Why eos 60d

The 60D is in many ways a great camera; it's fast, with a great feature set, especially for video, and produces excellent photos and videos.

It's just not quite as fast as the D for burst shooting, and I wish Canon would stop randomly futzing with its interfaces which it does with the point-and-shoot lines as well. But if shooting video is your primary goal, it does edge out the D in that respect. Lori Grunin. The Good Very fast; articulated display; excellent video quality and options.

The Canon EOS 60D is in many ways a great camera: fast, feature-packed, and with excellent photo and video quality. Some annoying aspects of its control layout dim its shine a little, however, so try before you buy. Canon EOS 60D photo samples. Shooting speed in seconds Shorter bars indicate better performance.

Canon EOS 7D 0. Canon EOS 60D 0. Nikon D 0. Canon EOS 50D 0. Nikon D90 0. Typical continuous-shooting speed in frames per second Longer bars indicate better performance. Canon EOS 7D 7. Canon EOS 50D 6. Nikon D 5. Canon EOS 60D 5.

Nikon D90 4. See full specs See all prices. Cameras Culture Canon. Canon EOS 50D. Canon EOS 7D. Nikon D The staff at the Westbury House kindly gave us special permission to photograph inside the house itself, as photographs are normally prohibited. The period decor and particularly the relatively dark lighting in the dining room offered a good test of the Canon 60D's high-ISO ability. We compared its images with those from a Rebel T2i, that being the most recent model using a similar megpixel sensor, and hence was the one that would likely be the most competitive with the 60D's image quality.

The lens was focused on the vase at the back of the room, just to the left of center, using magnified live view for best accuracy, and the camera was mounted on a massive Manfrotto studio tripod to avoid any vibration. As you'll see below, the engineers have managed to eke out just a bit more crispness and detail in the Canon 60D than in its already-excellent predecessor.

Remember, this is comparing one excellent camera against another at percent onscreen, and unless you print a massive image, you won't see the difference in a print. At ISO 1, it's hard to see much difference between the two cameras. The 60D's image on the left looks a little more contrasty, and detail is better defined, but much of that could be due to a slightly lighter exposure.

Detail in the roses of the vase seems a little better defined. Slightly more noise is introduced into the image in the brown field behind the gentleman in the portrait, but more contrast and detail are maintained as well, and the gentleman's eyes are more distinct.

Some of the T2i's detail in the vase is starting to fade. At ISO 12, there's a little more definition in many aspects of the Canon 60D's image, but the continued difference in brightness makes it hard to pick a favorite. The gentleman's eyes are still more distinct in the 60D shot, but I might prefer the T2i's softer rendering at this ISO level. It's a pretty close call. Both cameras handle the scene quite well. It's not tack sharp, but I'm glad I caught the motion of its wings.

Just two years ago, ISO 12, was a throwaway setting at best, with the 50D turning out nasty images fraught with overt banding, visible even in a thumbnail. It's impressive. Feel free to shoot in near-darkness. I left Dave to take pictures inside the hot, non-air conditioned Westbury House, instead wandering out into the Old Westbury Gardens on a very hot day. The good news was that plants love hot days, and the gardens were replete with interesting flowers, birds, and butterflies. It's a versatile optic that's well-suited for a walk in the park.

Despite a large number of changes to the Canon 60D's user interface, it was still largely familiar. I have to admit that though I'm disappointed that some functions no longer have a button, I found the control layout very efficient. Pulling up the Quick menu is how you get most things done, using the rear status display. I still habitually changed ISO and Drive modes on the top deck most of the time, but it was a lot easier than it is on my 20D, thanks to the simpler one-button, one-function philosophy.

I also appreciated the smaller size of the Canon 60D. It's not dramatically smaller, but is better for a walk than the 50D was. I don't think it's as small as my now ancient 20D, but the grip is smaller, and will be more comfortable for a wider array of users.

Zoom range. Just a quick demonstration of the mm's range. That's a sun dial on the top of that tower, by the way. But it bugs Dave to no end. We both use a lot of cameras, so it's just a matter of taste. Since no recent Canon SLR has had a locking Mode dial, I predict so many people will stumble over it that Canon won't do it again for a while.

We'll see. Might this move been made based on popular demand? Narrow DOF. As usual, I took a very large number of pictures. In a place like the Old Westbury Gardens, there's plenty to catch a photographer's eye. There's some softness in the macro shots, which are handheld snapshots grabbed on the fly; it wouldn't be my first choice for such photography, but I wanted to demonstrate what the Canon 60D kit can do, and I thought it did pretty well.

We have since posted a review of the mm lens on SLRgear. Click here for the review, complete with interactive blur charts. The lens was so bright that I chose to dial the EV back by At that point I was having more fun with the lens than the camera, but that's testament to how quickly the Canon 60D got out of my way and just let me take pictures, which is what it's all about. I enjoyed watching this family walk away from the rest of the crowd.

A photo is good, but I was happy when I remembered I could take a video of them. Click on the image to download a 52MB file. Note that you'll need a fast processor--something like a dual core--and a high-res screen to view this Full HD video. I got some humorous videos of geese pecking at and walking along on the grass.

I don't think I had the wind filter activated, so there's some wind noise in the shot. Not that wind filters ever fully remove wind noise. One major item disappointed me about the Canon 60D. Deletion of this feature is a strange choice that I just don't get from Canon's perspective. Yes, it forces more advanced photographers like me to buy a 7D, but not all can afford such a camera.

Besides, who doesn't want a way to make their lenses sharper? Wouldn't Canon benefit if people could have their photographer friends show them how to tune their lenses to be even better? It seems like a no-brainer to me, and it should be a pretty easy firmware fix. To omit it from a high-end camera whose predecessors have the feature just doesn't make sense. Perhaps they don't want to field the support calls when curious newbies find and adjust the feature and suddenly all their pictures are blurry.

It's possible. Aside from that issue, I really enjoyed shooting with the Canon 60D. I like its reduced size, simplified controls, including the new integrated 8-way controller and Quick Control dial. The big 8-way disk allowed me to easily change AF points with a quick press, just like the joystick used to do.

I forgot to use the Vari-angle display until I started doing contortions to get the right angle while shooting indoors.

It's very nice to have on an SLR. The mm kit lens is a near ideal lens for Canon's new target market, with reasonable sharpness and a handy 7.

Given the high resolution of the Canon 60D, I recommend hobbyists consider some sharper optics for more serious work, and a medium prime lens or two. Ultimately, the Canon 60D is built for a different market. That's probably just the right strategy. It seems like every Canon line has contributed a little something to Canon's entry-level prosumer digital SLR, and the results are quite good.

Recent advances in sensor technology have made ISO 1, look a lot more like ISO , but there are still cameras whose quality starts to fall apart at this setting. I also choose 1, because I like to be able to shoot at this level when indoors and at night. The major rivalry in the broader market is between the Canon 60D and Nikon D The Canon 60D has more apparent resolution, with its megapixel sensor versus Nikon's megapixel res.

Noise suppression removes more of the chroma noise in the shadows, but interestingly it also removes the real colors between the mosaic tiles, a hint of which the Nikon retains.

We discovered that these colors were real with our Pentax D test shots , and confirmed them with a closer look with real eyeballs. Still, the Canon produces a very clean image. That is until you look at the red leaf swatch, which the 60D renders quite fuzzy and the Nikon does better at retaining some truth of the image to see what it really looks like, look to the D crops. Image quality of the GH2 is difficult to judge next to the Canon 60D mostly because of the different color balance and tone curve, which makes the GH2's image look darker.

In general, Panasonic's cameras have a tougher time with yellows in particular in their JPEGs, rendering the mosaic background greenish instead of more neutral tan. Resolution appears similar, though the sensors are two megapixels off; the GH2's sensor is , while the 60D is Another rival in the market, as it's believed to use a similar megapixel sensor to the one in the Nikon D, is the Pentax K Indeed, performance is quite good, eliminating more chroma noise than the D However, it also has trouble with the red swatch, further mischaracterizing it in a different way than the 60D.

The pink swatch beneath the red swatch is also rendered more purple, as we also saw in the D. Still, a pretty good performance from both cameras. That megapixel Sony sensor naturally also makes an appearance in the Sony A, but it's clear that Sony remains the most aggressive of the three companies when it comes to noise suppression. While the back wall of the Still Life display appears to have some texture it does have texture , it appears much softer in the Sony image.

Gaps between the tiles also appear a little softer in the A images. Still, I'm happier with the rendering of the red leaf swatch from the Sony than from the 60D, soft though it be. The Canon 60D still handles the chroma noise better than the D, but Nikon's more balanced approach leaves more of the red leaf swatch looking better. It is a smaller sensor, though, so one wouldn't expect it to outdo the 60D.

I'd take either one, save for that red swatch. Lower the ISO when shooting the family in their Christmas garb those who don't celebrate Christmas, be sure to lower the ISO when depicting yourself next to your new red Ferrari.

Both cameras perform about equally at ISO 3,, with the Sony still having an edge on the red leaf swatch. ISO images print quite well, with sharp detail at 24 x 36 inches, with good color and no discernible noise.

This is true up to ISO , where slight chroma noise starts to show up in the shadows at this size. It's only slight and you have to squint to see it. Detail, however, is still very good, even in reds, with 20 x 30 being quite good here. ISO images still look good at 16 x 20 inches.

At 20 x 30 we begin to see slight chroma noise in the shadows, and some softening in the reds and other finely detailed areas. ISO 1, shots look quite good at 13 x 19 inches, with only minor noise apparent in some shadowy areas. ISO 3, prints look good and crisp at 11 x 14, again with only minor noise in some flatter areas. ISO 6, images are usable at 8 x 10 inches, though the red swatch is now a foggy blur, while the rest of the image is reasonably sharp.

The shadows have slight luminance and chrominance noise. All of this, except for the red swatch, becomes negligible at 5 x 7 inches. ISO 12, make a very usable 5 x 7 inch print, but with noisy shadows.

Reducing the image size to 4 x 6 produces a very nice print, however. RAW images should deliver considerably more resolution and higher quality when processed with good software. See below for our conclusion; be sure to check the other tabs for details and test results. Canon's latest enthusiast digital SLR draws from many different cameras in Canon's lineup, from the Canon G12, with its swivel screen, to the 5D Mark II, with its fairly advanced video functionality.

Though the controls have changed a bit, I still found the Canon 60D very familiar. The simplified controls tend to reduce the fiddle-factor, which results in a camera that gets out of the way and lets you concentrate on shooting.

Autofocus is fast and pretty reliable, and the camera feels great in the hand. The Canon 60D's mm kit lens offers an extremely useful focal range for all kinds of photography, and it's nice to have Full HD video built-in for those few moments when only video will do. Canon has learned a lot from the competition these last few years, making changes that matter to avid photographers. Even the shutter sound is more tame, without a lot of winding and buzzing, making me feel more like a photographer than a show-off.

I like the location of the Live View button, but miss the 7D's ability to switch more quickly to Movie mode. Having to go to the Mode dial makes it more of a hassle. The lack of Micro-focus adjustment and a PC Sync terminal is a clear sign that the Canon 60D wasn't strictly intended for the serious photographer; that's who the 7D was built to serve. At least in the latter case, the built-in flash can serve to fire several off-camera EX-series strobes, but those with studio lights will have to employ a hot shoe adapter, instead of just using the standard PC Sync cord with their existing equipment.

Most shooters can ignore those two points, though. The 60D has a broad set of advanced features, including the electronic level, an external mic jack, advanced autofocus, sophisticated metering, and a whole lot more. The Canon 60D's swivel screen means you can really get creative shooting from odd angles, and its high speed capture is good for sporting events and shots of the kids at play. The Canon 60D is a great upgrade for Rebel owners, too, offering a little more speed, a bigger viewfinder, and remote flash capability.

There's no question that the Canon 60D takes great pictures and videos, works like a charm, and does incredibly well in low light. Even ISO 12, shots produce a good 4x6-inch print. The Canon 60D is very fun to shoot with, takes great shots in low light, and makes earning a Dave's Pick look easy. It should come as no surprise that we also gave it 5 out of 5 points.

Canon 60D Review Tweet Share. Pros Excellent megapixel sensor with superb detail; Very good high ISO performance, especially for megapixel subframe sensor; 3. Cons Body not as rugged as mag-alloy 50D; AF assist only works when flash is up, though flash can be forced off; Auto-exposure not reliable in very low light; No continuous autofocus in Movie mode.

Imaging Resource rating 5. The Canon 60D is reduced in nearly all dimensions, except for the overall thickness. Width and height are smaller by one and two millimeters respectively, and the shoulders slope a bit more. An infrared sensor appears on the 60D grip, while it's long been absent from the 50D and its predecessors. The Canon 60D's left-mounted LCD hinge seems to be a clear reason that the overall control set has been reduced from the 50D, as there's no longer room for the buttons across the bottom of the LCD, nor is there room on the left.

The LCD is most changed from the 50D, as it's now tapered instead of rectangular. Finally it's obvious from this angle how much smaller the grip is; that'll be good for some, not for others depending on your hand size. The 60D even includes an infrared receiver, located on the grip, while the Nikon D's IR port appears on the upper right of the lens mount.

The resulting HD video is a standout in its beautiful depth-of-field characteristics and remarkable capture capability under poor lighting conditions. Additionally, a Movie Crop function is included: An SD-quality video x can be cropped to the equivalent of about 7x magnification of regular shooting. The audio input level can be set to Auto or Manual, up to 64 levels, and a wind filter minimizes unwanted background noise. By pressing the Quick Control button, a simple graphic user interface for adjusting image quality, white balance, image creation and other settings appears on the LCD.

Video can be captured at a number of resolutions and frame rates for numerous applications. It can capture x Full HD video at frame rates of 30 The EOS 60D also has a built-in microphone for simple mono recording and stereo sound can be recorded through a self-powered external microphone.

By easily switching between low and high angles, the EOS 60D freely enables angle adjustments even if the camera is mounted on a tripod or has a battery grip attached. Superb for reviewing, editing and deleting photos or composing new images in Live View function, the Vari-angle Clear View LCD monitor is also the perfect means for accessing camera settings like ISO, metering modes, AF Point selection, the horizontal Electronic Level and flash options.

The EOS 60D operates with such effortless speed that operation is nothing short of intuitive. With a 0. Able to shoot up to 5. A six-level battery check indicator has been added on the left, and the exposure level indicator scale has been expanded to up to three stops, with arrows indicating greater exposure levels.

By taking into account the color and luminosity surrounding chosen AF points, this system delivers an advanced level of accuracy for better results even in difficult lighting situations.

Since the metering sensor has a color measurement function, exposure errors and focus errors caused by different light sources are minimized; the EOS 60D gives stable exposure from shot to shot in situations where light changes, such as in a theater or concert hall.

This makes the EOS 60D ideal for scenes with extreme difference in brightness such as brightly lit scenes or backlit scenes; the camera balances exposure of the main subject at the background, and exposures are not overly influenced by bright areas in the shot. The EOS 60D marks a highpoint in convenience for the photographer by being able to shoot an image as a RAW file and then process it entirely in-camera to produce a separate JPEG file without the need of an outside computer.

The EOS 60D gives you 10 process variables - brightness adjustment, white balance, Picture Style, Auto Lighting Optimizer, noise reduction, JPEG image-recording quality, color space, lens peripheral illumination correction, distortion correction and chromatic aberrations correction - to create the image you envision, set to the aspect ratio used in 35mm film.

Additionally, once you capture an image with the EOS 60D, you can digitally manipulate it in-camera with a number of creative filters for artistic and dramatic effect. Options include Soft Focus Effect to convey dreamy tableaus; Grainy Black-and-White Effect for a gritty, hard-bitten look; Toy Camera Effect - the deliberate vignetting and color shift technique popular in art photography - and Miniature Effect, which blurs the top and bottom edges of the image to emphasize perspective and conveys a miniaturized look of the scene.

Canon lenses employ advanced optical expertise and micron-precision engineering to deliver unprecedented performance in all facets of the photographic process. Special optical technologies, such as aspherical, ultra-low dispersion, or fluorite elements are featured in the universally acclaimed L-series lenses. And Canon's Optical Image Stabilizer technology is featured in select lenses to minimize the effect of camera shake.

Additionally, photographers can use for video the same lenses they do for still photography; Canon wide-angle, macro, super-telephoto, tilt-shift and fisheye lenses provide a wealth of focal lengths, depth-of-field and other creative shooting options once reserved for stills.

Through Canon lenses, photographers can truly maximize the quality and liberating performance of the EOS 60D. With any of the flashes in the EX Speedlite line, E-TTL II provides reliable flash output whether shooting fill-in flash pictures in sunlight, or using flash in total darkness. With E-TTL II, the exact same zone metering sensor used for measuring ambient light is also used for flash metering - giving even finer metering command of the image area.

If you prefer a broader area for flash metering, there's a menu setting to change to "Average" flash metering - where the entire zone area is measured evenly for flash exposure.

Additionally, the EOS 60D has a Speedlite transmitter built-in for convenient, full-featured wireless control of EX-series Speedlite flashes set as slave units. It has excellent flash power maximum guide number of ft. The EX II is also great for bounce flash, with its tilting and swiveling flash head.

It automatically zooms the flash head to cover lenses ranging from 16mm up to mm or longer with the EOS 60D.

And the EX II has a powerful AF-assist beam, which allows the camera to autofocus even in total darkness on subjects as far as 32 ft. EOS Utility Version 2. Furthermore, it's used to upload settings back into a USB-connected camera. Digital Photo Professional Version 3. It also features the Dust Delete Data Detection tool for cleaner images.

ZoomBrowser EX Version 6. Both also have a variety of search options for finding images, allow re-naming of single images or batches of files, and offer a variety of options for printing without using a separate image-editing program. Picture Style Editor Version 1.

Expand All. Canon offers a wide range of compatible supplies and accessories that can enhance your user experience with you EOS 60D that you can purchase direct. Scroll down to easily select items to add to your shopping cart for a faster, easier checkout. Visit the Canon Online Store.

MSRP: Angle Finder C lets you adjust the viewing angle while providing a 2. Read More. Compatible with Canon LC-E6 battery charger. Rechargeable lithium-ion battery. This cable is designed for connecting to your television's component input so that you can playback both high-definition video and multichannel, digital audio quality through just one cable.

It provides up to four years of service and support from the date you purchased your Canon product. Backpack with carry handle and detachable strap. Holds Cameras bodies, lenses and accessories. Inside measurements W x H x D : 10 x Rugged nylon, water-repellent, urethane coated for extra durability. Well-arranged divider system for secure storage and easy access. Lightweight construction, padded shoulder straps and back for comfort. Front webbing ideal for storing a light jacket.

Tripod carrying straps. Color: Black with Olive. Waterproof bag holds cameras and lenses with room for accessories. Front and Rear zippered pouches. Zippered full-length mesh pouch inside top cover. Divider system for secure storage and easy access. This gadget bag is an excellent value, with all the quality material of the Professional 1, at a slightly smaller size. It is designed to hold two 35mm SLR bodies, 5 - 8 lenses, plus film and accessories. It features full padding and interior partitions, leather reinforcing, high strength quick-release buckles, padded exterior pockets, leather snap handle and shoulder strap.

Size: This lightweight, high quality tripod is designed for easy portability and maximum stability. It features a 3-way pan head for precise control and smooth movement. The 3-section tubular leg construction allows for exceptional stability indoors or out. The Canon Deluxe Tripod was designed for ease of portability when traveling and maximum stability when used in any situation with a compatible Canon digital camera.

The Deluxe Tripod features a 3 way pan head for precise control while the 3 section tubular leg construction allows enhanced stability indoors and outdoors. The three-section Deluxe Tripod reaches a maximum height of 62" and folds down to 23" and has a maximum load capacity is 4. Designed especially for digital SLRs. Can hold your cameras, lenses, accessories and even a laptop computer.

Durable, water-repellent nylon exterior. Padded interior dividers and easy-access storage pockets. Size The Dioptric Adjustment Lens provides near- and far-sighted users a clear viewfinder image without the use of eyeglasses.

The lens fits into the eyepiece holder of you EOS camera. Please see the Compatibility tab for a list of compatible EOS cameras. CarePAK PLUS offers protection from accidental damage such as drops, spills, power surges, and more, including normal wear and tear, beyond the standard warranty period.

It is particularly useful for eyeglass wearers and prevents a user's face or nose from touching the camera body or LCD display. Made from Cordura Nylon. Large Zippered Front Accessory Pocket. Two Side Accessory Zippered Pockets. Tripod Loops on Bottom. Five Movable, Padded Internal Dividers. Two Strap Handles with Grip. Removable Shoulder Strap. Rubber Feet for Ground Protection. The strap attaches to the eyelets at the sides of the camera.

A viewfinder accessory developed to make it easier to check the composition. It magnifies the viewfinder image by approx. This effect on the image through the viewfinder will be more pronounced while wearing glasses.

The magnifier may blur the image visible through the viewfinder and may make it more difficult to focus the camera manually.

Please note, the image taken with the camera will not be affected by any of the above. The Canon Monopod is a compact, lightweight 5-section monopod that comes with a mini-ball head. It features a foam grip on the top leg section, a hand strap, flip lock leg sections, and rubber leg tip. Maximum height of Load capacity of 8.

Weight of 1. Large gadget bag for the traveling professional. This bag is designed to hold two 35mm SLR camera bodies, seven to ten lenses, flash, film, accessories, etc. It features full padding and interior dividers for cameras and lenses, as well as padded outside pockets.