I see the Canon 60D has landed

[Donald]

Warehouse Express has got it's pre-order price list up and running. I'm sure everyone else has as well.

Makes me feel very old-fashioned and out-of-date with my 22 month old 40D. Ah well, there are heavier crosses to bear!

[arith]

Hey you get a free battery, don't forget the battery is free. Only £1150 plus a free battery, it is a good deal since the 50D cost 1250 euro and had a battery. But now you get cheap card as well. Super. I've already seen it on sale in the middle east.

[Jim B.]

Donald,

According to this review,other than the increased megapixels,video and articulating screen you would be taking a step back from the 40D's functionality and build quality.
http://www.dpreview.com/previews/canoneos60d/

[arith]

Oh it looks like the 50D is the end of the line; I wasn't planning on upgrading but if I was from now on it would be an xD. The 60D is a plastic thing without anything special.

[Donald]

Oh it looks like the 50D is the end of the line

Indeed. Where does the X0D category go from here? No doubt the marketing people have developed a strategy.

[carregwen]

where does the x0d category go from here?

70d.

[Donald]

70d.

But what happens when they get to the 90D, which given the speed at which new models roll of the production line should be about 3 weeks on Friday!? And are we never to have something that now fits sensibly between the XD series and the XXOD series, so that we all know what we're talking about. Or is this all part of the move towards meritocracy from our socially aware comrades at Canon.

[Colin Southern]

And a couple more new toys in the making from Canon ...

120MP APS-H Sensor
http://www.canon.com/news/2010/aug24e.html

2 New lenses
http://www.canon.com/news/2010/aug26e.html

[arith]

It is a bit big for me; wait a minute wasn't I reading about the virtues of the Phase1 50 MP camera Well I bet you can't get a lens sharp enough.

[carregwen]

but what happens when they get to the 90d

10d.

[arith]

The 10D was a brilliant camera. Canon must have worked out that they aren't continuing with middle of the road stuff forever when they came up with the numbers. I was envious of a chaps tiny itty little camera the other day when I was struggling with my backpack; it was tiny, but he could hold it with one hand or even put it in his pocket.

[rpcrowe]

I made a cursory review the 60D specs with slightly less interest than perusing two week old sports reports... When I read the specifications of the 7D, I said to myself WOW! I'd like that camera! However my reaction to the Rebel on Steroids, the 60D was certainly lukewarm to say the least. An articulating LCD just like the high range P&S cameras and a focusing system below the capabilities of the 7D seem to be the major selling points...

Some posters contend that the 1.6x format will die. However, I don't think so but, I think that with the advent of the 60D; the demise of the X0D line of cameras as an advanced amateur and professional tool is pretty well at hand.

Did I read correctly... NO HIGH SPEED SYNC SUPPORT? Plastic body?

In-camera raw development? Subject modes with 'Ambience Selection' (Standard, Vivid, Soft, Warm, Intense, Cool, Brighter, Darker and Monochrome)? In-camera Creative Filters (special effects)? I guess these would be OK for photographers who don't use Photoshop, PSE, or other editing programs.

Only one Custom Mode and no micro adjust?

5.3 FPS top burst speed?

I am wondering what is wrong with CF cards? I have been shooting with some CF cards for thousands upon thousands of exposures over a period of years and had only one fail me. That was soon after I purchased it...

Additionally what was wrong with the BP511A battery? I had absolutely no complaints with the BP511A batteries which I have been using in my D60, 10D, 30D and 40D cameras ever since I began using Canon DSLR cameras. This battery has never let me down. I wasn't happy that Canon changed this battery in the 7D. This would make shooting with a 40D or 50D plus, either a 7D or the new Rebel on Steroids (although it would be a cold day in Hades before I would buy a 60D) a slight bit of a logistical problem. Not one that couldn't be overcome but, a problem never-the-less because the photographer would need to ensure a supply of charged batteries of two different types and to carry a second type of charger on trips. I carry a pair of chargers because I believe in redundancy - that would mean four chargers two each for the two battery types.

The 60D is priced well above the Rebel line but hasn't a lot to recommend it to higher end users. Although some users might get all excited regarding the video, I am not.

I am saving my pennies (a lot of them) for the 7D or will keep shooting with my trusty 40D. The nice thing for 40D and 50D users is that the used prices of those cameras will keep relatively high because the 60D IS NOT A REPLACEMENT FOR EITHER OF THOSE CAMERAS!

[Eric M]

I agree 100%. It seems that Canon has dumbed the xxD line down considerably. I'll be keeping my 40D and 50D. It looks like my next purchase will be the 7D replacement...

[Wirefox]

But what happens when they get to the 90D

Nikon?

[Donald]

Nikon?

Go and wash your mouth out.

[Eric M]

Nikon?

Nah, not for me. Nikon makes some fine products, but I like the feel of Canon and have to much invested in them to change. Honestly, not to knock Nikon, but the 60D specs were dumbed down to compete with the D90 (and separate Canon's product line).

[rpcrowe]

Wow! These senitments seem to permeate every forum on the internet! I have never seen a Canon product so ill received as the 60D. However, perhaps there was a method in Canon's madness... There were photographers who were awed by the 50D and thought, IMO incorrectly, that the camera was too complicated and sophisticated for them. These photographers opted for the Rebel series cameras (which were coming angerously close to the x0D series cameras in capabilities.

These photographers might be more apt to purchase a high grade hobby camera like the 60D and... the 60D will certainly not cut into the sales of the 7D like a more sophisticated 60D might have.

Canon, like all companies is out to make money... not necessarily to produce the best gear possible. This was best illustrated by the introduction of the Nifty Fifty, 50mm f/1.8 Mark-II in the very late 1980's. The Nifty-Fifty, by virtue of its simplicity... plastic mount, no distance or IR scale and smaller focus ring was far less expensive to produce than the Mark-I. It was not quite as physically robust but, has attained somewhat of a cult standing because of the low price combined with the relatively high IQ it produces. It was designed to be sold with the lowest grade Rebel film cameras in competition for the lowest price with Nikon.

It is a nice lens, but certainly not a great lens. However, photographers who were introduced to DSLR photography using the 18-55mm kit lens, especially the non-IS kit, swore that this lens was the second coming. Due to its low price, it is often recommended as the first lens to buy after the kit lens on many forums.

As far as its quality... a twenty-plus year old Mark-I will run more on the used market than a new Mark-II. That might tell you something about the lens. However, it remains and I suspect that it will continue to remain, one of Canon's best selling lenses and a great money maker.

[rick55]

I agree that the 60D is a big disappointment, but one specification is intriguing: it says that the AF working range is "EV 0-20." Maybe this just assumes the AF Assist, but the AF working range for the 50D is shown as "EV 0.5-20," and the 50D also mentions AF Assist from the built-in flash. Is this just a different person writing the specs, or is it that the 60D has a better AF or stronger flash so it can work with nothing but the AF Assist, or does it mean something like a flip-up IR filter on the 60D? I'd expect to see the last as a feature, if it existed.

Cheers,
Rick

[Donald]

Just had my e-mail from EOS Magazine, giving me the latest news, which begins with; "The latest EOS camera is the 60D, which replaces the 50D."


My emphasis

The rest of the news is:-

New lenses are:

EF 70-300mm f/4-5.6L IS USM
(RRP inc. VAT £1599.99 / €1909.99; available October 2010)

EF 8-15mm f/4L Fisheye USM
(RRP inc. VAT £1499.99 / €1789.99; available January 2011)

EF 300mm f/2.8L IS II USM
(RRP inc. VAT £7499.99 / €8929.99; available December 2010)

EF 400mm f/2.8L IS II USM
(RRP inc. VAT £11499.99 / €13689.99; available December 2010)

EF 500mm F/4L IS II USM
(price and availability not yet announced)

EF 600mm F/4L IS II USM
(price and availability not yet announced)


Canon has also redesigned its two Extenders (teleconverters). The Extender EF 1.4x III and Extender EF 2x III complement the latest range of L-series lenses, matching their appearance and offering a visible differentiation from previous models. A carefully positioned lens release mechanism also makes it easy to mount the extenders quickly, reducing the time that the camera and lens are exposed to the environment. The extenders offer the exceptional build-quality and are resistant to both dust and water, allowing photographers to use them in extreme shooting conditions.

Extender EF 1.4x III
(RRP inc. VAT £549.99 / €659.99; available December 2010)

Extender EF 2x III
(RRP inc. VAT £549.99 / €659.99; available December 2010)

[Dave Humphries]

But what happens when they get to the 90D?

10d

Nah, 11D surely?

Complimented by a 600D, 700D, 800D, 900D and then 101D, or a 560D

Oh and a 1Ds11