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Canon 20D vs Canon 5D MIV

Portability
59
Imaging
45
Features
39
Overall
42
Canon EOS 20D front
 
Canon EOS 5D Mark IV front
Portability
55
Imaging
76
Features
85
Overall
79

Canon 20D vs Canon 5D MIV Key Specs

Canon 20D
(Full Review)
  • 8MP - APS-C Sensor
  • 1.8" Fixed Screen
  • ISO 100 - 1600 (Increase to 3200)
  • 1/8000s Max Shutter
  • No Video
  • Canon EF/EF-S Mount
  • 770g - 144 x 106 x 72mm
  • Launched November 2004
  • Replaced the Canon 10D
  • Newer Model is Canon 30D
Canon 5D MIV
(Full Review)
  • 30MP - Full frame Sensor
  • 3.2" Fixed Screen
  • ISO 100 - 25600 (Raise to 102400)
  • 1/8000s Max Shutter
  • 4096 x 2160 video
  • Canon EF Mount
  • 890g - 151 x 116 x 76mm
  • Revealed August 2016
  • Succeeded the Canon 5D MIII
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Canon 20D vs Canon 5D MIV Overview

Lets take a closer look at the Canon 20D and Canon 5D MIV, both Advanced DSLR cameras and both of them are created by Canon. There exists a big gap among the sensor resolutions of the 20D (8MP) and 5D MIV (30MP) and the 20D (APS-C) and 5D MIV (Full frame) boast totally different sensor measurements.

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The 20D was unveiled 12 years before the 5D MIV which is a fairly big gap as far as camera technology is concerned. Both the cameras have the same body design (Mid-size SLR).

Before going into a step-by-step comparison, here is a short view of how the 20D matches up against the 5D MIV in regards to portability, imaging, features and an overall score.

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Reasons to pick Canon 20D over the Canon 5D MIV

 20D 5D MIV 

Reasons to pick Canon 5D MIV over the Canon 20D

 5D MIV 20D 
RevealedAugust 2016November 2004More modern by 143 months
Screen dimensions3.2"1.8"Bigger screen (+1.4")
Screen resolution1620k118kSharper screen (+1502k dot)
Touch screen Quickly navigate

Common features in the Canon 20D and Canon 5D MIV

 20D 5D MIV 
Manual focus Very exact focus
Screen typeFixed Fixed Fixed screen
Selfie screen Neither offers selfie screen

Canon 20D vs Canon 5D MIV Physical Comparison

If you're planning to carry around your camera frequently, you will have to take into account its weight and dimensions. The Canon 20D offers external measurements of 144mm x 106mm x 72mm (5.7" x 4.2" x 2.8") having a weight of 770 grams (1.70 lbs) while the Canon 5D MIV has dimensions of 151mm x 116mm x 76mm (5.9" x 4.6" x 3.0") and a weight of 890 grams (1.96 lbs).

Look at the Canon 20D and Canon 5D MIV in the new Camera and Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Don't forget, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will differ dependant on the lens you have during that time. Here is a front view sizing comparison of the 20D against the 5D MIV.

Canon 20D vs Canon 5D MIV size comparison

Considering dimensions and weight, the portability rating of the 20D and 5D MIV is 59 and 55 respectively.

Canon 20D vs Canon 5D MIV top view buttons comparison

Canon 20D vs Canon 5D MIV Sensor Comparison

Typically, its tough to visualise the gap in sensor sizes only by looking through technical specs. The picture here should offer you a clearer sense of the sensor measurements in the 20D and 5D MIV.

As you can tell, both cameras have different megapixels and different sensor sizes. The 20D having a smaller sensor will make shooting shallower DOF tougher and the Canon 5D MIV will render more detail having an extra 22 Megapixels. Higher resolution will help you crop shots a bit more aggressively. The more aged 20D will be behind when it comes to sensor tech.

Canon 20D vs Canon 5D MIV sensor size comparison

Canon 20D vs Canon 5D MIV Screen and ViewFinder

Canon 20D vs Canon 5D MIV Screen and Viewfinder comparison
Photography Glossary

Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Canon 20D as a Portrait photography camera
Canon 5D MIV as a Portrait photography camera
47
manual focus
sensor size is nice (APS-C)
saves RAW formats
no liveview
no manual control
low MP (8 megapixels)
85
focusing manually
excellent sensor resolution (30 megapixels)
sensor size is large (Full frame)
provides face detect focusing
exports RAW formats
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Street Comparison

Canon 20D Street photography details
Canon 5D MIV Street photography details
52
sensor size is nice (APS-C)
saves RAW formats
no moving screen
lack of image stabilization
65
sensor size is large (Full frame)
exports RAW formats
offers touch to focus
weather proof
very good high ISO (25,600)
no moving screen
does not have image stabilization
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Sports Comparison

Canon 20D Sports photography highlights
Canon 5D MIV Sports photography highlights
43
high shutter speed (1/8,000 seconds)
sensor size is nice (APS-C)
has phase detect autofocus
no liveview
max fps very slow (5.0 frames/s)
lack of image stabilization
low MP (8 megapixels)
80
high shutter speed (1/8,000 seconds)
excellent sensor resolution (30 megapixels)
sensor size is large (Full frame)
provides tracking focus
weather proof
sensor has phase detect AF
does not have image stabilization
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Travel Comparison

Canon 20D Travel photography advice
Canon 5D MIV Travel photography advice
45
flash built-in
low MP (8 megapixels)
doesn't have a selfie friendly screen
67
weather proof
offers touch to focus
excellent sensor resolution (30 megapixels)
screen is not selfie friendly
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Landscape Comparison

Canon 20D Landscape photography information
Canon 5D MIV Landscape photography information
46
manual focus
swap lenses (Canon EF/EF-S mount)
sensor size is nice (APS-C)
saves RAW formats
tiny screen (1.8")
no liveview
no manual control
lack of image stabilization
low MP (8 megapixels)
80
focusing manually
change lenses (Canon EF mount)
screen is a decent size (3.2 inch)
excellent sensor resolution (30 megapixels)
sensor size is large (Full frame)
very good high ISO (25,600)
exports RAW formats
weather proof
has double storage slots
does not have image stabilization
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Vlogging Comparison

Canon 20D Vlogging features
Canon 5D MIV Vlogging features
9
lack of video recording
31
touchscreen functionality
provides face detect focusing
good video quality (4096 x 2160 pxls)
includes mic port
screen is not selfie friendly
does not have image stabilization
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Canon 20D vs Canon 5D MIV Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Canon 20D and Canon 5D MIV
 Canon EOS 20DCanon EOS 5D Mark IV
General Information
Company Canon Canon
Model type Canon EOS 20D Canon EOS 5D Mark IV
Category Advanced DSLR Advanced DSLR
Launched 2004-11-03 2016-08-25
Body design Mid-size SLR Mid-size SLR
Sensor Information
Processor - Digic 6+
Sensor type CMOS CMOS
Sensor size APS-C Full frame
Sensor dimensions 22.5 x 15mm 36 x 24mm
Sensor surface area 337.5mm² 864.0mm²
Sensor resolution 8 megapixels 30 megapixels
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio 3:2 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9
Full resolution 3504 x 2336 6720 x 4480
Max native ISO 1600 25600
Max boosted ISO 3200 102400
Lowest native ISO 100 100
RAW format
Lowest boosted ISO - 50
Autofocusing
Focus manually
Touch to focus
Continuous autofocus
Single autofocus
Tracking autofocus
Autofocus selectice
Center weighted autofocus
Autofocus multi area
Live view autofocus
Face detection focus
Contract detection focus
Phase detection focus
Total focus points 9 61
Cross type focus points - 41
Lens
Lens mount type Canon EF/EF-S Canon EF
Available lenses 326 250
Crop factor 1.6 1
Screen
Screen type Fixed Type Fixed Type
Screen diagonal 1.8 inches 3.2 inches
Resolution of screen 118 thousand dot 1,620 thousand dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch function
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type Optical (pentaprism) Optical (pentaprism)
Viewfinder coverage 95% 100%
Viewfinder magnification 0.56x 0.71x
Features
Lowest shutter speed 30 seconds 30 seconds
Highest shutter speed 1/8000 seconds 1/8000 seconds
Continuous shooting speed 5.0 frames/s 7.0 frames/s
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manual exposure
Exposure compensation - Yes
Set white balance
Image stabilization
Inbuilt flash
Flash distance 12.00 m (ISO 100) no built-in flash
Flash options Auto, On, Red-eye reduction, Off no built-in flash
External flash
AEB
WB bracketing
Highest flash sync - 1/200 seconds
Exposure
Multisegment exposure
Average exposure
Spot exposure
Partial exposure
AF area exposure
Center weighted exposure
Video features
Video resolutions - 4096 x 2160 (29.97p, 24p, 23.98p), 1920 x 1080 (59.94p, 29.97p, 24p, 23.98p), 1280 x 720 (119.9p)
Max video resolution None 4096x2160
Video file format - MPEG-4, Motion JPEG
Mic jack
Headphone jack
Connectivity
Wireless None Built-In
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 3.0 (5 GBit/sec)
GPS None Built-in
Physical
Environment seal
Water proofing
Dust proofing
Shock proofing
Crush proofing
Freeze proofing
Weight 770 gr (1.70 lbs) 890 gr (1.96 lbs)
Physical dimensions 144 x 106 x 72mm (5.7" x 4.2" x 2.8") 151 x 116 x 76mm (5.9" x 4.6" x 3.0")
DXO scores
DXO All around rating 62 91
DXO Color Depth rating 21.9 24.8
DXO Dynamic range rating 11.0 13.6
DXO Low light rating 721 2995
Other
Battery life - 900 pictures
Battery form - Battery Pack
Battery ID - LP-E6
Self timer Yes (10 sec (2 sec with mirror lock-up)) Yes (2 or 10 secs, custom)
Time lapse shooting
Type of storage Compact Flash (Type I or II) CompactFlash + SD/SDHC/SDXC card (UHS-I enabled)
Storage slots Single 2
Launch pricing $1,300 $3,299