Canon 20D, 30D, 40D....

[akrab]

I have the 30D, and am curious how the 3 close models differ... is one better than the other? does one fall short? I see a lot of people hang onto their 20D's... I am pleased with my 30D so far.. there is a 20D and a 40D for sale locally (20D for $400 and 40D for $700) I have considered a second body but intend on getting at least one more lens first...

[Pony]

IIRC,there is a list of about 7 or 8 features of the 40D over the 30D.The 40D has a larger LCD,hi-lite tone priority,dust cleaning sensor,better high ISO,better autofocus,live view.Don't remember the others at the moment but it's worth the additional money over the other 2 cameras.The 20 had some problems w/error codes when some lenses were attached,even the manufacturers own lenses.The 40D is a great camera.

[Pony]

Gee,how could I forget? The 40D has the 10.1 MP sensor and a newer DiGiC processor.

[akrab]

is $700 a fair used price?

[Pony]

Depending on condition that sounds like the current rate.To be certain check out the used prices at B&H or Adorama.

[swampler]

I had the 30D and didn't feel the 40D was worth upgrading to. I did upgrade to the 50D and think that upgrade was definitely worth it. I suspect a lot of 50D users may be upgrading to the 7D, so you might get a good deal on a 50D if you hold off a while.

[Pony]

FWIW,the camera also has a max. frame rate of 6.5 fps. KEH Camera: Used Cameras, Digital Cameras, Film Cameras, Laptop Computers and More. has bodies in excellent condition w/accessories listed at $789.

[msowsun]

All the xxD series are very nice cameras. Each new one improved on the older one. You really can't go wrong with any of them except maybe for the 10D because it is so slow to power up, slow to write to the memory card, and slow to review photos on the LCD.

[Max@Home]

Originally Posted by akrab

I have the 30D, and am curious how the 3 close models differ... is one better than the other? does one fall short? I see a lot of people hang onto their 20D's... I am pleased with my 30D so far.. there is a 20D and a 40D for sale locally (20D for $400 and 40D for $700) I have considered a second body but intend on getting at least one more lens first...

Compared to 20D the 30D is basically a refined version: they share the same sensor, same DiGic II processor, same MP etc, but the 30D got some extra features that IMO were really missing on the 20D: spot-metering, ISO in viewfinder (when changing, not permanent), ISO adjustable in 1/3rd steps, PictureStyle so the DPP software worked better, 9-steps adjustments in stead of 5-step adjustments for the sharpness/color/contrast settings, larger LCD (2.5" in stead of 1.8" makes a world of difference), choosable high speed frame rate (3 or 5 FPS, 20D only has 5 FPS), larger buffers (for longer bursts).

If you had the 20D (like me) then 30D was not really an update 'IQ-wise', but it certainly was/is 'control-wise'. I skipped the 30D

Again, compared to 20D the 40D is the first real 'updated' model: more MP (10 in stead of 8 ), more FPS, 14bit color, DiGiC III processor, SensorCleaning, faster, more sensitive, more accurate AF, larger viewfinder, interchangeable focusing screens, ISO permanenet in viewfinder, Highlight Tone Priority, LiveView, a larger LCD (but still at low-res), higher usable ISO.

When 40D came out, I sold my 400D (2nd/backup camera), bought the 40D as 'main' and made my 20D the '2nd/backup' camera.

The 50D is again a real update to the series in my book, as it got the DiGiC 4 processor, a new sensor (15MP), a high-res LCD, even more in-camera image adjustment parameters (highlight tone priority, auto lighting optimizer, peripheral illumination correction), 2 new LiveView Contrast Detect AF modes, again higher usable ISO.

But by the time 50D came out my needs for a more weather proof body had driven me away from the xxD series: I had sold the 40D and bought a 1D3

...€0.02...

Kindest regards!

Max@Home

[msowsun]

I think the best improvement of the 50D is "Micro Adjust " feature.