The Canon EOS 60D was announced in August 2010, and is the 'advanced consumer' or 'enthusiast' model in Canon's DSLR lineup. The EOS 60D replaced the EOS 50D and continues a line of digital SLR cameras that began with the EOS 10D back in 2003. The 60D offers numerous improvements over the 50D it replaced, most notably a new 18mp sensor (up from the 50D's 15mp), improved low light/high ISO abilities and a new articulating LCD screen. Construction of the camera changed from the 50D's magnesium alloy body to a smaller and lighter polycarbonate resin with glass fibre body on an aluminum chassis. The 60D also ditches CompactFlash cards in favor of the smaller SD (or SDHC or SDXC) cards.
However the burst rate actually dropped to 5.3 frames per second (the 50D boasted 6.3 f.p.s.), and the micro-AF adjust feature, which allows you to compensate for lenses that either front or back focus, was dropped completely. As such the older 50D was often considered more of a 'prosumer' body, however that title now belongs to the Canon 7D, with the 60D slotting in underneath it as the 'enthusiast' model instead.
The Canon EOS 60D featured in this review was kindly provided to us by B&H Photo.
Let's start by looking at the main features:
Canon EOS 60D Key Features
| Sensor Resolution: |
The EOS 60D is built around a 18.0 mp sensor, offering an image resolution of 5184 x 3456 pixels. This makes it the second highest resolution DSLR from Canon (second only to the 1Ds Mark III and 5D Mark II cameras), and also the highest pixel density DSLR Canon has ever produced. The higher pixel density means when you are at your longest focal length with your longest lens and you are still not close enough, the 60D will put more pixels over your photographic subject than any other DSLR from either Canon (or Nikon).
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| ISO Range: |
The 60D features an impressive base ISO range of 100-6,400, and an extended ISO range up to 12,800. The low base ISO is very welcome for studio photographers who want to control or override ambient light. Yet on the other end, the extended 12,800 ISO potentially gives tremendous flexibility in lower light conditions.
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| Video: |
The EOS 60D offers full 1080p video (at 24 or 30 fps).
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| Autofocus: |
With only a 9-point autofocus system, at first glance the EOS 60D looks somewhat limited, especially for the sports or action shooter. However all 9 focus points feature cross-type sensors, which may more than make up for the small number of focus points - we'll detail how it compares shortly.
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| Frame Rate: |
Capable of shooting at 5.3 frames per second, the 60D is a step backwards from the 50D, and doesn't quite keep up with its nearest Nikon rival, the D7000. Still, 5.3 f.p.s. is still a decent frame rate for all but the most demanding action or sports photographer.
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| Storage Media: |
A single SD/SDHC/SDXC slot is available, previous models in the xxD line featured CompactFlash cards instead.
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Overall the Canon EOS 60D is a reasonably well specified camera. It is clearly not a straight replacement for the 50D, since in effect the 50D was replaced by two cameras, the 'prosumer' 7D and 'enthusiast' 60D. Over the next few pages we'll dig deeper into its key features and see how well it handles different shooting scenarios, and how it compares to the competition.
The Canon EOS 60D is available from B&H Photo as either a Kit with 18-135mm Lens, a Kit with 18-200mm Lens or as a Body Only.
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