canon eos 350 d or 20d?

[andy doughty]

im on the verge of buying my first dslr camera.ive currently got the fujifilm s7000,ive had a few problems with it and i just wondered which canon to go for? i like wildlife/scenery photos and i need it for some serious wedding photos.can anyone help ?

[robski]

Hi Andy welcome to WPF

We regard to image quaility there is very little to chose between them. It depends on wether you feel is better to spend the extra on better features and build quality or put the money towards a good lens. To many people focus on the camera when they should also research into the lens.

If you are serious about wide angle and wedding work maybe a 5D full frame is a better choice if you can afford it. Both the 350D and 20D are good for long telephoto work because of the high resolution and crop factor. If these cameras were full frame they would be 20mp.

I suggest if you have not already done so compare the 2 cameras in the hand. the 350D is much smaller than the 20D.

I went for the 20D for the following reasons when upgrading from a 300D.

I felt the 350D was too small for my hand especially if large heavy lens are fitted. Mind you some folk have bought the 350D battery grip to get around this problem.

Better build qualitiy. I droped my 20D a few months back. The camera OK but lens in for repair.

I prefered the viewfinder on the 20D

Longer battery life. ( also used the same batteries as 300D so I had some more spares )

A link comparing the two cameras.

http://bobatkins.photo.net/photograp...xt_vs_20d.html

There are a lot of people using the 350D for wildlife so if money is a bit tight for camera and a good lens then go the 350D route. There is no point in having good camera and a cheap lens. I would also buy a body only and buy a better lens than the kit 18-55 lens ( this lens is quite poor, the only thing in its favour is that it is a very cheap wide angle lens )

[KC Foggin]

Hi Andy. Welcome to WPF.

I see Rob has already given some very useful advice. I hope you will share your photos with us once you have made your decision.

[Adey Baker]

Originally Posted by andy doughty

...and i need it for some serious wedding photos...

I would leave the serious wedding photos to a serious wedding photographer rather than risk relying on a new, unfamiliar camera. There's an awful lot of features on these beasts and a wedding is no place to have to start looking through the instruction manual to see if it's got/how to use a particular function.

The 20D is a more substantial camera but, as Rob says don't cut down on the glass in front - that's all important in getting good photos.

[andy doughty]

thanks for the advice everyone,might go with the 350d,battery grip and decent lense,as i like wildlife photography i need a good zoom lense but i also like macro so if theres a lense out there thats good for both???

[postcardcv]

Personally I feel there are two big advantages to the 20D - firstly the solid build - there's no denying that it feels better in the hand than the 350D and certainlty seems more likely to cope with the odd knock. Secondly the shooting rate - the 20D shoots at 5fps where as the 350D only manages 3fps.

That said I use the 350D and am very happy with it, infact I'd happily buy another one. I use mine with a battery grip and it does make a huge difference to the handling.

[Adey Baker]

Are Canon still doing their £100 cash-back on the 20D? There can't be that much difference in price between the 20D - £100 and the 350D + Battery grip and extra batteries.

[Jon Sharp]

Hi Andy, sorry to hear you had problems with your s7000 - I used one for over 12 months without a hiccough, (apart from those caused by user error!). Most of the pictures in my gallery were taken on the fuji camera. I believe it's also suitable for wedding work, which I'm sure most professionals would cringe at, but if this an area your considering then keep it as a back-up!
Like your about to do, I recently upgraded to a dSLR so that I could acquire lenses to suit the subject, particularly wildlife which is limited with the Fuji.
I opted for the 350d not having the pockets for the 20d. As it's pretty much the same sensor to me it made no sense financially. I don't have particularly large hands so size wasn't an issue and it's comparable to the 35mm film cameras I used in years gone by. Problem is my partner also now prefers it and I've just had to shell out for another - so time to part company with my s7000.
Initially I tried to have a one lens fits all solution and purchased the sigma 28-300 DG - but in the end I've found it better to get a specific lens for a specific job.

[robski]

Originally Posted by Jon Sharp

I believe it's also suitable for wedding work, which I'm sure most professionals would cringe at.

Just to take the thread off course for a few seconds. I was in my local Jessops on Sunday and got chatting to a Guy who is thinking of parting with over £2000 on a Canon 1 something or other. it's the 8.2Mp one anyway. In the course of the conversation he told me he was upgrading from a 300D. He used the 300D and kit lens to take background photographs for the local TV station's weather spot.

The guy was a bit clueless with regards to hardware. I suggested the 5D maybe better suited for his use for taking sunrise and sunset shots as the 8 frames per second on the Canon 1 is more for photo journalist.

So there is hope for us all

[Adey Baker]

Originally Posted by robski

Just to take the thread off course for a few seconds. I was in my local Jessops on Sunday and got chatting to a Guy who is thinking of parting with over £2000 on a Canon 1 something or other. it's the 8.2Mp one anyway. In the course of the conversation he told me he was upgrading from a 300D. He used the 300D and kit lens to take background photographs for the local TV station's weather spot.

The guy was a bit clueless with regards to hardware. I suggested the 5D maybe better suited for his use for taking sunrise and sunset shots as the 8 frames per second on the Canon 1 is more for photo journalist.

So there is hope for us all

A lot of people seem to be able to talk their way into a good job nowadays, don't they!