Production 350D/Rebel XT vs Canon 20D comparo

[eos 10 fan]

whichlens.com is running a <a

href="http://www.whichlens.com/index.php?blog=5&title=canon_350d_vs_canon_20d_comparison_revie&more=1&c=1&tb=1&pb=1"><b>comparison</b></a>

of a production 350D/Rebel XT and Canon 20D.<p>

 

Looks like Canon's new DSLR will be hitting stores soon.

<p>--

[patricks]

hardly the most credible source of information. there is no "about" section on whichlens.com and it seems to operate mainly to drive traffic to amazon.com via their associates program, i.e. the owners of that site gets 5%+ in payback for any business they drive (when you click on the link/images on their site it includes a wichlenscom-20 line-of-code, which allows them to collect money through the associates program).

 

Hey, I'm not saying it is a bad program, I'm just saying sites/reviewers like whichlens.com should state the purpose behind their site.

[steve_dunn2]

<p>Just yesterday, <a href="http://www.photo.net/bboard/q-and-a-fetch-msg?msg_id=00BRNz&unified_p=1">people reported here</a> that the 350D/Drebel XT has already hit some stores in some parts of the world, including Australia and the U.S.</p>

 

<p>Bob Atkins has had <a href="http://www.bobatkins.com/photography/digital/eos_digital_rebel_xt_vs_20d.html" target="_blank">a comparison of specs between the two</a> on his site for a while. There are things that a real-world comparison test can find that specs can't, such as how well autofocus works in challenging low-light situations, so Bob's comparison and the one mentioned above are complementary.</p>

[whitworth photography]

Thanks for posting this.

[bobatkins]

I think the issues to be determined are AF performance and image quality (mainly noise related issues).

 

AF performance is very difficult to quantify. Exactly what do you measure? There really is no standard test method. Are you measuring speed, if so with what lens and under what lighting conditions. Are you measuring tracking ability, if so what's the speed of the subject, what's the light level and which lens are you using. If you're measuring AF accuracy, which AF point are you using, what's the maximum aperture of the lens and what's the light level. Most "reviews" won't touch on any of these things.

 

Image quality (noise) is easier, though even there it's not trivial and requires the tester have some background in testing and suitable analysis software. What about banding etc. Again, there are no standards by which to measure.

 

My bet, after extensive laboratory tests and dozens of opinions, is that the 20D will be said to have somewhat better AF performance (define "somewhat better" if you can!) and that noise and image quality will be similar to the 20D.

 

That's all most people will really want to know.

 

BTW I'm doing my best to get hold of one for review here on photo.net. We'll have to wait and see what happens. Canon don't really work with us on this stuff, so we'll have to go another route.

[patricks]

here are some of my spontanous concerns:

 

- af accuracy: did i read that review correctly, there is no enhanced center-foucs point? i only use fast lenses/primes on my Canon's and only use center-point focus - should i be concerned here?

 

- test images. don't the DXT images look noticely softer than ditto from the 20D? or is it just the reviewers skills/technique?

 

FYI, both Adorama and B&H have already sold out of this camera, expect another batch next week.

[patricks]

oh well, of course, it can be set to single af point (after closer reading).

[steve_dunn2]

<cite>af accuracy: did i read that review correctly, there is no enhanced center-foucs point? i only use fast lenses/primes on my Canon's and only use center-point focus - should i be concerned here?</cite>

 

<p>Define "enhanced."</p>

 

<p>If you mean cross-type, then the 350D has it; the 350D's central AF point is a cross sensor. This has been standard on most if not all EOS bodies in the last decade or so. Unlike some of the higher-end bodies, whose cross sensors revert to line sensors with slower lenses, the lower-end bodies like the 350D retain cross sensors right to the f/5.6 limit.</p>

 

<p>If you mean high-precision, then no, the 350D doesn't have it. But you wouldn't expect it to, given its position in the model line. No Rebel, digital or film, has ever had one. Neither has any Elan. None of the 7-point AF bodies has ever had one. The only EOS body below the pro (1) and semi-pro (single-digit) families ever to have a high-precision sensor is the 20D.</p>

[jim_larson1]

do I even DARE ask a question regarding relative AF sensor size?

[mark_thomsen]

Ritz cameras still has some 350Ds in stock as of 5PM on Friday the 11th (Pacific Time). Mine shipped today. Will put it through some tests on Monday when it arrives and have a weekend of shooting in Death Valley next week to really see how it works.