Input on the Canon 60d

[Dr Bob]

I currently have a Canon 450d (XSI) that serves my needs. However, as I have been progressing in my skills, I can see the end in sight to growing into my next camera. While visiting my local camera shop, I took a look at the Canon 60d and 7d. Both seemed like good candidates for my consideration. I have read a lot of good things here about the Canon 7d but would like to hear from 60d users. I tend to shot very little action shots (sports and active wildlife) and more landscape, flowers and macro. I would be particulary interested in how these camera function for these uses. The 60d has an articulated screen which could be handy for macro shots. Any comments for its use in these situations would also be helpful.

Thnk you in advanced and I look forward to your comments.

Dr Bob

[Val Mansfield]

I agonized for many weeks between the7D and the 60D.

In the end I decided on the 60D because of the articulated screen. Given the choice I would always use the eyepiece so I seldom use the screen, but there are occasions when it has let me take photographs that would not otherwise had been possible – or would have required me to crawl around on the ground for which I am getting a bit old.

As I take most of my photographs whilst travelling, the slightly lighter weight was also a consideration.

I have been using it now for nine months and have nothing but praise for it. I have had it in the heat and humidity of the Ganges and in the heat and dryness of the Sahara and I have had it at -25° in Harbin. It has performed perfectly. I am particularly pleased with the battery life, which is evidently better than the 7D.

None of the above is to say that there is anything wrong with the 7D, my son has one and swears by it. I think the two are so close it comes down to which feels best in your hand, unless you have an overriding need for an articulated screen.

Val

[William W]

I tend to shot . . . more landscape, flowers and macro. I would be particularly interested in how these camera function for these uses. The 60d has an articulated screen which could be handy for macro shots. Any comments for its use in these situations would also be helpful.

I have used both, as part of choosing which is better for my own requirements.

The swivelling screen is useful – and not just for macro Photography: I am a big fan of this very useful tool

Live view focussing + Screen is a tad slow - but very useful.

Certainly the screen is easier than using the Angle Finder C.

The screen is also high resolution – I think the best in the Canon series thus far, with the exception of the new 1Dx, which I think has the same number of pixels, but in a slightly larger screen.

The 60D also has built-in wireless flash function which is very handy for macros.

If you are going to use it mainly for landscapes and macro, the 60D will do exactly the same job as the 7D, IMO.

Maybe ? ? ? The cheaper 600D would do the job you require. I believe it has the same 18mp sensor as the 60D (and 7D?). While the 60D has a plastic body, it is still sealed against dust and moisture unlike 600D's – maybe that is a concern maybe not.

Personally I do not like the xxxD series’ functionality and layout – and that is a point you should note – moving to either the 60D or the 7D is a change in functionality and layout to the 450D you presently use – a 600D is more similar.



Coupla questions:

Do you intend to keep the 450D?

What lenses do you have?

[enaiman]

I had mine for almost a year and I am very happy. I love the articulated screen and I don't miss at all the somewhat higher burst rate of 7d nor the magnesium case.
For landscape, macro and low light photo it was great.
I wouldn't even think to buy a 7d.
If I felt that something was missing, it was the focus adjustment (not sure if 7d has that) because I have a Tamron 18-270 with focusing problems. However my 24-105 L works beautifully.

To sum it up: I wouldn't change it for a 7d.

[TobyMac]

I just recently got the 7D and I am very impressed, it is a piece of fantastic kit. Before buying I researched both and in the end settled for the 7D because it met my needs more. I really like the way the body feels, very sturdy and solid, it is however very heavy, and I still want to get a battery grip for it. I upgraded from a 350D and it was the best move I have ever made, the button layout and ergonomics of the 7D and 60D are soooooo much better than in the xxxD range so which ever you find suits you best will be a great step up. In the end, both cameras are really great, you just need to try them both out and see which is best for you.

[herbert]

Hi Bob,

It seems like the 60D is a better fit for your needs.

The 7D has autofocus micro adjustment, better auto focus, weather sealing, frame rate, and button customisation options. These extras will not be essential for landscape, flowers and macro.

The 60D's larger tilting screen will be a real help for macro work with live view.

I would save the money and put it toward a flash which will really help for flower and macro. Or there are always new lenses to save for. Remember in terms of importance it is Photographer > Lenses > Camera.

Enjoy your new camera.

Alex

[Carl in Louisiana]

Love my 60D! It knows so much more than I do, so I have lots to grow into.

[rpcrowe]

IMO either the 60D or the 7D cameras are superior to the cameras of the Rebel series. Here are my views on the differences between the 7D and 60D. My opinions are based on my style of shooting and may not be applicable to other photographer's styles of shooting.

Canon 7D vs. 60D

Main Dial and Quick Control Dial – both the 60D and the 7D have this. The xxxD series DSLR cameras do not have the dual dial control system. This, IMO, is one of the biggest plus factors for the 60D and the 7D.

Top LCD panel – both the 7D and 60D have this feature which is quite important to me since I will quite often make a cursory check of my settings by looking at the top LCD panel.

Mode Dial – The 7d doesn’t have what I call the “Dummy Settings” properly called, Basic Zone Modes such as Portrait, Landscape, etc. Since I always shoot in RAW, these settings are totally superfluous for my uses. However the 7D retains the three Camera User Settings introduced in the 40D which allow the user to select and register a wide variety of parameters: focus, ISO, exposure mode, etc. and to select these groups of parameters with a single twist of the mode dial. This is an extremely important feature for me since I can select a group of parameters beforehand and easily select these parameters.
The 40D had three Camera User Settings, the 50D reduced these to two and the 60D further reduced these to a single Camera User Setting. I absolutely love and use this capability.

Focusing – The 7D has a more sophisticated focusing system. I won’t get into it except to say that the capabilities of the 7D are mind boggling. I have heard, but cannot confirm that the AF of the 60D is actually a bit slower than the 50D. I don’t know if that is when you are using live view or when the eye level viewfinder is used, or both.

Shutter Response (lag time) – The 7D has shorter shutter lag times than the 60D which can be important in shooting action (even fast moving kids or puppies). Instead of listing the lag times individually, I refer you to the imagingresource.com specifications:
60D - http://www.imaging-resource.com/PRODS/E60D/E60DA6.HTM
7D - http://www.imaging-resource.com/PRODS/E7D/E7DA6.HTM

Swiveling LCD Screen – The 60D has it and the 7D doesn’t. Since I detest using the LCD screen; this doesn’t matter for me. I use a right angle finder when the camera is placed at an awkward angle.

Auto self cleaning system – both cameras have this and I like it.

Battery Life – Both cameras use the LP-E6 battery. The 60D has a greater battery life and is rated for 1,600 exposures from a fresh battery while the 7D is rated for 1,000. This is no problem for me since 1,000 exposures are a LOT OF SHOTS and I always carry spare batteries. I have two spare batteries which will allow me 3,000 shots before I need to recharge. I cannot remember when I shot 3.000 images wthout a chance to recharge batteries.

The 7D uses CF card memory while the 60D uses SD, SDHC and SDXC memory. I like the CF card better because of the durability of that media and because I have other cameras which also use the CF memory. However, I would have no qualms about using SD memories.

Quick Control Screen –both the 7D and the 60D have this and I really like the feature.

Video Selection – The cameras have different methods of selecting video. Either one seems fine for me.

One Touch RAW + JPEG - 7D has this control and the 60D doesn’t. I cannot ever see me using this control and it is superfluous for me. I always shoot in RAW and have no need or desire to intersperse my RAW shots with JPEG captures.

GRID and Electronic Level – Both cameras have this capability. I really like the grid and occasionally like to use the electronic level.

Since I never shoot in the automatic mode, I have no interest in the bells and whistles which either camera has for use in full auto.

High Speed Burst – The 60D offers 5.3 shots per second while the 7D offers 8 shots per second. This would definitely be better for action shooting. However, IMO, for action shooting, the sophisticated focusing of the 7D is more important than the extra 2.7 shots per second in burst mode. Combining the higher speed burst with the focusing makes the 7D a far better action camera.

Self timer – both cameras have a choice of 10 second and 2 second self timer modes. The 2 second choice is very handy when you are using the self timer in lieu of a remote release for long exposure shots.

Image recording sizes – Both cameras have three RAW recording sizes. However, I never shoot in any but the largest mode. Memory is cheap and I have plenty of it. You can always reduce a larger size capture to a smaller size but cannot increase a smaller size to larger.

Eye Level Viewfinder – The 7D has a 100% viewfinder while the 60D has a 96% viewfinder. This can be a double edged sword, however, if you are used to shooting with a camera that shows less than 100% in the viewfinder, you can become a TAD bit sloppy in composing the shot and can cut off portions of the image. However, this is the fault of the Indian, not the arrow! Both of these cameras are superior to any of the Rebel Series DSLR cameras which range from 85 to 87% viewfinders.

Microadjust feature – The 7D has it and the 60D does not. I have not needed it for my lenses but, it might be needed for some other lenses. If you need it, it is nice to have.

Build – Much is said about the magnesium build of the 7D vs. the plastic build of the 60D. However I don’t see that as a deciding factor.

Weight and size - The 7D (23.8 oz or 675 grams) is a bit bigger and heavier than the 60D (28.8 oz or 816 grams) but the two cameras are so close in those factors that I don’t believe that they should be major deciding points.

Price: New from B&H in NYC the 60D costs $899 USD with free shipping while the 7D runs $1,599 USD also with free shipping. When I purchased my 7D (from the Canon Loyalty Program a long while ago) the price difference was not this great. I think that the 60D "might" be more cost effective than the 7D. I would rather shoot with a 60D and a 40D together than only have a 7D.

What did I do? I bought the 7D and absolutely love it. This is not to say I would not like the 60D, just that I like the 7D better. I keep my equipment for a long time (I am still using a 30D and a 40D along with my 7D) so the price difference is not really such a great factor if amortized over several years of use.

[Andrew76]

That was an incredible write-up. Thanks Richard!! I just purchased a 60D, and the only reason for that, being cost. It does everything I need it to do right now, and is a considerable upgrade from my Rebel. That being said, it took nearly 4 months to decide between the 60D, and the 7D, so I hope I made the right choice!

This is interesting - he bashes the buttons quite a bit on the 60D, but I really haven't had any issue with them, in fact, I like the setup of the entire back of the camera.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ET0idevzGRE

[Dr Bob]

Thanks for the great comments!!

The articulated screen is attractive to me for general use including macro shots without being flat on the ground(I am not that young anymore either). I am not a user of the "basic zone modes" so the fact they are not on the 7D is not an issue, but if my wife borrows my camera she is lost without these settings. I too shoot in RAW mode and process my photos through Lightroom, so in camera processing is not a "must have" feature. I am not taking photos in extreme conditions so the 60D body is solid enough for my use. I do like the weight reduction of the 60D but the 2 camera are not that much different. I guess the one thing I am not sure of is the improved focusing system on the 7D. Is it really that much better to be a trade off for the other features on the 60D as well as the price difference?

Anyways, keep those comments coming. It is very helpful.

Dr Bob

[Scott Stephen]

Given that the 600D (T3i), the 60D and the 7D all share the same sensor, I looked hard at them all. I decided to go with the 600D because it has the articulating screen like 60D, and it was cheaper. I now wish I had gone 7D because of two things:
1.) Microfocus adjustment. If you have a lens that is not sharp on your camera, you can adjust the camera for every lens you own to perfect any front or back focusing problems. If you don't have that you must actually MAIL your lens AND CAMERA in to Canon and have them open the lens up and re-sodder connections to tune it to your camera body. Obviously when you buy your next body, this will probably have to be re-done.
2.) Better AF.

I ruled out the 60D. It seemed like it was the worst of both worlds. More expensive than the 600D, but lacking the features I wanted in the 7D. Go look at the Canon Store at the REFURBISHED cameras. You can get the 7D a lot cheaper there, especially if you wait until they have a 10% or 20% promo code floating around....

Good luck!

[Dr Bob]

Thanks Scott. Your purchasing experience is very helpful. I have gone back forth on the 7D and 60D and you point out two things I did not give full consideration. I have heard the Af on the 7D is excellent. I did not think about the microfocus adjustment.

Dr Bob

[purplehoggo]

I've just moved on from 400D to 60D and it took a long time to make the decision to go for 60D rather than 7D in the end due to the slightly smaller size for us females photographers. My preference is the 5D, but this is quite expensive for the present, so the 60D it is, and I have no complaints! Its a brilliant camera, and opens a whole new world compared to the xxxD range. I'm loving it!

[tcalverley]

I see I'm late to the discussion but had to comment on my experience with the 60D. The articulated screen has changed the way I use the camera in certain circumstances because the live-view allows contrast detection focusing, even when I have a lens and extender combination (400 mm f/5.6 + 1.4 times extender) that renders the normal (phase detection) autofocus mode inoperable. In addition, when I'm focusing on birds that are far away, the image magnification and contrast detection autofocus allow me to look right into the eyes of my subject and judge when he is in the perfect position for the shot. I also use the live view for awkward position shots and find the contrast detection focus to be very slow - but extremely accurate. I have no beefs with the clearly semi-pro features of the 7D but wanted to point out that the articulated screen give new life to the functional benefits of the live view mode on these cameras.

[Scott Stephen]

So, did you pick one? Note: This is a nonpartisan thread; if you went Nikon no one will judge you.