Hands On: Canon EOS 60D DSLR

Overall Experience
In two very full days of shooting with the Canon EOS 60D in Yellowstone, we found it for the most part comfortable to use. We were able to switch all the settings relatively quickly (with the annoying exception of movie mode), and the articulating LCD led us to use live view much more than we would have without such a screen. This also let us brace the camera on a railing or in the nook of a rock when a tripod was not an option.

Autofocus was responsive, similar to that of the 50D—makes sense, since they share the same AF system, with nine cross-type focus points. In live-view shooting, though, the AF was either clunky (using the phase-detection AF via a mirror fiip) or sluggish (using the contrast- based AF). The contrast AF did seem a little faster, although it may still hunt, and there is no continuous AF in video mode.

Given that the older 50D ended up being outshone even by this spring’s Rebel T2i, we have to say that the 60D reestablishes a distinctive model at this middle level of the EOS line.

It’s also noteworthy that Canon provided an articulating screen on a camera aimed at more sophisticated users than the target market of Nikon’s sole DSLR with this feature, the D5000. It affirms that video has a place in higher-end DSLRs, and that video will continue to be a Canon priority going forward.

We look forward to taking a much closer look at the 60D in the Popular Photography Test Lab as soon as we get a flnal production sample.

Canon 60D Video Sample from Pop Photo on Vimeo.

Note: Reduced video quality due to Vimeo upload.