Should i buy 60d or wait

The 60D offers a number of creative filters, as previously seen on Canon's range of compact cameras. Canon's Picture Controls, similar to Nikon's Picture Styles, are preset combinations of different sharpness, contrast, saturation and colour tone settings. The six available Picture Controls are shown below in the following series, which demonstrates the differences. There are also three User Defined styes so that you can create your own look.

Turning it On didn't make a great deal of difference in our test shot, as shown below. This custom setting promises to automatically correct the brightness and contrast of an image, with four levels of varying intensity available. There was a slight difference between the weakest and strongest settings, as shown below. Note that the user guide warns that this setting might cause noise to increase.

The thumbnails below link to the full-sized versions, which have not been altered in any way. Download Original. This is a sample movie at the quality setting of x pixels at 25 frames per second. Please note that this 11 second movie is Current 50D owners looking to upgrade may miss that camera's more durable metal body shell, slightly faster burst shooting, more intuitive joystick control, PC sync socket and support for Compact Flash cards - they'd be better advised to look at the 7D - but for the rest of us, especially those interested in video, the 60D is a compelling addition to the Canon EOS range.

We'd still recommend paying the extra cash, though, principally for the 60D's excellent vari-angle screen, better viewfinder, secondary LCD screen and control dial, speedier burst shooting, more refined movie mode, and much more intuitive control layout and handling. You may think that bumping the megapixel count to 18 on such a comparatively small sensor would only degrade the resulting photos, but thankfully you'd be wrong.

All other image quality aspects are up to Canon's usual high standards, so top marks go to the 60D in this department. Just make sure you buy something better than the EF-S mm lens that we were supplied with to get the best out of all those pixels.

Ironically the 60D's biggest threat comes from a camera that isn't even in the shops yet - the Nikon D - which on paper offers a number of advantages that crucially includes continuous autofocus during movie recording. Announced in August , it's the official replacement for the EOS 50D, but Canon's repositioned the new model from the semi-pro status of its predecessor into a new mid-range category for the company. Read the full review ». It fills the gap between that semi-pro camera and the entry-level EOS models, clearly targeting the serious hobbyist.

Latest Reviews Popular Reviews. Download the sample movie. Front of the Camera. Isometric View. Rear of the Camera. Manual: By AE lock button in creative zone modes. White balance compensation: 1. Flash information: Flash ready, high-speed sync, FE lock, flash exposure compensation, red-eye reduction light. Starter Edition OS X v Varies depending on the subject, memory card brand and capacity, image recording quality, ISO speed, drive mode, Picture Style, Custom functions etc.

Subject to change without notice. Loading comments…. Share Tweet Comment. Flash Off - Wide Angle 29mm. Auto Flash - Wide Angle 29mm. Flash Off - Telephoto mm. Top of the Camera. Bottom of the Camera. Top LCD Screen. Side of the Camera. Memory Card Slot.

Battery Compartment. Auto: In One-shot AF mode with evaluative metering exposure is locked when focus is achieved. Available range varies by shooting mode. AF information: AF points, focus confirmation light. Composition information: Electronic level Horizontal only , Battery check. Real-time evaluative metering with image sensor Active metering time can be changed.

User copyright information can be set in camera Image rating stars. Erase: Single image, All images in folder, Checkmarked images, unprotected images Protection: Erase protection of one image at a time. 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. A key advantage remains in the D, though, which is the AF-assist lamp. The two lenses address similar needs, with the Canon covering The Canon 60D is also missing the equivalent of AF Fine-tuning, something the D retains an important feature if you have a lens that front or back-focuses.

The top view shows the smaller packing size of the Nikon D Note the use of D-rings on the Nikon, which, while nostalgic, have the unfortunate tendency to rattle, noise that can be heard in videos made using the internal microphone. The Canon design mates metal with cloth, with no metal-to-metal contact that can rattle. The Canon 60D still leaves a few more controls on the top deck, while the Nikon D has the power switch in a position where it's very easy to activate with your finger at the ready.

The Canon 60D also has a locking mode dial. The back of the Canon 60D shows what might be behind the wider body: it has an articulating LCD with a hinge, and the aspect ratio of the LCD is wider than the Nikon's. Which you prefer is quite individual. I find the D grip small but extremely efficient, offering good room and bite for the fingertips and the thumb and heel of my hand to get excellent control very quickly.

The Canon 60D's grip is a little more tacky with excellent texture, but though there is a slight ridge to help the fingertips grip better, it's not quite as sure a hold as the D's. There's still more room to spread your thumb over the 60D's back, though. That's an assessment for my hands, but your experiences will differ. Most of the 60D's controls are grouped on the right side of the camera, thanks to the hinge on the left of the LCD that enables it to swing out and help you capture images from a wide variety of angles.

Both designs offer reasonably quick access to Movie mode. Otherwise, both control arrangements are pretty good, if completely different. This was such a varied and photogenic garden.

One of the better illustrations of why to upgrade from the 50D to the 60D is right here. Though the resolution went from 15 megapixels to 18 megapixels, noise suppression appears less necessary, and images come out crisper with better contrast than the 50D. The red leaf swatch is about as bad, but the greater resolution still pays off with more detail.

The 60D still holds a clear advantage at ISO 3, in the first two shots, but appears even softer in the red leaf swatch. Detail comparison. Digital cameras have an easier time making higher-contrast images look sharp, so we give that a look too at ISO , 3,, and 6, Surprisingly the Nikon D seems to dither the lines inside the letters more than the others, creating an uneven look.

It's important to note, though, that the Canon, Sony, and Nikon images exhibit the greatest amounts of sharpening halo, especially around the black letters. Of the six, the older Canon 50D is the only one that looks a little disadvantaged by comparison, which is not a surprise. Buy the Canon 60D. A real world shot made at ISO 12, In this magnified section, notice the noise build up.

With the review f3. Why you would buy the Canon EOS 60D : you can see the benefit of a vari-angle finder on a high level DSLR yet appreciate the vast benefits of a pentaprism viewfinder; you want enormous picture control; you want to make big, big prints of top quality. I guess familiarity would remove this foible. Which brings me to another comment about the number of external control points: 25 in all. Viewfinder menu options total many more. I enjoyed the movie function in the camera; the pictures were sharp and clear with excellent colour rendition.

The auto exposure worked well, as did the stabiliser. Pity the auto focus was inactive. The situation is that, the basic body price for the EOS 60D is not in the stratosphere, so you could take on a body with kit lens and avoid burning a nasty hole in your credit card.