Tech Blog

[#1]

Canon announced the launch of the EOS 60D DSLR camera today, something which might greet all but camera geeks as "yeah so", until you look at what it has under the hood. We have the impressive 18MP resolution, +/-5 exposure, 9 point AF, full HD recording, up to 6400ISO and a very nice 5.3 frames per second as the "core features", but what I'm looking at in their press materials that caught my eye are the on-board editing capabilities. Just today I was doing some shooting and for the first time I used my iPad as the "proof screen" of sorts. This worked really well, and I certainly wouldn't change too much, but this Canon just got me thinking…what if I wanted to do some of the work on the shots before I imported them?

My Nikon D300 can do some minor adjustments on the camera, but nothing that I've been tempted to try in real life, but the 60D looks like it might be able to help a photographer in the field do some rough edits, push to his/her iPad and publish. No, maybe not as good as Lightroom or Aperture, but according to the materials you can adjust:

• Brightness
• White balance
• Picture style (effects I'm guessing)
• Auto light optimization
• Noise reduction for high ISO shots
• Color adjustments
• Light and lens corrections

You can also apply creative filters and try different aspect ratios including 16:9 (widescreen) on your photos. I think all together, that's a pretty impressive feature set. Now, back to the hardware side for a moment, one of the features I really like about my D300 is the built-in support for wireless flash systems. The 60D has this as well and it will work with the EX Series Speedlites. If you haven't tried doing multi-flash shooting, it is a very, very fun and easy way to give yourself some creative effects on your shots. Speaking of which, I was trying some tricky shots using my live view, but you know the D300 lacks a feature that the 60D has that I wish I had today—a variable angle, tiltable LCD screen. Yeah those shots where you want to have the camera high or low or a self-portrait, this is when that feature would come in very handy.

This camera is going to come in at the pro-sumer end of price points (about $1500) with a 18-135 kit lens. Is this a good camera to get started with? Maybe not. Is this a good camera to move from a higher-end point-n-shoot too? Maybe, if you're willing to do your homework. If you have a lower-end DSLR and have out-grown it, then this is a good camera to look at, especially if you already have a Canon and all the lenses. Remember, the body will only get you so far, it's the glass that makes the shot.

[#2]

Hey everyone, I'm Jamie with the futureshop.ca team.  I just wanted to call out that we expect to have the 60D 18-135mm kit will be available for pre-order tomorrow afternoon.  We are very excited to be the only retailer in Canada that will be offering this kit.

Cheers,

Jamie

[#3]

Wow what a huge disappointment this camera is. It is worse than the 50D in nearyl every aspect. Well done Canon. Hello Nikon.

[#4]

What a great product!!!

[#5]

will FS carry body only?

[#6]

its the perfect time to change my body. i would have a look for the 60D. seems a very good camera as far as my old 30D

[#7]

Hi Joe,

Yes Future Shop will be carrying the body, as well as the grip.  We expect to have them available online for pre-order early next week.

[#8]

Comparing to 7D ana T2i, this 60d  has nothing special except the price between those 2 cameras.  So it is just a common products. NOTHING special.

[#9]

Regardless of those who may have been disappointed by their expectations for the 60D, it is an excellent camera which is positioned in the lineup as better than a Rebel series but less than a 7D.  Perfect for those who want  a better entry into DSLR's then at the Rebel series.  It addresses those who are used to light weight point and shoots who need a gentle introduction with light DSLR camera body and yet want a lot of in camera processing features and capabilities than what the Rebel series offers.  The articulated LCD screen, high mega pixel image size, excellent video and audio capture capabilities should make this a serious candidate for any newcomer interested in a significant upgrade from a point and shoot. Those who already have entered the DSLR world and wish to advance their camera equipment may wish to look elsewhere with the advanced amateur 7D and 5D Mark II bodies also available at FS.

[#10]

60D samples photos look great at both low ISO and high ISO.  Its a winner!
http://web.canon.jp/imaging/eosd/samples/eos60d/

Noise does seem to be much less than 50D.
Looks like a winner to me if Nikon cannot match the video quality.
The target customers seem to be those who want better build than lower range canon SLRs like XTi...T2i and want to carry only one camera for photo and video. Missing magnesium and weather sealing does not seem to be an issue for this target group...they would take care of the cameras with the cameras covered with plastic bags.. or pop out a point and shoot covered in plastic bag.
So there should be many buyers for this camera.

It can be really competitive if Canon can improve their kit lens like Nikon.

[#11]

Nice post Tris! I can't wait to get my hands on that, a truly nice upgrade from my T1i.