ecom%2Fcgi%2Dbin%2Fcanoncanada%2Ecfg%2Fphp%2Fenduser%

2Fstd%5Falp%2Ephp%3Fp%5Fli%3D%26p%5Fpage%3D1%26p%5Fprod%5Flvl1%3D13%

26p%5Fprod%5Flvl2%3D271%26p%5Fcat%5Flvl1%3D5%26p%5Fsearch%5Ftext%3D%

26p%5Fnew%5Fsearch%3D1%26p%5Fsearch%5Ftype%3Ddflt%26p%5Fsort%5Fby%

3Ddflt

Rob,

 

How about this?

 

http://tinyurl.com/6w8v7

 

Pierre

Thanks a lot for the info! Just quickly went through the manuals and got very happy that nobody called yet on my ad about selling my EOS 3. Ok, I accepted 1.6x crop size, I even accepted to tolerate fat-spot meter, but to lack of real DOF-mode that I use 90% of the time for hyperfocal focusing...no, thank you. It's really hard to believe that CPU in 20D is unable to provide real DOF mode. I hope Canon comes before long with semi-professional model of DSLR cheaper than used car. Any hope it will happen at PMA?

What is 'real DOF' mode? And, how is it more valuable than being able to look at the LCD

and see the actual DOF?

real DOF mode (as found in EOS 3, dunno about EOS 30/Elan) is when I register (by AF on it) nearest desired object, then register the farmost object, then recompose and press AF button again and camera calculates where it should focus and what apperture should be. Then I switch to M-mode, close down the apperture 1.5-2 stops from suggested in DOF mode and make the shot. EOS 20D features damn A-DOF mode instead, just like my first EOS 3000, where camera chooses for you farmost and nearest objects and only within about 3/5th of the frame in the center. It's lame.

sorry, didn't answer second question - at least my eyes are not good enough to judge sharpness of tiny objects in the tiny viewfinder of even 35mm film bodies and LCD's in DSLRs are not for pre-view but for post-view if I understand things correct.

When a digital shot doesn't cost anything, the difference between a preview and post-view

becomes sort of irrelevant, just make an adjustment and shoot again. The zoom feature

lets you see exactly what's in or out of DOF. If DOF is that critical to your images, digital is

the way to go.

<p>But the real DOF mode would let you get the shot the first time, rather than taking the shot, then fooling around scanning around the image on a little LCD at full zoom, trying again, and so on. I have no idea why Canon leaves the real DOF mode off its prosumer DSLRs; they include it on their prosumer 35mm SLRs and have done for many years.</p>

It looks like they have removed 'real DOF' even from their new flahship - 1Ds Mk 2! Do they have some substitute for this or is it like first we drop DOF scale on the lenses, now we drop even DOF mode?