introduced 2004

• 8.2 megapixel CMOS sensor
• new hi-precision 9-point AF
• accurate E-TTL II flash system
• high-performance second generation DIGIC processor
• can record separate RAW and JPEG image files
• strong magnesium alloy body
• USB 2.0 Hi-Speed
• Video out interface
• complete compatability with EF and EF-S lenses
• compatible with EX-series Speedlites
• supplied with Digital Photo Professional software

A replacement for the EOS 10D. 8.2 megapixel CMOS sensor, 5fps shooting speed, 9-point AF and a new distance-linked E-TTL II flash system.

EOS magazine, September 2004, page 58

Type
Camera: digital AF/AE single lens reflex with built-in flash
Compatible lenses: all Canon EF, EF-S, TS-E and MP-E
Angle-of-view: equivalent to lens of 1.6x focal length on 35mm camera

Image sensor
Type: CMOS
Image size: 22.5 x 15mm
Effective pixels: approx. 8.25 mega-pixels (3088 x 2056)
Pixel unit: 6.4µm square
Colour filter type: RGB
Cleaning mode: provided

Recording system
Media: single slot for CompactFlash cards Type I and II; IBM MicroDrives
Recording format: switches to FAT 16 or FAT 32 automatically

White balance
Modes: Auto, Daylight, Shade, Cloudy, Tungsten, Fluorescent, Flash, Custom (reading taken from white surface), Colour Temperature (manual setting from approx. 2800 to 10000 K
White balance bracketing: three images with up to ±3 steps bracketing (each step equivalent to 5 Mireds); not possible in RAW mode

Viewfinder
Type: eye-level, fixed
Focusing screen: fixed (New Laser Matte)
Dioptric adjustment: ?3.0 to +1.0 Eye point: 20mm
Coverage: approx. 95% vertically and horizontally
Magnification: 0.9x (with 50mm lens at infinity, ?1 dioptre)
Viewfinder information: AF points, AE Lock, FE Lock, AEB in progress, flash ready, FP flash, flash exposure compensation, shutter speed, aperture, data processing (busy), exposure level, exposure compensation, manual exposure level, AEB level, flash exposure compensation, red-eye reduction lamp on, maximum burst during continuous shooting, shots remaining, AF focus confirmation, CF card full/error/missing warnings
Mirror lockup: with C.Fn.12-1
Depth-of-field preview: available

Autofocus
Type: TTL Cross Type Secondary Image Registration
AF points: 9
Focusing modes: Autofocus, One-shot AF, Predictive AI Servo AF, AI Focus AF, manual
Focusing point selection: automatic, manual
AF point display: superimposed in viewfinder: shown on LCD display
AF speed: equal to or faster than EOS 10D
Focus confirmation: shown in viewfinder, beeper
AF working range: EV 0.5 to 18 (at 20°C and ISO 100)
AF assist beam: intermittent firing of built-in flash

Exposure control
Type: Maximum aperture TTL metering with 35-zone SPC
Patterns: evaluative, partial, centre weighted
Modes: Program AE (P), shutter-priority AE (Tv), aperture-priority AE (Av), depth-of-field AE (A-DEP), full auto, Programmed Image Control (portrait, landscape, close-up, sports, night portrait, flash off), manual, E-TTL II autoflash program AE
ISO speeds: 100, 200, 400, 800, 1600, 3200; set automatically in basic zone modes, set manually in creative zone modes
Metering range: EV 1 to 20 (50mm f1.4 lens at ISO 100
Exposure compensation: auto exposure bracketing (up yo ±2 stops in 1/2 or 1/3 increments), manual, flash
AE Lock: automatic, manual
Multiple exposure: not possible

Shutter
Type: vertical travel, mechanical, focal plane with all speeds electronically controlled
Speeds: 1/8000 second to 30 seconds (1/3 or 1/2 stop increments), bulb, X-sync at 1/250 second
Self-timer: 10 second delay
Mirror lock: with C.Fn-12-1 self-timer delay is 2 seconds
Camera shake warning: in full auto and PIC modes

Drive
Modes: single, continuous, self-timer
Continuous shooting speed: maximum 5fps for a burst of up to 22 shots
Image review: provided

Built-in flash
Type: auto pop-up, retractable
Guide number: 13 (ISO 100, metres)
Flash coverage: up to 17mm focal length
Sync speed: up to 1/250 second
System: E-TTL II
Flash level control: auto flash reduction for backlit conditions and daylight flash
Flash exposure compensation: up to ±2 stops in 1/3 or 1/2 stop increments
Second curtain sync: available
Red-eye reduction: provided

External speedlites
Contacts: hot-shoe and PC terminal
Compatability: fully compatible with EX-series Speedlites; EZ-series Speedlites can only be used in manual and stroboscopic modes
Flash exposuire compensation: manual (up to ±2 stops); FEB (flash exposure bracketing)
Modelling flash: enabled by depth-of-field preview button in creative zone modes with 580EX, 550EX, 420EX, MR-14EX, MT-24EX

LCD monitor
Type: TFT colour, liquid crystal
Size: 1.8 inches
Brightness adjustment: 5 levels

Playback and printing
Image display: single, single with info, 9-image index, magnified zoom (approx. 1.5x to 10x in 15 steps), autoplay
Highlight alert: provided
Rotation: manual; auto image
Protection: single image can be protected or unprotected
Erase: single or all images can be erased if unprotected
Printing: Direct Printing possible with compatible printer
 

Other feature
Custom functions: 17 (61 settings)
Firmware updating: possible by user
Remote terminal: N3-type
Start-up time: approx. 0.3 second
Battery: Battery Pack BP-511 or BP-512
AC power: possible
Power saving: provided
Back-up battery: CR2025
Body material: magnesium alloy (top, front, rear cover), polycarbonate resin, and special conductive fibre-mixed polycarbonate resin
Operating environment: 0°C to 40°C, 85% or less humidity

Soze and weight
Size: 144 x 105.5 x 71.5mm
Weight: 690g, excluding battery pack, CompactFlash card and body cap

Canon's latest digital EOS, the 20D, features a newly developed second-generation APS-C size 8.2 Megapixel CMOS sensor, 5fps shooting speed, 9-point AF and new distance-linked E-TTL II flash system.

Replacing the 6.3 megapixel EOS 10D, the new camera is powered by the same DIGIC II processor found in Canon's professional series EOS 1D Mark II. Second generation DIGIC improves on Canon's already class-leading colour rendition accuracy and speeds up processing and start-up times. A rugged magnesium alloy body completes the EOS 20D's professional look and feel.

"The class-leading combination of 8.2 Megapixels and the best of EOS digital SLR technology now surpasses the performance, operability and image quality of film SLRs," said Malcolm Hills, Head of Canon Consumer Imaging UK and Ireland.

Improved performance
Key elements of the EOS 10D have been re-designed to improve performance and image quality. The DIGIC II processor combines with an increased buffer size to deliver a 23 frame burst rate up to 5 fps ? nearly double the performance of the EOS 10D. Separate JPEG and RAW files can write simultaneously with no loss in performance.

Upgraded sensor
The second-generation 8.2 Megapixel APS-C size CMOS sensor is purpose-built for the EOS 20D. An extremely high ISO 3200 setting is selectable. High pixel density is made possible by the introduction of smaller area photo-diodes with a better S/N ratio and equivalent sensitivity to those of the EOS 10D. Improved high-performance micro lenses positioned above each photo-diode increase the percentage of light reaching the pixels, enhancing high-ISO performance and improving image quality. A new on-chip noise elimination circuit amplifies the signal in slow-read steps to eradicate fixed pattern and random noise, while a 3-layer optical low-pass filter placed in front of the sensor reduces false colour effects.

Better focusing
A new focus sensor and algorithm, and an increase from 7 to 9-point wide-area AF, improves autofocusing speed and accuracy, particularly evident with off-centre subjects. Autofocus points not only cover a broader area of the frame, they are distributed so that focusing is fast and sharp when the classic 'rule-of-thirds' composition technique is employed. The centre focusing point functions as a cross-type sensor when using lenses with an f/2.8 or faster aperture.

Distance-linked flash
The EOS 20D features Canon's new E-TTL II distance linked flash algorithm for both its built-in and external Speedlite units for vastly improved flash results. Rather than relying solely on pre-flash metering and focus points, the system takes into account such factors as lens distance information, ambient light readings and the detection of reflective objects in order to calculate flash output (see pages 36-39). The camera is compatible with the entire EX series Speedlite flash range. This includes Canon's new Speedlite 580EX (see page 62), which auto zooms when fitted to the EOS 20D to provide optimum flash coverage for the camera's APS-C sensor size, and transmits colour temperature information for improved colour stability.

Lens mount
The EOS 20D is compatible with Canon EF and EF-S lenses. The camera's launch is supported with the announcement of two new EF-S lenses, the EF-S 17-85mm f/4-5.6 IS USM and EF-S 10-22mm f/3.5-4.5 USM (see page 62).

Black & White
In a first for a digital SLR, the EOS 20D features a new monochrome mode, making it possible to shoot in black-and-white. A range of filter effects (yellow, orange, red and green) can be digitally applied in much the same way that black-and-white photographers use colour filters. Toning effects (sepia, blue, purple and green) can add a colour to the final result, providing the same effect as conventional chemical toning.

Connectivity
The EOS 20D is the first DSLR model from Canon to feature a USB 2.0 Hi-Speed interface, making it easier to shoot with the camera connected to a computer in a studio environment, recording images straight to hard disk. USB 2.0 Hi Speed is approximately 40 times faster than standard USB 1.1, which was used on the previous EOS 10D. The camera is PictBridge compliant to support direct printing to any compatible photo printer.

Data Verification
The EOS 20D is compatible with the optional DVK-E2 data verification kit, used in fields such as insurance, reporting and police work to verify the authenticity of images taken with the camera.

Software
New image processing software Digital Photo Professional v1.1 provides high-speed processing of lossless RAW files. Processing with Digital Photo Professional is approx. six times faster than the previously supplied File Viewer Utility. It allows real-time display and immediate application of adjustments to images and includes a wide array of RAW, TIFF or JPEG image editing functions, which give control over variables such as white balance, dynamic range, exposure compensation and colour tone. The camera JPEG images can be recorded in sRGB or Adobe RGB colour space, and the Digital Photo Professional application supports sRGB, Adobe RGB and Wide Gamut RGB colour spaces. An ICC (International Colour Consortium) profile attaches automatically to RAW images converted to TIFF or JPEG formats. This allows faithful reproduction of colours in software applications that support ICC profiles, such as Adobe Photoshop. Image processing of various parameter changes can now be batched rather than carried out sequentially, vastly increasing the efficiency when applying a number of changes to the same images.

Also provided is Canon EOS Solution Disk 8.0, containing EOS Viewer Utility 1.1, EOS Capture v1.1 and PhotoStitch 3.1. Adobe Photoshop Elements 2.0 is included to allow comprehensive image manipulation when needed.

Free membership
The EOS 20D includes membership of Canon's online photo album, CANON iMAGE GATEWAY with 100MB of space for image uploads and photo sharing.

Accessories
To partner the EOS 20D and provide additional shooting options there's a new BG-E2 battery grip. Dedicated to the EOS 20D the BG-E2 takes two powerful Lithium-Ion battery packs increasing enabling up to 2000 shots to be taken between charges. The new battery grip can also be used with six AA batteries in the supplied BM-E2 battery magazine. The BG-E2 provides additional shutter release, main dial, AE lock/FE lock and AF point selection controls for easier vertical shooting.

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