Fast and the furious is the pace of progress. Nikon launches the 100D entry-level camera, Canon attacks head-on with the EOS 10D and undercuts it at the same time with the EOS 300D. Nikon comes back with the D70, a technical update to the D100 in a cheaper body and at the EOS 300D's price point.
Canon's latest shot in what's become a two-sided war in the market is the EOS 20D, an update to last year's EOS 10D. The 20D is the first bump in resolution, upgrading from a 6MP CMOS sensor to an 8MP CMOS sensor. The changes to the imaging system are not earth-shattering, but a bigger than just the resolution bump. The EOS 20D gets the same DIGIC-II processing system of the top-of-the-line EOS 1D Mark II and improved microlenses on the imaging sensor; the result being top of its line resolution and noise. A doubling of the transfer speed from the imaging sensor has also increased the burst rate to five frames per second despite the larger size. The EOS 20D has also improved upon the EOS 10D's wake-up time, ready to shoot whenever you are, just like the current Nikons.
The EOS 20D supports Canon's established EF lenses as well as the new line of EF-S lenses which it introduced with the EOS 300D. Canon has announced two new lenses to launch with the EOS 20D, adding to the 18-55mm lens already available. The 17-85mm (f4.5-f5.6) has 5x zoom range, and while not particularly fast, it comes with image stabilization and Canon's ultrasonic motor (USM) allowing full-time manual focus and quick autofocus. It's a good carry lens for $600, with some noticeable distortion at the extremes. The other new lens, the EF-S 10-22mm (F3.5-F4.5) is another USM lens, and adds a wide-angle lens for Canon's APS-C sized sensor (16mm-35mm equivalent) and is a high-quality lens with an $800 price.
At $1,500 the EOS 20D is priced at 1.5x the 300D and Nikon's D70. If you're looking to get into digital photography, they're all excellent choices; the EOS 20D and D70 have a very-fast 1/8000 shutter; the Nikon has a convenient auto-ISO mode. In terms of feel, the EOS 20D feels much more solid than the D70, which itself feels better than the EOS 300D. The EOS 20D shoots 8MP at 5fps, compared to 6MP at about 3fps. Whether all of that is worth $500 is up to the individual purchaser who has been blessed with three great options.