Canon 10D versus Fujifilm X20

The Canon EOS 10D and the Fujifilm X20 are two digital cameras that were officially introduced, respectively, in February 2003 and January 2013. The 10D is a DSLR, while the X20 is a fixed lens compact. The cameras are based on an APS-C (10D) and a 2/3 sensor. The Canon has a resolution of 6.3 megapixel, whereas the Fujifilm provides 12 MP.

Body comparison

An illustration of the physical size and weight of the Canon 10D and the Fujifilm X20 is provided in the side-by-side display below. Three successive views from the front, the top, and the rear are shown. All size dimensions are rounded to the nearest millimeter. You can also use the toggle button to switch to a percentage comparison if you prefer that the measures are being expressed in relative terms (in this case, the camera on the left side – the 10D – represents the basis for the calculations across all the size and weight measures).

If the front view area (width x height) of the cameras is taken as an aggregate measure of their size, the Fujifilm X20 is considerably smaller (49 percent) than the Canon 10D. In this context, it is worth noting that neither the 10D nor the X20 are weather-sealed.

The above size and weight comparisons are to some extent incomplete and possibly misleading, as the X20 has a lens build in, whereas the 10D is an interchangeable lens camera that requires a separate lens. Attaching the latter will add extra weight and bulk to the setup. You can find an overview of optics for the 10D and their specifications in the Canon EF Lens Catalog.

The table below summarizes the key physical specs of the two cameras alongside a broader set of comparators. If you want to switch the focus of the display and review another camera pair, just select a new right or left comparator from among the camera models in the table. Alternatively, you can also move across to the CAM-parator tool and choose from the broad selection of possible comparisons there.

The listed prices provide an indication of the market segment that the manufacturer of the cameras have been targeting. The X20 was launched at a lower price than the 10D, despite having a lens build in. Usually, retail prices stay at first close to the launch price, but after several months, discounts become available. Later in the product cycle and, in particular, when the replacement model is about to appear, further discounting and stock clearance sales often push the camera price considerably down. Then, after the new model is out, very good deals can frequently be found on the pre-owned market.

Sensor comparison

The imaging sensor is at the core of digital cameras and its size is one of the main determining factors of image quality. A large sensor will generally have larger individual pixels that offer better low-light sensitivity, provide wider dynamic range, and have richer color depth than smaller pixels in a sensor of the same technological generation. Furthermore, a large sensor camera will give the photographer more possibilities to use shallow depth-of-field in order to isolate a subject from the background. On the downside, larger sensors are more costly to manufacture and tent to lead to bigger and heavier cameras and lenses.

Of the two cameras under consideration, the Canon 10D features an APS-C sensor and the Fujifilm X20 a 2/3 sensor. The sensor area in the X20 is 83 percent smaller. As a result of these sensor size differences, the cameras have a format factor of, respectively, 1.6 and 3.9. The sensor in the 10D has a native 3:2 aspect ratio, while the one in the X20 offers a 4:3 aspect.

Despite having a smaller sensor, the X20 offers a higher resolution of 12 megapixel, compared with 6.3 MP of the 10D. This megapixel advantage comes at the cost of a higher pixel density and a smaller size of the individual pixel (with a pixel pitch of 2.20μm versus 7.38μm for the 10D). However, it should be noted that the X20 is much more recent (by 9 years and 10 months) than the 10D, and its sensor will have benefitted from technological advances during this time that make it possible to gather light more efficiently. Coming back to sensor resolution, it should be mentioned that the X20 has no anti-alias filter installed, so that it can capture all the detail its sensor resolves.

Since 2007, DXO Mark has published sensor performance measurements that have been derived using a consistent methodology. This service determines an overall sensor rating, as well as sub-scores for low-light sensitivity ("DXO Sports"), dynamic range ("DXO Landscape"), and color depth ("DXO Portrait"). The adjacent table reports on the physical sensor characteristics and the outcomes of the DXO sensor quality tests for a sample of comparator-cameras.

Many modern cameras are not only capable of taking still images, but also of capturing video footage. The X20 indeed provides for movie recording, while the 10D does not. The highest resolution format that the X20 can use is 1080/60p.

Feature comparison

Apart from body and sensor, cameras can and do differ across a range of features. The 10D and the X20 are similar in the sense that both have an optical viewfinder. The latter is useful for getting a clear image for framing even in brightly lit environments. The table below summarizes some of the other core capabilities of the Canon 10D and Fujifilm X20 in connection with corresponding information for a sample of similar cameras. The full specs-sheets can be found in the camera manual or, for example, in the dpreview camera hub.

Both the 10D and the X20 have been discontinued, but can regularly be found used on ebay. The 10D was replaced by the Canon 20D, while the X20 was followed by the Fujifilm X30.

Summary

So what conclusions can be drawn? Which of the two cameras – the Canon 10D or the Fujifilm X20 – has the upper hand? A synthesis of the relative strong points of each of the models is listed below.

Reasons to prefer the Canon EOS 10D:

• Better moiré control: Has an anti-alias filter to avoid artificial patterns to appear in images.
• Easier setting verification: Has an LCD display on top to control shooting parameters.
• More flexible: Can take a variety of interchangeable lenses, including specialty optics.
• Longer lasting: Can take more shots (500 versus 270) on a single battery charge.
• More heavily discounted: Has been available for much longer (launched in February 2003).

Advantages of the Fujifilm X20:

• More detail: Has more megapixels (12 vs 6.3MP), which boosts linear resolution by 35%.
• Maximized detail: Lacks an anti-alias filter to exploit the sensor's full resolution potential.
• Broader imaging potential: Can capture not only stills but also 1080/60p video.
• Larger screen: Has a bigger rear LCD (2.8" vs 1.8") for image review and settings control.
• More detailed LCD: Has a higher resolution rear screen (460k vs 118k dots).
• Faster burst: Shoots at higher frequency (12 vs 3 flaps/sec) to capture the decisive moment.
• Ready to shoot: Comes with an integrated lens, while the 10D requires a separate lens.
• More compact: Is smaller (117x70mm vs 150x107mm) and will fit more readily into a bag.
• Less heavy: Has a lower weight even though it has a lens build in (unlike the 10D).
• Sharper images: Has stabilization technology build-in to reduce the impact of hand-shake.
• More affordable: Was introduced at a lower price, despite coming with a build-in lens.
• More modern: Reflects 9 years and 10 months of technical progress since the 10D launch.

If the count of relative strengths (bullet points above) is taken as a measure, the X20 is the clear winner of the contest (12 : 5 points). However, the relevance of individual strengths will vary across photographers, so that you might want to apply your own weighing scheme to the summary points.

In any case, while the comparison of technical specifications can provide a useful overview of the capabilities of different cameras, it remains partial and cannot reveal, for example, the handling experience and imaging performance when actually working with the 10D or the X20. User reviews, such as those found at amazon, can sometimes inform about these issues, but such feedback is often incomplete, inconsistent, and biased. This is where reviews by experts come in. The table below summarizes the assessments of some of the best known camera review sites. The detailed reviews can be accessed, respectively, on the websites of cameralabs.com, dpreview.com, ephotozine.com, imaging-resource.com, and photographyblog.com.

The above review scores should be interpreted with care, though. The ratings were established in reference to similarly priced cameras that were available in the market at the time of the review. Thus, a score needs to be put into the context of the launch date and the launch price of the camera, and comparing ratings of very distinct cameras or ones that are far apart in terms of their release date have little meaning. Also, kindly note that some of the listed sites have over time developped their review approaches and their reporting style.

Other comparisons

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