Review: Canon 60D

June 16, 2011

A few months ago I purchased a Canon EOS 60D from B&H in New York City, and I recently received an email asking me to review my purchase for their website. I gladly did so, not only because they offer a chance to win $1000, but also because I’ve made a lot of purchase decisions based upon the reviews featured on their site and I figured it would be the least I could do.

It is my opinion that the Canon 60D offers the highest value of any Canon DSLR with respect to price versus functionality/features. Over the past few years, I have owned the Canon XSi and the Canon T1i (both of which are in the “Rebel” series) and I have never been completely satisfied by a camera body until now. The larger body size of the 60D feels more solid and more comfortable to grip, and I could even hear the higher build quality by the sound the shutter makes versus the shutter of a Rebel series Canon.

As a semi-professional photographer I especially value some of the new features such as being able to trigger an off-camera flash using the on-board flash, which means I can purchase a slave-only speedlite at literally half the price of a speedlite that serves as a master or slave. Another great feature is the flip-out, articulated lcd – not only does it assist in finding focus or framing in awkward situations, but I can also keep it closed to either protect the screen OR to save battery life! On top of that, the controls are the easiest to use of any non-rebel Canon EOS camera (no more simultaneously holding down 2 buttons while using a dial or any nonsense like that). There is even a “quick menu” button for changing the most common settings via the viewfinder without having to search through multiple menus.

For video enthusiasts, the 60D features manual exposure control, external audio input, manual audio gain control, and a wide selection of resolutions and frame rates (1080 @30, 1080 @24, 720 @60, 640×480, and 640×480 crop).

The next step up in the Canon EOS line is the 7D, and there is a significant price gap, yet there are essentially only 3 major differences between the 60D and the 7D:

• The 60D has a plastic body – the 7D has an alloy body
• The 60D has a slightly slower FPS burst rate (5.3fps versus 8fps)
• The 60D has one DIGIC 4 processor versus the 7D’s dual DIGIC 4 processors

Unless you are a true professional whose sole income comes from photography it could be hard to justify spending the extra $$$ for a 7D (almost and additional 70% of the cost of the 60D) for an extra 2.7fps, an extended ISO range, and slight weather-proofing, especially when the 60D has so many other redeeming features when compared to the 7D. I say get the 60D if your ready to graduate out of the rebel series, but if you really want to go big, skip the 7D and go for the 5D mk II. For me personally, the 60D fit the bill and I’m very happy with my decision.

Tags: 60d, canon, eos