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Canon EOS 60D

Labels: Cameras, Buyers Guide

1. Live/Movie Button: Just press this button to enter Live View mode, then press it again to start video recording (and again to stop recording). 2. New Multi-Control Dial: An arrow-key ring combines the Quick Control Dial and Multi-Controller into a single control. 3. SDXC And Eye-Fi SD Compatibility: The 60D can use SD, SDHC and new SDXC memory cards, as well as Eye-Fi SD cards for wireless, high-speed transmission of images.

Canon EOS 60D

LIST PRICE: $1,099 (body only)

18 MEGAPIXELS: Like the EOS 7D and Rebel T2i, the 60D has an 18.0-megapixel Canon CMOS image sensor. It can deliver 14-bit RAW images of 5184x3456, 3888x2592 and 2592x1728 pixels, and JPEGs of 5184x3456, 3456x2304, 2592x1728, 1920x1280 and 720x480 pixels. Like the 7D and T2i, the 60D has a normal ISO range of 100-6400, and you can go up to 12,800 when necessary. The 60D features one Canon DIGIC 4 processor like the T2i (the 7D has two DIGIC 4s).

FULL HD VIDEO: The 50D somewhat surprisingly didn’t include video, but the 60D can shoot 1920x1080p full HD video at 30 or 24 fps (25 fps PAL), 1280x720p HD video at 60 fps (50 fps PAL) and 640x480p SD video at 60 fps (50 fps PAL). Movie Crop provides 7X magnification with no loss of image quality in 640x480 mode, and you can easily control exposure and focus manually when desired. You can adjust the sound level in 64 steps (before shooting) and trim video clips in-camera.

NEW CREATIVE IMAGE FILTERS: Four new artistic filters let you apply special effects in-camera: Soft Focus, Grainy Black and White, Toy Camera and Miniature Effect. Effects are applied to copy images, leaving the original intact.

WIDE LENS COMPATIBILITY: The 60D can use any of Canon’s 60-plus EF and EF-S lenses for still and video shooting. Lenses currently range from the new EF 8-15mm ƒ/4L fisheye to the EF 800mm ƒ/5.6L supertelephoto. The 60D’s sensor has a 1.6x focal-length factor, which means focal lengths equivalent to 12.8-1280mm on a 35mm camera are available. The camera can use Canon’s TS-E manual-focus tilt-shift lenses.

After much speculation about the popular EOS 50D’s replacement, the facts (and camera) have arrived. The new EOS 60D features an 18-megapixel CMOS sensor and full HD video like the EOS 7D and EOS Rebel T2i, and fits into the EOS lineup nicely between those models. Additionally, the 60D features the first Vari-angle LCD monitor on an EOS camera and an Electronic Level Display, plus the entire camera has been durability-tested to 100,000 cycles. It has a top drive rate of 5.3 fps, right between the 7D’s 8 fps and the T2i’s 3.7 fps, and you can shoot up to 16 RAW or 58 Large/Fine JPEGs in a single burst.

The 60D improves on the 50D’s metering, employing the same excellent 63-zone, dual-layer system used in the 7D and Rebel T2i, which takes color as well as luminosity into account for more accurate readings. Metering options include 6.5% partial, 2.8% spot and center-weighted. But instead of the 7D’s excellent 19-point AF system, the 60D retains the 50D’s 9-point system.

Like all current EOS DSLRs, the 60D features a self-cleaning sensor system that uses ultrasonic vibrations to remove dust from the image-sensor assembly each time you switch the camera on or off, helping to keep your images spot-free.

STANDOUT FEATURE: The 60D sports the first Vari-angle LCD monitor on an EOS camera—a 3.0-inch, 1,040,000-dot unit with a 3:2 aspect ratio to match that of the image sensor (and better match that of HD video).
VERDICT: The EOS 60D should be a terrific action and available-light camera, and can do videos in amazingly low light.

Canon EOS Rebel T2i
For those who prefer similar features in a smaller package, the Rebel T2i features the same pixel count and video capabilities in a much more compact package, and at a lower price. It even has the same LCD monitor (albeit without the Vari-angle function). List Price: $899 (with 18-55mm IS zoom).

Canon EOS 7D
If you prefer a bigger, more rugged package with quicker performance (two DIGIC 4 processors, 8 fps, a better AF system, but with a non-tilting 4:3 aspect-ratio LCD), you can go for Canon’s top APS-C model, the EOS 7D. List Price: $1,699 (body only).