Canon EOS 60D Review and Compare

Summary

At Rs. 77,195 with a basic kit lens thrown in, the EOS 60D is expensive, considering the EOS 550D will give you close to the same results at a much lower price. The 7D is also only slightly more expensive, and we see many opting for the more professional body and definitely superior build and ergonomics. It is an interesting option with great performance, that should provide the D7000 with tough competition, but Canon and Nikon have been guilty of trying to serve pros and newbies alike in the past, and this usually ends up being a deal breaker for both classes of users.



Review:
After the excellent EOS 7D that introduced a host of new features, including a brand new 18-megapixel sensor, focussing and metering system and refined ergonomics, it was only a matter of time before Canon trickled this technology downwards, into lower-end bodies, eventually refreshing their line-up with marginally diminishing feature sets of the same goodness. First came the EOS 550D and the 60D is the second body to utilise the 7Ds sensor. It little more than a slower 7D in a smaller, less robust body with a scaled down feature set. The 7D is formidable enough to arm any lower derivative with a veritable arsenal, and the 60D is quite a camera in its own right. It also represents Canon’s first effort at an articulated LCD display, evidently to match Nikon’s D5000. The 60D is exciting because, like the lower-end EOS 550D, it features a lot of the goodness of the EOS 7D at a slightly lower price point. Unfortunately, this also proves to be its undoing, but no more spoilers.

With flash popped up

Before reading up the review on the EOS 60D, you might want to check out our detailed EOS 7D review, where we not only tested the 7D, but also covered some basics including crop sensors and focussing. For the record, the 60D was never meant to replace the 7D, which is priced higher and has better ergonomics and a better build, but is aimed at gently nudging the older EOS 50D along the road to obsolescence.

Features at a glance:

• 18 megapixel APS-C CMOS sensor
  
• 9-point autofocus system (all cross-type)
  
• 0.95x magnification with 96 per cent viewfinder coverage
  
• 1080p HD video recording with manual controls
  
• 5.3 fps continuous shooting
  
• Articulated 3-inch, 10,40,000 dot LCD
  

If you bother to read the 7D’s feature set, you’ll see the 60D gives up quite a few of the pro-grade features that will appeal to enthusiasts like faster continuous shooting, faster operation with dual Digic 4 processors, viewfinder and focussing system. What it does offer is the same sensor, and at least what we’re hoping, similar ISO performance to its spiritual predecessor.

Size and build

The 60D is visibly smaller than the EOS 7D, and the top is lower, owing to a slightly smaller pentaprism bulge. Although the 60D is a comfortable fit in-hand, it’s not as comfortable as the 7D, whose larger body was more reassuring to grip. The rubber coating on the 60D feels a little less meaty. The magnesium alloy frame is dropped for a more conventional (and cheaper) polycarbonate body, and the LCD gets a polycarbonate coating, rather than the hard glass surface on the 7D. On its own, the 60D feels solid in-hand, definitely a lot chunkier and more reassuring than the EOS 4xx/5xx series of camera bodies. It compares favourably to Nikon’s D90 and the much cheaper D5000, but when handled side-by-side with the Nikon D300s and Canon EOS 7D, it is not as well built, obviously so, for build is simply a function of price. From all accounts, Nikon's new D7000 also seems a lot more robust, at least in the partial use of a magnesium alloy frame, however, we feel the use of exotic metals in the construction of such cameras is mostly of use for those shooting in extreme weather and handling conditions. After all, how many of us will bang or drop our cameras on a regular basis? Even the EOS 1000D will survive more than a handful of drops, and such reinforcing adds to the price, meaning a reduced feature set for the same price. After all, if you shoot for the National Geographic channel, you'll probably use a Nikon D3x or Canon 1Ds Mark 3, and never bother with anything lower, right?
The buttons and keys on the body are well built and particularly the famous main dial atop the body feels as good as the 7D’s, while the rear dial is more clicky – the 7D was a quieter in operation, and felt a lot more rugged. The articulation of the LCD seems pretty robust, although we’re not fans of moving parts. We feel this component should wear pretty well.

With the articulated LCD open

The battery compartment is small, understandably since it holds an SD card, and not the larger CF variety. It is reasonably well built, opening with a nice snap, and has a decent spring action. It’s not as robust as the 7D’s card door, but we didn’t expect it to be. The battery door in comparison, is very plasticy, and there is no spring - unlike the thick plastic and robust spring on the 7D with its robust spring and with the 60D, the door needs to be manually lifted once you unfasten the clasp. The battery is the same 1,800 mAh unit that does duty on the EOS 7D. The flash unit is the same one on the EOS 550D, and a little different from the marginally longer range 7D flash, although it gains the 7Ds ability to control groups of flashguns wirelessly, which is neat, though we wonder how many users in this price group, will really use this feature.



source: thinkdigit