Canon EOS 60D

Product summary

Model name: Canon EOS 60D
Release date: August 26, 2010
Purchase options: Adorama | Amazon | B&H

Key Features

18.0 Megapixel CMOS sensor and DIGIC 4 Imaging Processor for high image quality and speed
ISO 100 – 6400 (expandable to 12800) for shooting from bright to dim light
Improved EOS HD Video mode with manual exposure control, expanded recording, Movie Crop recording in 640 x 480, sound recording level adjustment and an external microphone IN terminal for access to improved sound quality
Vari-angle 3.0-inch Clear View LCD monitor for shooting at low angles and 1,040,000-dot VGA with reflection reduction using multi coating and high-transparency materials for bright and clear viewing
5.3 fps continuous shooting up to approx. 58 Large/JPEGs and 16 RAW
96% viewfinder coverage allowing you to see more of your image in the viewfinder
Enhanced iFCL 63-zone, Dual-layer metering system; and 9-point AF system utilizing a high-precision, f/2.8 cross-type center point
New convenient in-camera features allow you to convert RAW images into JPEGs and set the images to a 3:2 aspect ratio
Compatibility with SD/SDHC/SDXC memory cards
Compatible with the full line of Canon EF and EF-S lenses

Features

The 60D is an interesting camera in the Canon line up upper entry level crop bodies. It is priced interestingly too right between the 7D and the 600D which makes it something of a choice for a serious amateur. But trying to look at the features of the camera one is going to find several good features of both the world (an entry level DSLR and that of a semi-pro body).

Build quality

Let’s talk about the build quality first. The 60D is made of plastic. Unlike the 7D which is made of magnesium alloy material this one feels a bit less secure in the hands. But don’t take it otherwise; there is absolutely no reason to be frowning. If you’re looking for a perfectly weather sealed body then something like the K5 or the K30 from Pentax’s stable or even the 7D from Canon itself should be better suited at a slightly higher budget. Similarly if you need something that can withstand a few knock and bumps then the 7D is better suited because of its magnesium alloy body. But the 60D is a better build body than the 600D. If you happen to be looking for a decent upper entry level camera then the 60D should be more than enough for your needs.

Sensor & megapixels

The 60D is build around an APS-C 18 megapixels sensor that the 550D and the 600D shares. So for megapixels wise this one is not going to be much of an appeal to consumers more than any of the other models mentioned in this paragraph. But more megapixels necessary does not mean better pictures. So unless you’re in product or professional photography, you don’t need any more megapixels than this.

Performance

Looking at the noise performance of the 60D there is nothing much to really revel about. As a pretender of being a predecessor to the 50D this one is not something that is utterly delicious to drool about. At 6400 the pictures are still usable albeit for Internet. But if you’re inclined on printing them, stay within 1600 or roundabouts.

Compatible Lenses

The 60D supports both EF and EF-S lenses.

Viewfinder

The viewfinder is an eye level pentaprism. For those who do not know the difference between a pentaprism and a pentamirror, the later only mimics the functionalities of a pentaprism and offers a slightly dim view through the OVF. The 60D OVF gives 96% coverage, not something that a pro shooter will like but then this camera is not meant for pro-shooters.

AF system

9 point (All cross type) AF system is not something to really jump for joy. In fact this is the same as the 550D and the 600D and less than even the D3200 from Nikon. Canon has provided a tilting swiveling screen that allows the user to shoot at seemingly impossible angles. Does it make sense? Absolutely. This is something that even Nikon is adopting for its cameras (D5100).

Additional Features

Making accurate composition more convenient, the EOS 60D’s optical viewfinder provides 96 percent coverage along with Canon’s built-in single axis Electronic Level Display, which utilizes the exposure level scale below the picture area to let the photographer know when the camera is level. The Electronic Level Display is also visible on the camera’s LCD screen in both Live View and Movie modes. An artificial horizon display illustrates horizontal roll, allowing the photographer to know when the camera is in a fixed level position. The entire camera has been durability-tested to 100,000 exposures making the EOS 60D a reliable as well as a powerful imaging tool.

The final verdict

Overall the 60D is a good camera and is a value for money, but if you have a need for shooting only stills go for some cheaper models and save some money.

Sample Images EOS 60D on Flickr

Canon EOS 60D Specifications

Camera Type	Digital, single-lens reflex, AF/AE camera with built-in flash
Recording Media	SD/SDHC/SDXC card
Image Format	0.88 x 0.59 in. / 22.3 x 14.9mm (APS-C size)
Compatible Lenses	Canon EF lenses (including EF-S lenses)
Lens Mount	Canon EF mount
Sensor Type	High-sensitivity, high-resolution, large single-plate CMOS sensor
Pixels	Effective pixels: Approx. 18.0 Megapixels: 5200 (H) x 3462 (V) pixels
Total Pixels	Total pixels: Approx. 19.0 Megapixels: 5432 (H) x 3492 (V) pixels
Aspect Ratio	3:2 (Horizontal: Vertical)
Color Filter System	RGB primary color filters
Low Pass Filter	Fixed position in front of the CMOS sensor
Dust Deletion Feature	Self Cleaning Sensor Unit Dust Delete Data appended to the captured image Manual cleaning of sensor
Recording Format	Design rule for Camera File System 2.0 and Exif 2.3
File Size	Large/Fine: Approx. 17.90 Megapixels (5184 x 3456) Medium/Fine: Approx. 8.00 Megapixels (3456 x 2304) Small 1/Normal: Approx. 4.50 Megapixels (2592 x 1728) Small 2/Fine: Approx. 2.50 Megapixels (1920 x 1280) Small 3/Fine: Approx. 0.35 Megapixels (720 x 480) RAW: Approx. 17.90 Megapixels (5184 x 3456) M-RAW: Approx. 10.10 Megapixels (3888 x 2592) S-RAW: Approx. 4.50 Megapixels (2592 x 1728)
File Numbering	Consecutive numbering, auto reset, manual reset
RAW + JPEG Simultaneous Recording	Provided (sRAW+JPEG also possible)
Color Space	sRGB, Adobe RGB
Picture Style	Standard, Portrait, Landscape, Neutral, Faithful, Monochrome, User Def. 1-3
Settings	Auto, Daylight, Shade, Cloudy, Tungsten Light, White Fluorescent Light, Flash, Custom, Color Temperature setting
Auto White Balance	Auto white balance with the image sensor
Color Temperature Compensation	White balance correction: ±9 stops in full-stop increments White balance bracketing: ±3 stops in full-stop increments Blue/amber direction or magenta/green direction possible
Color Temperature Info Transmission	Provided
Magnification	Approx. 0.95x (-1m-1 with 50mm lens at infinity) / 27.0deg. angle of view
Eye Point	Approx. 22mm (At -1m-1 from eyepiece lens center)
Dioptric Adjustment Correction	-3.0 to +1.0m-1 (diopter)
Focusing Screen	Interchangeable (Ef-D: Grid lines, Ef-S: Point of focus, Ef-A standard focusing screen provided)
Mirror	Quick-return half mirror (transmission: reflection ratio of 40:60)
Viewfinder Information 1	AF information (AF points and focus confirmation light), Exposure information (Shutter speed, aperture, ISO speed (always displayed), AE lock, exposure level, Spot metering circle, exposure warning), Flash information (Flash ready, flash exposure compensation, high-speed sync, FE lock, red-eye reduction light)
Viewfinder Information 2	Image information (Highlight tone priority (D+), Monochrome shooting, maximum burst (2-digit display), white balance correction, card information), Electronic level (Horizontal only), Battery check
Depth Of Field Preview	Enabled with depth-of-field preview button
AF Points	9 (Cross-type, Center AF point with dual cross sensor for f/2.8)
AF Working Range	EV 0-20 (at 73deg.F/23deg.C with EF 50mm f/1.4 USM lens, ISO 100)
Focusing Modes	Autofocus, One-Shot AF, Predictive AI Servo AF, AI Focus AF, Manual focusing (MF)
AF Point Selection	Automatic selection, manual selection
Selected AF Point Display	Superimposed in viewfinder and indicated on LCD panel
AF Assist Beam	Small series of flashes fired by built-in flash Effective range: Approx. 13.1 ft./4.0m at center, approx. 11.5 ft./3.5m at periphery
Exposure Control Systems	Program AE (Shiftable), Shutter-priority AE (Safety shift possible), Aperture-priority AE (Safety shift possible), Manual exposure, Bulb, Full Auto, Flash Off, Creative Auto, Programmed Image Control modes (Portrait, Landscape, Close-up, Sports, Night Portrait), E-TTL II Autoflash Program AE (Evaluative metering, Averaged metering)
ISO Speed Range	ISO 100 – 6400 (in 1/3-stop or whole-stop increments) ISO 12800 can be enabled with a Custom Function With [Highlight tone priority], the ISO speed range will be automatically set within 200-6400
Exposure Compensation	Manual: ±5 stops in 1/3- or 1/2-stop increments AEB: ±3 stops in 1/3- or 1/2-stop increments
AE Lock	Auto AE lock – In the One-Shot AF mode with evaluative metering, AE lock takes effect when focus is achieved Manual AE lock – With AE lock button
Shutter	Vertical-travel, mechanical, focal-plane shutter with all speeds electronically-controlled 1/8000 to 1/60 sec., X-sync at 1/250 sec. 1/8000 to 30 sec., bulb (Total shutter speed range. Available range varies by shooting mode) Soft-touch electromagnetic release 10-sec. or 2-sec. delay (self-timer/remote control) For Remote Switch RS-60E3
Shutter Speeds	1/8000 to 1/60 sec., X-sync at 1/250 sec. 1/8000 to 30 sec., bulb (Total shutter speed range. Available range varies by shooting mode)
Shutter Release	Soft-touch electromagnetic release
Self Timer	10-sec. or 2-sec. delay (self-timer/remote control)
Remote Control	For Remote Switch RS-60E3
Guide Number	43/13 (ISO 100, in feet/meters)
Recycling Time	Approx. 3 sec.
Flash Ready Indicator	Flash-ready icon lights in viewfinder
Flash Coverage	Up to 17mm focal length (equivalent to approx. 28mm in 135 format)
FE Lock	Provided
Zooming to Match Focal Length	Provided
Flash Metering	E-TTL II autoflash
Flash Exposure Compensation	±3 stops in 1/3- or 1/2-stop increments
External Flash Settings	Flash function settings, Flash C.Fn settings
Drive Modes	Single, high-speed continuous, low-speed continuous, 10-sec. self-timer/ remote control, or 2-sec. self-timer/remote control
Continuous Shooting Speed	High-speed: Max. 5.3 shots/sec. (approx.) Low-speed: Max. 3.0 shots/sec. (approx.)
Maximum Burst	JPEG (Large/Fine): approx. 58 RAW: approx. 16 RAW+JPEG (Large/Fine): approx. 7
Shooting Modes	Live View shooting Remote Live View shooting (with a personal computer installed with EOS Utility)
Focusing	Autofocus (One-Shot AF) Live mode – One-point, contrast AF. Switching to another AF point possible Face Detection Live mode – Face Detection, Contrast AF. Face selectable Quick mode – Nine-point, phase-difference AF, same as normal shooting Manual focus – Magnify the image by 5x or 10x and focus manually
Metering Modes	Real-time Evaluative metering with the image sensor
Metering Range	EV 0-20 (at 73deg.F/23deg.C with EF 50mm f/1.4 USM lens, ISO 100)
Magnified View	By 5x or 10x at AF point position
Grid Display	Provided (Two-type grid displays)
Silent Shooting	Provided (Mode 1 and Mode 2)
Display Type	TFT color, liquid-crystal monitor
Monitor Size	Wide 3.0-inch (Screen aspect ratio of 3:2)
Coverage	Approx. 100% Viewing angle: Approx. 160deg.
Brightness Control	7 levels provided
Interface Languages	25 (English, German, French, Dutch, Danish, Portuguese, Finnish, Italian, Norwegian, Swedish, Spanish, Greek, Russian, Polish, Czech, Hungarian, Romanian, Ukraine, Turkish, Arabic, Thai, Simplified/Traditional Chinese, Korean, Japanese)
Display Format 1	Single image display (Two types of single-image full display and two types of shooting information display), Index display (4-image index and 9-image index), Jump display (1/10/100 images, shooting date, by folder, video, stills, rating), AF point display, Histogram (1. Brightness 2. RGB), Magnify zoom display (1.5x to 10x enabled in 15 steps)
Display Format 2	Rotated display (Manual, Auto) Slide Show (Image selection: Playback according to All images, Date, Folder, Movies, Stills, or Rating; Display time: 1, 2, 3, 5, 10, or 20 sec.; Repeat: Enable/Disable; Transition effect: Off, Slide in, Fade 1, Fade 2)
Highlight Alert	With single-image display (Info.) and single-image display, overexposed highlight areas will blink
Protection	Erase protection can be applied/canceled for a single image, all images in a folder, or all images in the card
Erase	Erase single image, erase selected images, erase all images on folder, erase all images in a card, or erase only unprotected images
Compatible Printers	PictBridge-compatible printers
Printable Images	JPEG images compliant to Design rule for Camera File System 2.0 and Exif 2.3 (DPOF printing possible) and RAW images captured with the EOS 60D
DPOF	Version 1.1 compatible
Compatible Images	Direct image transfer with the camera has been abolished since the personal computers’ OS-based support has become adequate for image transfers
Custom Functions	Total 20
Camera User Settings	Register under Mode Dial’s setting
My Menu Registration	Up to six top-tier menu options and Custom Function settings can be registered
Battery	One Battery Pack LP-E6
Battery Check	Auto
Power Saving	Provided. Power turns off after 1, 2, 4, 8, 15 or 30 min.
Date/Time Battery	Built-in secondary battery When fully-charged, the date/time can be maintained for about three months
Start-up Time	Approx. 0.1 sec. (Based on CIPA testing standards)
Working Temperature Range	32-104deg.F/0-40deg.C
Working Humidity Range	85% or less
Dimensions (W x H x D)	Approx. 5.69 x 4.17 x 3.09 in./144.5 x 105.8 x 78.6mm
Weight	755g / 26.6 oz (CIPA) 675g / 23.8 oz (body only)