Photography - Canon EOS 20d advice

DB wrote in message ...
Two questions:
First if I go to local camera shop like Ritz, do they usually take
trade ins? I'm thinking of trading up from a EOS 20d up to a 40d
(body only of each).

Assuming it can be traded in, what is the trade in value of an EOS 20d
body (excellent condition) today? If I should sell it myself, what
would that value be? And do they only take trades if you buy a new
one from them?

Off topic, for a typical home user, is the 40d worth upgrading from
the 20d? Will the pictures taken by the 40d be noticeably better to
the eye than the 20d? I suppose value wise I'm better to stay with
the 20d since its paid for but I'm willing to cough up say $500 more
if the 40d is worth upgrading for. I assume the lenses and the shoe
for the flash on top is the same for both models?
Suggestions/advice ?

It ain't the camera that "makes" the picture, it's the person operating it.

As for trade-in value, generally cameras are worse than used cars. Once you
drive them off the dealer's lot, the trade-in value goes way down. You would
probably have better luck selling privately to someone who wants to use the
camera, not trading it in to a dealer who has to resell it at a profit.

Only you can determine whether a camera step-up is worthwhile. Are there
pictures that you've missed because of a feature lacking on the 20d that the
40d has?

Differences in photo quality between two cameras are generally most apparent
in large enlargements. Additionally, if you see a difference, you need to
eliminate other variables, mainly was the system used to make the
enlargements the same in both cases, and optimized for the camera?

Flash shoes are basically the same mechanically, but some manufacturers have
added additional contacts to the shoe to provide certain features with
certain flashes.

Why not try an experiment: Get an old used mechanical film camera, like a
Canon TX, a Pentax K1000 or a Minolta SRT101. Spend a year learning to take
the best possible pictures with that, and then go back to your 20d. If you
really want to...