Canon EOS 60D 18 MP CMOS Digital SLR Camera with EF-S 18-200mm f/3.5-5.6 IS Lens (discontinued by manufacturer)

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This is a fantastic camera, and a great first DSLR. I say that because if it is your first, you will not be comparing the control layout with your old XXD or XXXD, and that seems to be an issue with some. Most of my shooting is in M or Av mode. I find the controls easy to work with, and use the top LED and control buttons almost exclusively, but now and then Ill use the q-menu. Over all, I find the controls easy to use. The 18-200 kit lens is useful for outdoor shooting, but for indoor stuff you will want a better prime. I went with an older version of the "nifty fifty" with the metal mount and range meter. Since this is a crop sensor camera, a 50mm lens behaves like an 80mm, so I find myself needing to back away from my subject often. I think a prime in the 20-30mm range and f/1.4 would be useful in a lot of situations. In general, you should determine why you are buying the camera. If you want to take lots of outdoor shots (birds, wildlife etc) get the body only and buy a nice 300M zoom. If you are going to take lots of indoor shots (family gatherings, baby etc) get the body only and a wide aperture prime in the 20-50MM range (a wide aperture lets more light in so you dont need a flash as often, and yields that nice soft focus "bokeh" effect). If you want to be ready to shoot a variety of situations right out of the box and dont mind using the flash indoors, then pick a kit lens and go with it. I would not recommend the 18-55 kit lens though...you will bump against its limitations very quickly, even if you are a beginner like me. Video on this thing is amazing, and I didnt even consider that when I bought the camera! Beware file size though. 2 minutes of 1080 @ 30FPS left me with an 800+meg .mov file. I think there is a 4 GB limit on video file size, so figure you will get 5 minutes of continuous shooting at that definition and frame rate. That will be enough for most applications, unless you are filming a wedding or childbirth and dont want to stop shooting, in which case you could film at 720p or standard definition. Playback through the included cable is so so, so get yourself a mini HDMI to HDMI cable on Amazon or Monoprice (should cost $5-$10) and prepare yourself to be amazed by the resolution and image quality. I would also recommend a program called Any Video Converter, which enables you to change the resolution and format of your video to suit different hardware (iphones, droids, youtube etc). Imagine uploading a 4GB file to YouTube, for example. You can download the program for free, and then pay $40 bucks to be able to use the full menu set. The only negative about this camera is that the auto focus in video mode and live view mode is borderline useless. In live view mode, it is so slow that everyone else would have got the shot with their point and shoot cameras before the 60D settles down and takes the picture. As for Video, I dont think AF works once you start shooting, so if you zoom or your subject moves, you have to stay on top of it. I dont shoot in live view mode and I am getting the hang of manual focus during Video (it is actually a creative outlet) so Im fine with these shortcomings. From what I can tell, they are software based and related to the video codec...so it is possible that a firmware upgrade will address these issues.

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This camera arrived safe and sound, which is always impressive here as I am working overseas in Indonesia and all of our orders are air shipped by a third party. So the packaging is great. Anyways, that is not the point of Amazon reviews. This is basically my first DSLR camera, after using a rebel for a few months a few years ago. I wanted something a little cheaper than the EOS 7D, but with more growing room and a little more solid than the Rebel since I live at high altitude/high humidity/rain every darn day jungle environment that is tough on things. Plus Im clumsy as hell. Since I am not an expert or even advanced photographer by any means, I will focus on usability from a beginners perspective. First of all, ergonomically, the camera is a good fit. (for my hands anyways). I can reach all the important knobs and dials easily by touch with my eye to the view finder. Would be nice if there was a way to change the white balance mode without going into the quick menu. I suppose there may be and I just havent been able to find it. But that is kind of a pain since I am all over the place taking photos in differently lighted environments. The menus are logical and not that confusing. It is pretty easy to find the settings you want to adjust, and if you dont understand the setting, it is pretty easy to find in the manual. Again, this is my first DSLR so I am not used to any different type of menu arrangement. I was a little worried about the design of the adjustable LCD since I am in a remote location and could not physically look at this camera anywhere before the purchase (Which is why I purchase from Amazon, of course). Suffice to say that the design is solid and unless you fell down on the thing, I dont think youd break it very easily. I will not bother commenting on image quality, as I am not qualified to comment. Ill just say that I am extremely satisfied at the images coming out of this camera, even on "fully automatic." I am still learning how to properly use this camera to its real potential in the more manual modes, and plan to update this review as I go. I also highly recommend a book I purchased with this camera for anyone who is a beginner like me: Canon EOS 60D: From Snapshots to Great Shots

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What can I say. I have bought two Canon cameras so far in my life. The first was the AE-1, a shutter speed priority 35mm film camera. It was one of the most popular cameras ever. Mine is still working after over 40 years. My daughter is using it now, and loves it. I have this 60D, and love it. The technical advances are staggering, and the learning curve on this camera is fairly steep. Taking the time to learn the ins and outs is worth the trouble, because this is a magificent camera for the advanced amateur or budding professional. The Canon AE-! my first camera has remained a favorite over the years and has achieved classic status. I suspect, especially since Canon doesnt make the 60D any more (having changed it a bit and are calling it the 70D) this camera will hold up over the years just as some of its predecessors have (notably the AE-1) Buy one new, now from Amazon, while they are still available...as it will likely hold its value and later be available only at a higher price.

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i bought this july last year, and i see now the price has dropped anther 100 bucks, I was very pleased with this when i payed 1099 for it . I use this camera a few times a week, i toss it in my car when i go anywhere and just pull over for shots. I am slowly learning how to use it, i jumped from a point and shoot to this next i want to start trying out different lenses for it I have had it a little over a year now and i am still very pleased with camera. I have added a 50 mm prime lens, a 17 -55 zoom for using indoors like museums, and i just added a vivitar 500 mm f 6.3 mirror lens so i am pretty set now for a while. I do not shot movies much but the few that i have are very clear. I have done time lapse, and long exposure shots. I am only an ammature but i sure am having fun with this camera.

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Ive had this camera for a little over a year now and can say its really a great camera whether youre a pro or an amateur. Whats important is that you get some good lenses for it and use it often enough to learn how to use it and stay proficient. (Theres so much to learn, and so much to forget!). The 18-200 zoom lens in this kit has fast quiet focus, good image stabilization, and good image quality without too much chromatic aberration. This camera takes a great picture, and while I knew going in that its a crop sensor, the ISO noise is worse than I was expecting. It can be cleaned up in post-processing but still, even at ISO 400 in bright daylight theres more noise than there should be. I really like the ability to remotely control an external flash by using the built-in flash, and the shutter can be triggered by either a plug-in or infrared remote (both found on Amazon cheap). This camera works with EF and EF-S lenses and has both a hot shoe and built-in flash. Battery run time is very good and it comes with some good software for both controlling the camera from a laptop and processing RAW photo files. Works with Magic Lantern aftermarket firmware for additional features.

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This camera is a smaller version of the 7D and competes very well against the newer Nikon D7000. The material is polycarbonate, which is cheaper but strong enough and lighter than metal. Ergonomics is very good, if you get used to relying on right hand to control almost everything. Performance is snappy, instant lock on under most cases, with 9 AF points being cross type. Battery is identical to the one used in 7D and the 5D Mark II, translating to excellent life. Image quality is very high, slightly "darker" than the T2i. Low light / ISO performance is nearly as good as my Nikon D7000, and considering it is $300 cheaper, this is a great camera. I dont use the flip screen for video, but I do use it for instant feedback when I take pictures of myself using a remote and a tripod - very handy. Depending on your perspective, this screen can be a liability since it is not as sturdy as a flat/fixed screen. Kit lens (18-200mm) is capable but is not very strongly built. My copy has focus hunting issues.

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Im pleased to say that the Canon 60D is a worthy investment for those upgrading from the Canon T2i. I had the great opportunity to own both cameras and see in-hand the differences between the two, and the differences are enough to warrant the extra hundred dollars, maybe more. First of all, I know that they share the same sensor and light metering so pretty much pictures under the same conditions turn out the same - high ISO noise control, color rendition, resolution. But take note that A LOT of how a picture turns out depends on the User and how they compose the shot, and thats where the 60D significantly differs...in handling and performance. The most glaring difference not easily seen in online reviews is the increase in viewfinder size. The brightness and larger size is like upgrading from a 21-inch lcd monitor to a 23-inch one. At first, I never knew or cared for this increase in spec, but seeing it first hand changed what I wanted in a camera. After all, you spend most of your time viewing through it and it definitely helps to see more of your shot before you take it. Next is the increase in build quality and hand grip size. Yes, its still not magnesium alloy but it feels much more sturdy than the T2i. Weight-wise the 60D is about one kit lens heavier (~200g) which does better balancing heavier lenses like the L series. Thats what this camera promotes, a good upgradeable path to handle better lenses. The hand grip is much more filling in my hand. Despite the increase in weight, the ease of holding the camera and preventing strain actually depends more on how your hands hold in position. Another feature is the 9 cross-type AF sensors (T2i has only 1 in center) which allow better focusing in continuous shooting and low-light conditions. One example where I noticed the difference is indoor lighting. After taking random shots, the 60D just feels a little "smarter" on how it chooses the main focus points. Battery life is the next big difference for me. The 60D actually uses the same battery as the Canon 5D Mark II so you know its serious stuff. During one photo trip, one charge lasted over 1,000 photos with about 50% of them using liveview. The included battery charger is very fast too, and it has a retractable built-in prongs..none of that separate cord nonsense you get with the T2i charger. Take note that Maximal Power on Amazon has 3rd party batteries for cheap that works just like the original. Obviously there are blatant differences too. The swivel screen is great for self-portraits handheld in front of you because you can compose the picture instead of guessing the angle. My gf loves this feature the most for couple shots, and it makes us less relying on unsuspecting passerbys to take our photo. It does inspire creativity when using liveview to compose your shots as well since you dont have to strain your neck or pull a back muscle trying to bend down to take low-to-the-ground photos or over peoples gigantic heads. I havent tried, but it turning the screen around would be useful for people doing self videos for youtube. The top lcd screen is also great for quick access for basic information, plus it saves battery life and it looks pro. You can basically use this top screen while having your main lcd screen inverted backwards for protection and compose your shots. The faster continuous burst rate of 5.3 vs 3.7 fps is noticeable, but the main difference is that the buffer size for the 60D is much bigger than the T2i to increase your chances of getting that perfect shot. Couple this with the better autofocus system and you can see what I mean about handling and performance. If you like to take shots of your kids running around in the house or fast dogs playing in the yard, then I would highly recommend the 60D over the T2i. Other difference in features that I havent tried: horizontal virtual level, wireless flash control, and control over audio levels in movie mode. Dont get me wrong though, the T2i is a very good camera and probably more popular than the 60D. It has in its favor a lighter body, easier learning curve, and lower price. However, if you are just starting with DSLRs, I would highly recommend getting the T3i instead. Prices are almost the same as the T2i, and its more user friendly with the enhanced Auto mode. Plus it has the swivel screen! Everything is not mind-blowing with the 60D though. CONS include the same irritable custom white balance implementation and heavy orange-cast under tungsten lighting. The directional pad within the circular control wheel is almost flush and does not have distinct clicks to let you know if you sucessfully pressed it. Contrast liveview is still slow. Either way, all these cameras are great choices that will not let you down. This review includes my purchase with the 18-200mm lens. The lens is a little better than the 18-135mm version because it has a little more reach and magnification for close-up shots (.25x vs .21x) but comparing their prices I do not think its worth upgrading to the 18-200mm. Resolution, contrast, color and sharpness is about the same, but the 18-135mm is much cheaper and the difference between 135mm and 200mm is not significant. A handy tip if you want to take your camera to the next level is a hack called Magic Lantern orginally started as a videographer tool. It safely adds more features like trap focus, zebra control, plus much more. Please proceed at your own risk though. Hope this review helps! UPDATE 7.24.11 ******** Came back from a trip from Niagara Falls, which also has fireworks every Friday. FYI, the 60D doesnt have more of the beginner, user-friendly mode scenes like fireworks apart from the basic portrait, night, landscape, sports, and flower mode. Another thought is that I wished the top lcd screen showed what PASM mode Im in, as I often found myself struggling to see the setting of my mode dial in the dark. Granted, one can press the Info button to bring up the main screen, but then whats the purpose of the top lcd screen then? Despite its shortcomings, I am starting to really like this camera. The auto focus is fast and did fairly well in very dark conditions (without flash assist). Taking self-portraits (with the gf) using the swivel screen takes the guesswork out and was enjoyable, since the optional contrast-detect was much faster than phase-detect (plus it chooses the focus points for you). Let me tell you, being able to compose your shot for a self-portrait is great. Couple this with the 15-85mm lens (which I recommend) and you get great background coverage holding the camera in front of you. The camera body itself handled the humid, misty conditions of the majestic waterfalls no problem. And being able to adjust exposure on the fly with the rear wheel dial was convenient. On a side note, the camera strap itself comes custom made with "Canon 60D" in big bold, stitching. Hope this info helps some of you. UPDATE 8.3.11 *********** Bought the new 270EX II external flash to compliment the 60D. Its great! I previously owned the original 270ex (non-wireless version) so I knew its capabilities. Let me tell you, the new one really opens up a world of possibilities with the 60D since the 60D is capable of controlling groups of external flashes (or one in my case). When taking pictures, I was able to fire both my built-in flash and the 270EX II (off the camera) at the same time plus control the ratio of flash intensity between the two. I think flash photography is yet another upgrade path the 60D allows you to partake. I also just discovered that the 60D is the only Canon body in its class to allow interchangeable focus screens! I recommend the EF-D focus screen made for the 40D..it fits the 60D perfectly and helps compose your shots dramatically. Hope this helps. UPDATE 8.31.11 *********** AHHH!!! I just dropped my 60D and 15-85mm lens on the floor today. It fell from a countertop to hard-wood floor with a heart-stopping thud sound. My heart was palpitating too fast to remember which part of the camera hit first, but upon inspection I coulndt see any damage. My lens had stabilization on and still works so maybe not the lens. Im so glad the body and intricate internals withstood the fall. My bad 60D, forgive me baby? On another note, I got the EF-D focus screen easily installed and it works and fits perfectly. The laser-etched marks are thin and greatly help straighten your shots in the viewfinder. Too bad theyre not exactly one thirds division. Remember to change focus screen setup in the custom menu. UPDATE 9.19.11 *********** Two words... Picture Styles. Learn it, love it, live it. I recently been playing with this feature, at the beginning just adjusting on-camera contrast, sharpness, etc., but now ventured into the more involved software customization of Picture Styles. Its great! First of all, Canon has on their website (if you google "Canon Picture Styles"), that you can download free Official Canon custom picture styles and port it into your 60D (which has 3 user-defined spots) using the EOS Utility software and usb cable. One Picture Style dubbed "Autumn Hues" optimizes color to enhance pictures of vibrant leaves of Fall, as an example. My recent idea was to desaturate all colors except Red hues, similar to Selective Color that Nikon and Pentax have, but only for one color (per picture style). Of course, you can customize to whatever style of picture you like and recomemend checking it out. Unfortunately, I have to say for a CON is that the software (Picture Style Editor) is not very user-friendly and somewhat technical. See my uploaded "red rose" picture for an example of a un-edited jpeg. UPDATE 10.2.11 *********** As a regular user, theres some more "room for improvement" or cons that I want to point out with the 60D. While it doesnt effect functionality, the 8-way controller pad on the back is starting to "creak" in certain conditions...just plain sounds cheap to me. In Creative Auto mode, while very useful for beginners, it doesnt save the settings when you change modes or turn off the camera...which is annoying to me since I like to use the Vivid setting on there (since its not found anywhere else on the camera). The mode dial, with its lock button, is okay to turn one-handed but I really wish they left it out. Never once have I accidently knock the mode dial out of position on my other DSLRs with mode dials. On the 60D, it only exacerbates the problem of turning the knob all the way around to get to the movie mode (if you are on the PASM modes) since the mode dial does not turn continuously in a 360 degree fashion (more like 320 degrees). Everything else handles like a dream for me..and its still my favorite DSLR. UPDATE 10.31.11************ Trick or treat! Since my last update I got to know the 60D a little better and took it for a spin at a Halloween costume party over the weekend. It performed splendidly, almost second-nature in my hand. Here are some more pro/con observations: Trick: A bit irritated by the AWB performance in tungsten lighting. Even the tunsgten setting doesnt get it right. Kelvin adjustment might get it, but takes time doing guesswork and might as well go through the cumbsersome Custom white balance setting instead. Using flash helps. One can always post-process as well. Trick: AI focus and AI servo are weird to me. One mode doesnt show focus indicators and the other does. They do not wait until focus is achieved before capturing the shot during burst mode (at least to my knowledge). My Pentax system has focus-priority and speed-priority as an option. Trick: Video mode is great but has a serious moire problem with uniformly fine patterns (ie: the weave pattern of a gray mens suit). Treat: I can use the Custom User mode to save it as an "Indoor" setting for easy tungsten lighting balance. The 60D has 1 such setting on the Mode dial just beyond Bulb mode. It performs just like Program mode. In it, I can save fine-tune white balance adjustment and custom white balance settings independently from the other PASM modes. Treat: Holding down the AF-ON button instantly turns my USM lens into manual focus mode, not requiring a focus lock when I fullly press the shutter. This is different from using AF to focus then manually adjusting while holding half-press shutter. It also wakes up the metering system without having to press the shutter. You can also make it "stop" the metering system. The T3i does not have this button and is different from AE/FE * button. Treat: I love the way most of the buttons are on the right side of the camera, especially four buttons in particular: Menu, Info Q, and Set. Right now, I have this setup for quick access to everything during capture mode: Menu = straight into My custom functions, which includes external flash settings. Info = straight into Virtual Horizon level. Q = straight into on-screen settings, and finally Set = straight into WB balance menu. In all, the 60D was a treat to use that supresses my urge to upgrade to anything else because it simply does wonders once you learn it. No tricks.

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I started out with a 40D. That was my first "real camera". Before then, I was using a then-new Canon G7 and thought that I was pretty hip for having a better-than-average camera. The 40D started me on the DSLR path and its been thoroughly enjoyable so far. I went into the hobby hard core and pretty much have owned every body since the original Rebel XT all the way to the 5D MKII. At the height of my insanity, I had several pelican cases full of camera gear. About six months ago, I decided that Ive explored the Canon system enough to my satisfaction, and that I would now distill down to at most two bodies and 5-6 lenses. I sold off everything, including the 5D MKII and now have a very old XTi that I dont care about banging up, and this 60D for when I want to make more of an effort. Plenty of other people have posted their impressions of the 60D, including some very technical reviews. I will just say that after giving this hobby a serious go in terms of time and money, after doing 3 years of paid gigs on the side of product photography, this the 60D takes better pictures than my abilities. The XTi also probably takes better photos than my abilities. Its a great body, easy to use, good quality, and dependable. I really like it and have now come full circle for the 40D that I first bought.

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Bought this camera from Beach Camera store, which was delivered on time. Thanks to the seller. I have tried using the camera on different scenes and its awesome at every stage. Thanks to its vary angle screen by which you can take shots at different positions which otherwise you will never think to take. Some people find its buttons are poorly placed, but I feel it is not that difficult to access them. Camera ergonomics are really good and it fits really good in our hands. nice shutter speed and good at continuous shots. Videos are awesome and you will feel like it is taken from a movie camera of Panavision. I bought 18-200 mm lens with the camera which I feel is not worth taking with this camera. The quality of the picture gets degraded when fully zoomed in. Also, the lens is very heavy. I generally use my 50mm f1.4 lens with the camera and this combination rocks. The camera gives best performance with a fixed aperture lenses rather then vary f stop lenses. Finally I would say that the camera is amazing and I am loving every piece of shots taken from it. I wont give too much points to the 18-200mm lens. Its good but not up to the mark.

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I stepped up to this camera after shooting with a Canon EOS Rebel XS for a couple of years, and I couldnt be happier. What I like most is the articulating LCD screen which I use frequently when shooting in Live View mode. When shooting a fast prime lens wide open, the depth of field is tight and focus is critical - I use the LCD in Live View, zoom in on the target, make a final focusing adjustment, and the result is perfect every time. The Canon 18-200mm f/3.5-5.6 kit lens is my everyday lens on this camera, and although I like the range from 18 to 200mm, its a pretty slow piece of glass. Two things help compensate: 1) The lens image stabilization, and 2) The cameras high ISO & long exposure noise reduction technology. Dislikes? The only one is a delay in writing data to the memory card when shooting RAW + large JPG mode with noise reduction turned on. It essentially doubles the image write time, regardless of the speed of your card. So a 10-second fireworks shot will take 20 seconds to be captured & written to media. Id buy the body all over again, but Id save for faster glass.

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