[Leica] 20D experience

[robinson at sfsu.edu (Gib Robinson)]

Hi Everyone,
(long post)

I've been away from the list for a long time (about three years, I think). I
left because I had too much to do and found the conversations on the list
drew me away from other things (like work & family medical issues) that
needed tending. I'm back for the "Big Event" and because I have been hanging
around reading various postings, particularly those about the 20D. 

I have a pro-photo friend who has been quietly drawing me toward Canon for
many years (he also owns M's). This spring when the price dropped on the 20D
I bought one, along with two lenses and a Speedlite 580EX. I knew at the
time that I was spending money I had been putting aside for the DMR and
making the choice NOT to get a DMR for at least a year. While I still have
some pangs about not lining up right away for what I think will be an
extremely compelling digital back, I'm VERY pleased with the 20D. 

As I said, I've been reading some of the postings about people's experience
wiht the 20D (Ted & Tina, especially) and watching the back and forth about
the pros and cons of Leica/Canon. Here's my take:

In a way, I bought the 20D on "impulse". I had been considering and
rejecting it. Finally, I picked one up in a camera store. Three days later,
I owned one. Why? Same reason I walked out of a store with an M2 years ago.
I liked the feel of the camera. Not that the 20D feels like an "M" but I
like what it is, just as it is. The two lenses I bought (EF 17-40 f/4 L
series Canon and a 28-75 f/2.8 Tamron) were highly recommended by my
pro-photo friend. Both are good lenses. I bought the speedlite 580EX because
when I photograph people I use lots of fill flash outdoors & bounce flash
indoors. 

The 20D has simply been a joy. The body & lenses are light & very
functional. Auto-focus, which I've never really hankered after, is a
delight. Not crucial (because I don't shoot sports very much), but a nice
bonus. The 580EX has been dead on and incredibly easy to use. I can do
everything I want with the flash and the results are flawless. Of course I
watch the histogram and take sample shots, but that's part of what digital
lets you do. 

The quality of the lenses is very good (no real surprise). They're sharp and
pretty flare resistant, certainly good enough for an 8MP digital body and
probably good enough for almost anything except maybe very richly textured
landscapes & subtle light. I've worked them hard over the past six weeks;
and, of course, I tried the camera with some Leica glass; but the results
with tle Leica gear have been decidedly mixed. Balance is important to me
and the Leica lenses are by and large a poor match for the 20D, which is
much lighter than the R8. The 100 macro is fine to work with, and the 21-35
is pretty good. The 400 f/6.8 should be good, but the 70-200 is an awkward
match. The balance issue makes it hard for me to focus, zoom, and play with
the aperture ring (the extra disadvantage), so I ended up buying the EF
70-200 f/4 - another nice lens. I also bought a very competent Canon film
body, an Elan 7N for $299!!!. Yes. $299. We're talkin' the price of a couple
of Leica lens shades.

The other half of my current adventure has to do with CS2 and the
flexibility of working with raw files. It's an incredible adventure. For
those who are about to start that journey, I'd say by all means go for it,
but get help! I've had two wonderful books to help me: Real World Camera Raw
with Adobe Photoshop CS2, by Bruce Fraser and Photoshop CS2 Workflow: The
Digital Photographer's Guide", by Tim Grey. For me the Raw conversion
options in CS2 give me more control than I ever thought possible over color,
tone, exposure correction, etc. and the 20D gives me plenty of good quality
pixel data to work with.  
 
So that's basically it. I have two systems now and I intend to keep two
systems. I simply can't sell any Leica equipment. I've acquired it over many
years at considerable cost and I love it. I love the feel & look & the
results I get. So, I'll wait and drool when people start talking about their
experiences with the DMR. From the reports I hear, it could well rival the
1Ds Mk II in performance with Leica glass. I've seen one 20x24 print from an
unedited "raw" file. It was impressive. But I don't think I'll ever regret
getting the Canon gear I own. Aside from it's ease of use and overall
competence, I expect Canon to contiue producing cutting-edge digital cameras
at a fairly reasonable price. That's a nice future to look forward to. I
also like walking out of the house with a system that doesn't rival the car
I drive for retail cost. Every piece of Canon gear I own (now four lenses)
can be cheaply insured and replaced at a retail cost of under 3.5K. If I
walked out with the equivalent set of Leica gear, I'd be carrying about 15K
(counting a DMR - now $6K?). The peace of mind that brings me is one of the
intangible advantages of the Canon system. (Actually, I used to feel uneasy
shooting with Leica gear in some places where it was hard to watch
everything. In fact, we've had German Shepherds in our family for years.
I've taught them to stay close to me and my cameras when I'm photographing
in the city and not paying close attention to people approaching.)

So, for those people toting up the pros and cons of Leica vs Canon, I can
say that my personal choice is "both". 

Cheers & good light,

-Gib