Name of product:
Canon EOS 60DApproximate date of purchase:
March 2011My Review
The 60D is my 3rd Canon. My 1st was an A-1, 2nd a Rebel XTi, and now the 60D. I chose the 60D for a number of reasons, the biggest by far was that I could reuse the lenses from the XTi. In the 10 months that I've had the 60D, I've taken close to 3,000 shots, but I can safely say I'm still learning about all the features, both internally in menus, and on the outside with all the buttons.
I absolutely love this camera. It truly makes picture taking fun. Since I often print poster size, the increased number of pixels from the XTi are very welcome. But there are so many choices and settings. The camera feels solid in every way. The fit and finish are excellent. I put my hand on the grip and it just fits, like an extension of my hand.
Of course, the proof is with the output, or in this case, the picture, whether it is on the screen or printed output. And I am more than happy with the output. I usually shoot RAW and JPEG. The RAW images usually need a bit of post-processing, but probably 90% of the JPEGs are right on and need no further work in Lightroom 3.6 or Photoshop Elements 10.
The camera is fast, both in turning on and in frames-per-second. It is very rare that I miss a picture waiting for the camera to catch up with the action. I shoot many pictures of my grandson and his facial expressions change just as fast as the 60D can shoot.
The back LCD screen displays the picture with a minimum of delay. I usually shoot through the viewfinder, which is very slightly cropped from the final output. I say usually because if I need to shoot some something that's low to the ground straight on, I can merely flip the screen out and position it so I can see the subject without having to get on my hands and knees to take the shot. Great idea.
Since most of my picture taking is grab shots, I rely heavily on the built in software to figure out most of the settings most of the time. My experience is that the 60D is dead on 99% of the time, with only a few lighting conditions giving it problems. This is quite an improvement over the XTi, where I'd say only 75% of the exposures were right on.
I really gave the 60D a workout in Key West last June while on vacation. This city is known for it's sunsets, and they came out "picture perfect" without any post-processing needed in extreme lighting conditions. I also shot a lot inside, usually available light or just the built-in flash. The results were amazing.
Perfect camera for me!
Camera "pros"
Stingy on power - over 1,000 pictures on a charge, including many with the built-in flash.
Fast to focus.
Light weight.
Adjustable position LCD screen
Excellent frames-per-second speed
Completely adjustable settings
Availability of many lenses
Easy and fast to change lenses
Excellent fit and finish
Camera "cons"
Steep learning curve, even coming from another Canon DSLR
Plastic body
So many choices, so little time.
Manual not always clear
