Canon EOS 60D 18 MP CMOS Digital SLR Camera Body Only

I bought the camera as used. The quality of it astounded me. It looks brand new with barely a scratch. Its a very professional tool and look forward to years of enjoyment.

I think the Canon 60d is a magnificent camera. It takes great images in even the most difficult settings. It has a wonderful grip which makes it very comfortable and secure to hold. It does not weigh too much with the basic 18-55 kit lens but with longer zooms it is a handful. It focuses very quickly, stores the image quickly on a high speed SD card (you buy) The high speed capture allows 5 shots per second. The many options available make even the most difficult to take images, possible. I rated this camera 5 stars because it is a true 5 star super Rebel camera that has everything any non pro could ever want. It is missing some of the great new features that have been added to the Canon T4i and newer Canon T5i like the fabulous touch screen LCD.

You do get a full user manual unlike the standard rebels. This is very helpful and it is small enough to carry in a dSLR bag. Right now, Amazon is selling the body for almost half the price I paid for my original Rebel and it is an good bargain. Many will be tempted to buy the newer T4i model which now is about the same price. The t4i may have some newer features and better video performance so it may be a very difficult decision for some to choose which way to go. If you are a beginner looking at this camera for your first purchase of a dSLR, may not a good choice. I would stick with an entry level Canon or Nikon dSLR camera because it will take just as good images and be much easier to learn the basics. I think you can learn faster with a more simplified interface and lighter camera. If you find you really love photography, it will be much easier the second time around to choose a more competent camera which will have more features and will probably cost less to buy in the future.

The Canon 60d matched with a nice lens, is possible to get superior images of macro objects, very low light scenes with image quality not possible with the smaller sensor cameras. However, I must admit now, I will not take this camera on a trip because of total weight with lenses and body. This is always a personal decision everyone has to make when packing for a trip. I find a super zoom (bridge camera) like the Canon SX50, or the Panasonic FZ200 and subcompacts such as Canon S95 or S110 are easier to take anywhere and allow more candid photos.

Things I like about the Canon 60D which are not available with the entry level Ti series.

1. Extra info LCD display on top, which gives extra helpful info but not easy to see in dark setting,it has weak light which helps a little
2. Great button placement and many individual controls for ISO, Drive, exposure, etc
3. Better and brighter viewfinder with pentaprism.
4. Wireless flash control, more flash options
5. Q menu allow quick change of functions… T4i has this with touch screen
6. Longer battery life. Can take a huge number of images, 500 plus before needing to recharge battery
7. Many more custom settings allowed. They can easily be reset
8. Electronic level helps keep horizon level, helpful especially when on tripod.
9. Many extra features and options in the menu system.
10. Better grip, camera is larger and easier to handle especially with a larger lens.
11. Better build quality than entry level or ti series.
12. Some weather sealing but not pro level. More robust than ti series but less than pro models which have magnesium frames. This doesn’t have it.
13. Very fast focusing and display
14. Many more options than available to entry level models.

Things not so great. I am struggling to find complaints, so here are a few weak arguments.

1. 60D has not been updated for almost 2 years. a new model will be out soon.
2. Camera is larger and heavier than ti series.
3. The LCD display is difficult to view in some lighting situations, could be larger
4. No touch screen, gps, or other newer features found on newer cameras which might be on upgraded model at a higher price.

Canon wisely steered this model to the Amateur who wants a little more Camera but does not need a professional model with Magnesium frame and fully weatherproofed with a giant sensor, extra processors, and a camera that can be used and abused. The 60D uses a poly-carbonate frame like the other rebels. It’s strong enough and tough enough for 97% of us taking pictures. It probably has enough to satisfy anyone maybe even the pros who may chose to buy it as a second or third body.

If you are trying to decide whether to buy this camera over the T4i, the T4i has the edge because it has been upgraded to have many newer capabilities beyond the Canon 60D. The advanced amateur, semipro, and pro would probably be better off with the 60D primarily because of better ergonomics, build quality, weather sealing, better viewfinder and more customization. The novice photographer to advanced photographer might be better of with the T41 with its many great new features. Both take great images with a good lens (glass).

What lenses to buy?

The kit lens is OK starter lens and has the advantage of cost and lightness. Choosing a good lens is probably the most difficult decision in photography. The kit lenses offered by Canon for their cameras are a good start. Buying the Canon F1.8 is a no brainer because it’s the best buy in lenses today.

This review is about the Canon 60D but I mentioned the T4i which I also bought. You may wonder which I like better. I haven’t decided yet because they are both great cameras and you can’t go wrong with either. I hope this review has helped in your decision making.

Up from a 40, still getting used to it. I do see a difference in quality and tools. So far it’s great.

I upgraded from a Rebel XS, I spent months researching this camera, and it’s Image Quality (IQ) and video handling capabilities, I can now confidently say it’s a workhorse of exceptional quality!
Having owned a Rebel XS for a few years, and now as a musician with a need for a high Image/ Video quality camera for producing music videos, I researched the Canon 60D extensively. I mean extensively to the point where I re read all reviews online, examined the footage and pics presented, found a friend with a 60D and tested it myself, cross referenced other cameras in it’s range and then made an easy decision to buy Canon’s offering. Here are my findings:

1. The 60D is a sturdy well built camera which will instill confidence in it’s user…unless you throw cameras off a cliff for a living!
The body having a metal chassis and over layed with a polycarbonate and fiberglass resin mix feels tough in your hands, can take a beating, can be slightly banged, can take a fall, but don’t slam it to the ground and expect everything to be 100%…it might be 99%. It’s designed to take some weathering as well, a sprinkle here and there, and dust blown at it, but no heavy rainfall or sand storm.
If you’ve used a rebel series, it’s much tougher than those.

2. It’s size and ergonomics are perfect for anyone with medium to large size hands, even small hands too.
The rebel is a small size camera, so at first this camera felt a bit big. As the hour progressed I realized how well balanced it felt, no longer over powered by my hands, not too big, JUST RIGHT. I have medium sized hands. The camera itself has sufficient weight to balance lenses well on it’s own, not throwing the camera back or forward. In fact it felt like the bigger the lens the more “well balanced” it became. You see the 60D is not TOO HEAVY. I’ve read of some people’s complaint, that the 60D is not heavy as compared to the 50D or 7D…I’m not sure if people have an obsession with carrying lots of weight around, but when you’re like me shooting for several hours, you easily begin to adore how comfortable, yet well balanced the 60D is, especially if you go on hikes or trips where the camera hangs on your neck for some time.

3. Ergonomics: the 60D has ALMOST but not everything controlled by your right hand, this is well thought through and wise. Even more so, when I had to use my left hand to turn it ON or OFF as well as turn the DIAL MODE, FLASH, LENS RELEASE and use the THRASH, I totally understood why they were placed where they are. These five moves are not to be guessed or happen by mistake, so allowing the left hand to come into play here turns out to be wise, and left my right hand not feeling totally sore as it was sometimes left with the rebel ( which is right hand dependent). My right thumb no longer searches on the back of the camera for buttons, here the layout is simplified with this new SCROLL WHEEL, and MULTI DIRECTIONAL PAD, which being a closely paired unit allowed me to stop searching when my eye was on the view finder. As well as the DRIVE, ISO, METERING, and AF buttons had me very certain as to what I was pressing without looking at them, all under a couple of hours.
My one issue though with respect to the THRASH button is that you must confidently press it to get it activated, even when trying to delete photos one at a time but many altogether. This however may turn out to save me from easily deleting wanted media!

4. IMAGE QUALITY IS AMAZING, even on the kit lens. Now I’ve tried the Canon’s 50mm F1.8 prime, this is an amazing lens for quality, at a low price, also the 18-55mmIS, 28-135mm IS, 55-250mm IS, 35mm prime and the 18MP stands out and shines. I clearly understand the difference between a 10MP rebel XS and the 60D. I also understand a good lens makes a big difference, as the 50mm f1.8 is a far better quality lens under low light and depth of field image quality when compared to the 18-55mm kit lens. However the 18-55mm delivers excellent images and handles extremely well when shooting video especially in low light. At the end of the day a good lens makes the difference, but the image quality of the 60D will match with the 7D, and beat it’s rivals when it comes to colour, and low light images.

5. The Creative Filters suite is a master class of an addition to the camera’s internal software. It gives a dimension to images only offered in pc editing, all done on the 60D. As well as the In CAMERA RAW EDITING feature. On the rebel XS, I never quite appreciated the RAW files, as I wanted to fix my images on the go, and have as much work done when the images were uploaded to my MAC. The 60D has not been heralded as it ought to for incorporating this new software where many aspects of a RAW file can be easily edited in the camera on the go. After which the images can be further sweetened using the creative filter suite. These additions now have me yearning to shoot in RAW so I can tweak my images for creativity. Truly an enthusiasts camera. A creative mind would love this machine.

6. BATTERY LIFE IS INCREDIBLE. So i shot for an hour today, well over 350 FLASH pics, and 10 minutes of video, 20 minutes of video editing, and my battery at 70%. I’m suggesting here that I will get more than 1400 pics on one battery (Canon states about 1600). So hands down this camera will make do on a world tour easily!

7. So the BURST RATE surprised me a bit, coming from a 3fps on a rebel to a 5.3fps on the 60D, I jumped when the shutter started eating up shots, at one point it was simply too many shots to ever be used, and the children playing in front of the camera didn’t seem to move any more. 5.3FPS is simply enough, well for me at least. I realized some people in their reviews complain about features they may NEVER EVER truly use. So loosing 1 FPS from the 50D or not having 8FPS compared to the 7D, I’m glad I didn’t pay extra for it.

8. TILTY SWIVELLY ARTICULATED SCREEN is the best. OK so you can’t beat this feature, it’s worth paying for. It sets this camera apart from the 7D, 50D, in fact almost every other DSLR except the T3i (at this time of writing). Canon 60D wins with the ability to shoot OVERHEAD, UNDERHAND, SELF IMAGES, TRIPOD SHOTS. This is where the moonwalk comes out for the 60D, and it’s Pentaprism LCD screen works well. The glare in midday sun did affect a little bit, but just a wee bit little, as the colours shone through easily even with the glare.
So a 3 inch screen is big enough, you see all you’ll ever need for a camera at this stage in life, unless they install a t.v. You can easily tell where you loose focus, or where shadows are. Aspect ratio ruler guides really are practical on this screen, canon really packed features into this camera.

IF I were to point out issues with this camera to date they would be:
1. LCD screen may need a screen protector, as it easily traps finger prints. However it cleans easily with a standard camera cloth.

2. The onboard built in microphone for sound recording is average to sub par at times. It’s not bad when the surroundings are not too noisy, it’s good for catching audio for reference. It’s not the audio quality to match with the amazing images this camera produces. It does a “just decent” enough job. But that’s why canon has a 3.5mm LINE IN, so you go professional aftermarket.

Other than this I would again advise buyers that a great lens makes a world of difference. So understand your needs carefully before you buy a lens, so you know what Focal lengths you need. When you get to use this camera with a good or great lens it makes you yearn for more, you just want to shoot and shoot. It’s image quality is that great! It’s video mode is that enticing.

The Canon 60D is a workhorse in disguise of an enthusiasts camera. It’s that good!