Customer Reviews

Canon EOS 60D Digital SLR Camera (Inc EF-S 18-135mm f/3.5-5.6 IS Lens Kit)

5 star:		(84)
4 star:		(16)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(5)

 

 

OK, I had a Canon EOS 400D that had served me well for nearly 3 years (and I had a 300D before that) and was looking to upgrade it, but I couldn't decide between a 550D or a much more expensive 7D. Then the 60D was launched and from the reviews I read, it filled the gap perfectly between the two. As ever, launch pricing was really toppy at over £1k but I took the plunge just before Christmas 2010 and bought the 60D (with the 18-55 IS kit lens) for a great price of £799.

It's still fairly early days but so far, so good. The camera is a dream to use, images are razor sharp. Handling is easier than the lower spec DSLRs in Canon's range due to the fact that the 60D is a slightly bigger, bulkier machine but without this being a negative. If you are familiar with a Canon DSLR, all of the controls and features are logical and easy to use without having to trawl through the manual. The tiltable screen is a work of genius, especially the fact that you can store the screen facing into the camera for even more protection when not in use. You can also tilt the screen and take shots based on the screen view if, for example, you are taking shots with the camera held above your head to get a clear view.

I primarily use my old 28-135mm IS USM Canon lens and image quality is fantastic. I have also bought a Canon 70-300mm IS USM zoom and again it seems to produce great results. I am using Class 10 SDHC cards (whereas my previous 2 Canon DSLRs used Compact Flash) and the speed is lightning fast - I have bought a couple of the Transcend ones from Amazon and they seem to do a remarkably good job for a lot less money than the competition. Only time will tell if they prove to be reliable...

The only downside is that my camera was supplied with an old version of firmware installed (v5), which needed updating (to v8) to cure a quirk with over-exposure when using certain lensses (and the two lenses mentioned above were included in this list). I went through the whole firmware update process in a mild panic but it was a remarkably pain-free experience.

Overall, the 60D is a great mid-range camera and a worthy upgrade from my 400D. The 60D strikes the perfect balance for me in that it offers more functionality / flexibility than the 550D but without the complexity of the more advanced 7D. I am fairly loyal to Canon gear but I did look around at the Nikon equivalents before making my purchase - however, I ruled out Nikon as you just seem to get more for your money with Canon. Also worth saying that the lens/flashgun I already had are compatible with the 60D. The next step for me is properly testing out the camera's HD video capability.

I had my trusty EOS 300D for five years and although it never let me down I was itching to upgrade.

I looked at and handled both the 7D and 60D but was undecided until the price difference made up my mind.
I opted for the 60D and can honestly say I have no regrets.The images I get from my 17-85 IS and my 70-300 IS are amazing.

Shoot in RAW and process in seconds with the camera,a great boon when out in the field.

The menu might look a bit much at first glance but with time all becomes clear.

Before I sign off,the video shooting is also top class,all in all a great bit of gear.

After 5 or 6 years with my Canon 350D I thought the time was right for upgrading.

I compared the 60D to the 7D and decided that I didn't need the additional capabilities of the 7D (more frames per second, magnesium alloy body, etc)

After a couple of months use I am happy I made the right choice.

The quality of picture that comes out if the camera is so much better than the 350D.

I get more post shoot crop ability due to the higher number of megapixels.

The noise handling is SO much better (one of my main requirements as I don't have super fast lenses)

Quite simply, stunning piece of kit.

After doing lots of on-line research, I decided to treat myself to this Canon 60D Kit for xmas from Amazon, I also ordered the 50mm 1.4 prime lens and a few other bits.

I've been into Photography for about 40yrs, my previous DSLR's include the 550D and Nikon D90.
There may be cheaper options on a certain auction site, if you don't mind having a grey import model, personally I value having that Canon UK warranty, and a proper UK power supply etc. already in the box.

Amazons price for a UK Stock model is very competitive indeed, and their returns policy is excellent, if only for peace of mind. The camera itself is superb, and works perfectly, it produces brilliant images, feels top quality in the hands, with a fantastic articulating high res lcd screen. What more could you ask for.

The 18-135mm lens in this kit is not top of the range, however, it produces some very good results especially once stopped down a little, and IMO it may be a touch sharper than the much older USM 17-85mm lens. The glass in the 18-135 is not too bad at all, and you have that extra range, albeit at the loss of the USM, so a matter of personal choice.
It's also a nice walkabout lens giving you decent range yet still retaining the option for those wider shots, build quality also appears a little better than the cheaper 18-55mm. It appears to focus quicker, and seems a little quieter than the 18-55mm kit lens..JMO

Those that can afford it may appreciate the extra quality by choosing the 15-85mm lens, but I don't think you will be disappointed by the images this kit produces. I would also recommend the purchase of the 50mm 1.8 or 1.4, you will be blown away by the IQ that can be achieved with both these prime lens, as ultimately any camera is only as good as the lens you put on it.

I can highly recommend this item from Amazon 9.5/10

Why Amazon? Well besides the reasons I've already mentioned above, if you have a issue, you can call them on their free support number, or email them and in my experience they will always endevour to resolve any issue one may have, without any hassle. IOW, as big as they are, Amazon is aware the customer has choices to shop elswhere, and will go that extra mile to secure your custom, and their customer service is first class. This is a company that deserves to succeed. Thank you Amazon!.

I would however like to see Amazon.. pack expensive items such as DSLR camera etc, a little better. Just plonking them inside a larger box with a small amount of crushed paper for cushioning is not really enough. They still move about a lot in the box, so, a little extra care in this area would be assuring from a customers point of view anyway, with most items it does'nt matter, but with expensive fragile kit like this, having the item not rolling around in the box would be appreciated.

I bought this camera about two months after it was first released as I was looking to upgrade from my 50D mainly to take advantage of the new video features in the likes of the 550d and the 7d.

While the 60d is essentially a downgrade of the 50d I found that is still had all of the features I was looking for. The camera is a good size, has fast fps and takes great video.

I was initially a bit hesitant about buying an SLR with a moveable screen but having recently come back from Paris on holiday I can say that for taking pictures it is a great help. Just flip the screen out, hold the camera out in front of you and take a picture of you and the misses. No more having to flag down a stranger and explain to them how to work the camera. Although you will need to make sure that you are looking at the lens instead of the screen when the picture is taking as I took a few where we seem to be looking somewhere else.

For video it is great as well as you can move the camera into some interesting angles or oven hold it above everyone if you're in a crowd. Similarly you can angle the screen should the sun be shining although I never had any problem with glare etc but I have found though that the camera strap gets in the way of the screen when it is flipped out.

I know there are a lot of people out there moaning about this camera using SD cards. I personally quite liked the fact, my compact camera uses SD cards and my macbook and imac all have a built in SD card reader so it saves my from having to buy two different types of cards and to carry around a card reader. I have used class 6 cards in this camera with no problem but many suggest to use the faster class 10.

The new locking mode dial I thought was a bit strange at first as I have never accidentally changed mode but it is something that you just get used to.

The buttons on the camera do feel different from the likes of the 50d where you got a solid click but on the 60d it is a sort of mushy feel.

Picture quality is excellent but I am not one of those guys that pixel peeps but I have had great pictures up to ISO 3200. Similarly the video quality is excellent and after the small learning curve of shooting videos on manual I am getting great results. For those of you using macs and iMovie you can just port the videos straight in without have to do any converting.

The other feature I have liked is the remote flash feature. I used to have a set of pocketwizards but due to this new feature I have been able to sell these. Sure the distance is nowhere near that of PW but for occasional portrait shoots I have found it to work very well.

I have given this 4 stars as I think there will never be a perfect camera for everyone but this does tick a lot of the boxes for me.

This is probably the question most people will be asking does one get a 60D or a 7D?
It was certainly the question I found asking myself for a good while I had it in my head you'd have to be an idiot to go for the 60D just look at all the things the 7D does!... I'm a photography student and had been using a pre owned canon dos 1000D for 2 years which was starting to break down on me more and more regularly so an upgrade was in need.
Anyway I looked at my dilemma between the 7D and 60D like this and I asked myself the following question and I very strongly suggest you do the same "would I need all of the 7D's features that the 60D hadn't?"

The simple and blunt answer for me was... No
I wasn't going to need 8 frames per second shooting nor would I require an autofocus system that had 19 autofocus points 9 is plenty anything more and I feel the viewfinder gets a bit cluttered and as much as weather sealing is nice I tend to treat my equipment with great care and I doubt I were going to be shooting in harsh climates the 7D is more of a sports or action photographers kind of camera both the 60D and 7D also utilise the same sensor meaning there is no difference in image quality.

The 60D had plenty features that I would use and liked the sound of so my mind was immediately made up and I got the 60D and I can tell you that I am very pleased with my choice. If like me you owned a camera body like the 1000D or anything in the xxxD series of EOS cameras the 60D is a real pleasure to hold; it feels durable and is great to shoot with. I was quite surprised with the greater control of noise at higher ISO's I rarely used ISO 800 and above on my 1000D noise was just too noticeable for me with the 60 I often find myself now using higher ISO's to get that perfect shot. The LCD screen is fantastic at first I thought I wouldn't use the tilt swivel screen much but I found myself more and more using it to get images in all sorts of unusual positions and getting some great images I find it incredibly useful particularly when I have the camera mounted on a low level tripod facing upwards towards a ceiling or sky this means I don't physically have to get under the camera or guess when adjusting its position this can save quite a bit of time. Anyway I would strongly recommend this camera to anyone wishing to upgrade from any canon xxxxD or xxxD model it does a great job and shall hopefully serve me for a good few years at least until I upgrade to a full frame camera.

One more small thing with the £300'ish you save on this camera body you can out towards a rather nice lens! I myself decided to get the canon 85mm f/1.8 USM which I am also very pleased with both the lens and camera body came roughly to the same price of a 7D which I was very pleased about.

This is an excellent stills camera and well worth at least 4 stars, a very worthwhile upgrade from the 20D I've had for six years. I've always been pleased with the 20D and the 60D's extra pixels, extra ISO and sundry other improvements make this a very good buy.

Unfortunately though Canon decided that it could usefully double-up as a video camera although in terms of weight and handling it could perhaps never be ideal. My first efforts seemed quite promising - the quality of a Canon zoom lens and the full HD format looked good when played back on the camera's LCD screen (another step-up from my old 20D). But disappointment followed when files were loaded into my Window XP computer - the video kept skipping frames. This happened with RealPlayer, MediaPlayer, VLC player and Quicktime player. Then I loaded the files onto my wife's Samsung Netbook running Windows 7....and jumping videos again. Finally when, more in hope etc, I loaded the files onto my MacBook....they worked ! So, I conclude the D60 video files are somehow incompatible with Windows on my computers - and since I do my storage and video editing in Windows that is a big problem. I contacted Canon Support and after an exchange of emails they regretted they couldn't help me since I appeared to need "additional codecs". I confess that my knowledge of codecs is next to zero but I would have expected that Canon would be at least able to advise which codecs and how to acquire them.

IMPORTANT POSTSCRIPT (about one week later): I've left my original review unchanged as it reflects my experience at that point BUT if you read the further discussion under comments (below) you'll find what seems to be a happy ending to this mini-saga.

I just upgraded from a 20D to a 60D and have had it for only about 2 weeks. I did contemplate on a 7D, but the 60D came just in time. I am glad I did not get the 7D and the previous reviewer mentioned about the weight and lack of swivel screen. My 20D had an alloy body and lot heavier than the plastic body 60D. I did not get put off by the plastic body as the 60D do feel solid, really. I'd put the 60D as better value for money.

I did not buy the 60D for the video, but I did have a go but noticed the video at the full 1080 HD bit 'jerky'. I am not sure if its the card as I am using a transcend 8GB Class 6 SDHC card. I will be getting a Class 10 card soon and see if it makes any difference.

As for photos, the camera is brilliant even a high 6400 ISO. Not tried the full 12800 yet. One thing is annoying though, I use Adobe CS3 for photo processing and that now does not support 60D RAW images. Adobe only supports CS4 and above for 60D RAW images. However, all is not lost as you can get Adobe RAW to PNG converters. Also, the canon utility software provided is excellent too.

Another annoying thing is that on live view it does seem to take longer at focussing compared to focussing through the viewfinder. As I have not had live view before, I am not sure if its an issue with the 60D or if its the same with all other cameras with live view.

Question is, do I get better photos? Not sure yet, but what I get is more flexibility, for example I don't have to crouch on the ground to get low shots, thanks to the swivel screen and live view. Also high ISO give me more flexibility of low light conditions and I may not need to get the expensive fast lens I was thinking of getting.

I am still giving it a 5 star as I am very very pleased with it so far...

I have been looking for a Canon 60D to replace an earlier EOS and saw this. It is a real pity that the high street can't compete with the web for prices. I got a bundle for £10 more than I could have bought the body alone for locally. The kit locally was a £100 more. No real choice especially these days. Delivered exactly when they said they would, product well packaged and I am absolutely delighted. A word of warning. I did buy a Transcend class 10 16gb SDHC card which was fine but would not buffer movies in anything else but the lowest mode. I was worried that it might be a camera fault but luckily I had ordered a Verbatim class 10 16gb SDHC card which worked fine in all modes. Now what about a new lens . . . .

So far, 2 weeks in, i'm loving my new EOS 60D. Much faster and responsive than my 300D. I preferred the handling of the 60D over the 600D although the sensor, features and general images are said to be similar, the build quality felt nicer. A sign of the times, is that bizzarly it didn't feel much bigger or heavier than my 300D, but nice in my hands. The 600D felt a but tinny.

Heart ruled over head on this one, but I got it cheaper than amazon and net difference wasn't that much. The lens again, whilst people haven't raved about it, is better than the EFS 18-55 mark 1 on my 300D, so I don't mind so much. As funds allow, I want to move to 'L' lenses anyway.

Handling, speed, performance, focusing - all great and astounding compared to 300D. 7 - 8 years - a big improvement. I really like the scroll wheel... getting used to it... much faster. I can see why people miss the 50D joystick, but as I never had one, the scroll wheel is a major upgrade for me.

The screen on the back is lovely as is the flip out. I hope this camera lasts as least as long as my still working 8 year old 300D though, with this moving part.

I also enjoy the top screen, that the 300D did not have, but my old film Minoulta 7Xi had.

Oh and the indoor, lower light stuff... faster and better again, by a long way.

New flash cards, hold much more so thats another plus.

All in all, if this lasts for 8 years+ then i'll be very happy.