I think many of us were curious where Canon was going to go with the 60D after the 7D was released, or even if Canon was going to continue the XXD series. With Canon’s recent announcement of the 60D we now know exactly where Canon is going: right in the middle of the T2i and the 7D. That means, much to the dismay of XXD fans, that the 60D isn’t really an improved 50D; it’s a whole new market segment.
For those of you that haven’t researched the specs, here are the highlights:
- Basically an articulated T2i screen (3:2 aspect ratio 3″ screen, 1,040,000 pixels)
- 17.9 megapixel APS-C sensor, ISO 100-3200 expandable to 12800. User can set the Auto ISO upper limit.
- Joystick has been replaced by a “multi-controller” set inside the thumb dial.
- All plastic construction (50D had a magnesium body). Weight and size is decreased from the 50D, but still larger than the T2i.
- Uses SD/SDHC/SDXC memory cards in place of compact flash
- 5.3 frames per second (less than the 6.3 of the 50D, but more than the 3.7 of the T2i)
- 1080p HD Video
- Different button layout and fewer buttons
- Pre-production models do not have lens AF microfocus adjustment (the 50D does)
Those are the big things. Now, like most of you, I started out with a consumer level DSLR camera. In my case, it was the digital Rebel XTi. That was great for a while, but once the 40D came out, I seriously coveted features like live view and 6.5 frames per second. While those were very useful features, I soon discovered that it was really the little things that made me tell my wife that she either needed to be satisfied shooting with the XTi, or we were getting a second 40D, because I was not going back. The 60D still has some or even most of them in some form or another, but is it enough to really make it worth upgrading from the Rebel line?
Let’s take a look
- Current Rebel shoots 3.7 frames per second vs 60D at 5.3. Still decently more, but no longer as big of a difference.
- The 60D retains a display on top, but it is slightly limited in functionality. It no longer displays the white balance setting. If I have to look somewhere else for a setting as critical as white balance, I might as well look at the other place for all my settings. Also, the buttons for the display now only serve a single function, cutting the amount of adjustments you can make with those buttons by a third (from 6 to 4).
- On a similar note, the layout of the buttons on the back of the camera really show how Canon expects most of the camera adjustments to be done using the rear LCD instead of the top display, further minimizing the usefulness of the top display.
- The remote shutter release plug looks like it is compatible with the remote releases for the Rebel series. Now that I have the timer remote shutter release (with the previous XXD plug), I wouldn’t want to give it up; I can’t tell you how many family photos I’ve used that for (set it to take a photo every 5-7 seconds instead of having to go back and forth every shot to set the 10 second timer). On the other hand, if you have a remote release for a Rebel, it will work on the 60D. So depending where you are coming from, this could go either way.
- The Joystick. The modified version on the 60D may prove to work just as well, but I have really come to love the dedicated joystick to quickly set my autofocus points. I am certainly skeptical.
- With the Rebels taking SD cards as well, the fact the 60D uses them too would certainly make the transition easier. Also makes it less appealing to those of us that have invested in CF cards.
- The autofocus will probably be similar to the 50D since it has the same specs. I would expect this to be faster to focus than the Rebel. However, leaving out the AF microadjustment, which I understand to just be a software add-on, would be an unfortunate oversight, especially since the 50D had it.
I don’t want to sound as if this is a bad camera; it will certainly be a solid piece of equipment. But who is Canon really targeting? Consumers upgrading from Rebel series cameras? While this may be a worthwhile upgrade from an older Rebel camera (XT/XTi/XSi), I’m not sure if you already had a T1i or T2i, it would be worth the expense. How about people earning money with their photography? There are folks out there making a good living using XXD series cameras, and others that use an XXD series body as a second body or backup body, but is a professional that already has plenty of CF cards and remotes that won’t fit the 60D invest in a camera system with SD cards, different remote, no lens microadjustment, and other things, or are they just going to buy a 7D and be done with it? Who knows, maybe Canon will hit a sweet spot with this feature set – size, articulating screen, modest frames per second, rear thumb dial, etc.
I guess this makes me wonder why even have the 60D at all? Maybe Canon should consider taking the 50D/60D autofocus system, articulating screen, and, most importantly, rear thumb dial, and sticking them on the next Rebel camera, and just phase out the XXD series.
draagyn photography 