Canon EOS 60D

Viewfinder

The viewfinder received a slight upgrade over the one included on the Canon 50D. You now have 96% vertical/horizontal coverage and a couple of extra pieces of information on your display. For instance, the viewfinder has an exposure warning display, battery check, and electronic level. As with 2008's 50D, the 60D viewfinder is surrounded by a comfortable rubber cup and includes a diopter adjuster with a range of -3.0 to +1.0m^-1. Once again, the neck strap comes with a small rubber viewfinder cap.

The viewfinder got a small upgrade since the 50D.

LCD

The LCD panel received a major upgrade over the 50D. Instead of the built-in LCD, the Canon 60D has an articulated panel that hinges out from the body of the camera and can be rotated for numerous different viewing angles, up to 160 degrees. That includes easy self-photography and shooting from both above and below eye level.

The display itself is a 3.0' 920,000-pixel TFT color LCD. You can protect the screen when not in use by simply flipping the panel so that it faces the body of the camera. There are 7 brightness options available.

The articulated LCD is great for capturing photos and video from unique angles.

Since Canon has implemented an articulated LCD for the 60D, it seems likely that users will rely on Live View more often. While using Live View, the user may choose from three autofocus options: Live Mode (one-point contrast AF), Face Detection Live Mode (face detection contrast AF), and Quick Mode (nine-point phase detection AF). You can select different points when using Live Mode or different faces when using Face Detection Live Mode. These are all the same options that we saw on the 50D and, as we saw on the 50D, Quick Mode seems to be the most responsive of the three options.

Live View can be used in conjunction with the Depth of Field preview option.

Flash

The pop-up built-in flash on the Canon 60D appears to be the same hardware that was present on the 50D. The flash automatically pops up and fires if you have the flash set to auto. On all other settings, there is a small switch on the front of the camera that will allow you to manually open the flash. One aspect of the 60D that is new this year is an expanded range of flash exposure compensation: ±2 in 1/3- or 1/2-stop increments.

The built-in flash is cunningly concealed in the top of the camera.

Lens Mount & Sensor

The 60D is compatible with the same deep library of lenses that has nurtured so much brand loyalty to Canon. That means the 60D is compatible with both EF and EF-S lenses from Canon. Canon keeps its OIS and autofocus motors inside the lens.

The 60D also brings back one excellent function from the 50D that improved the camera's compatibility with these lenses: the lens peripheral illumination correction function. The 60D has built-in information for 25 lenses, but you can add more information if you want to use a lens whose data isn't provided.

Conspicuously missing from the 60D is the ability to make autofocus microadjustments. The Canon 50D had the ability to make microadjustments by ±20 points.

The 60D is compatible with EF and EF-S Canon lenses.

The image sensor in the 60D is the same high-sensitivity 18MP CMOS sensor that Canon instituted on this year's Rebel T2i. That's a significant (though predictable) upgrade over the 15.1MP sensor from the 2008 EOS 50D.
 

Jacks, Ports & Plugs

Canon has made some changes to the connectivity options on the 60D. Most prominently, the camera no longer has an external flash/PC terminal and now includes a microphone input. The latter will certainly be a boon to those hoping to use the 60D to record video. The A/V output now shares duties with the USB port—a single proprietary jack now handles both types of connections. Fortunately, you can just as easily buy a miniHDMI cable for connection to your HDTV. As was the case last year, there is also an N3 type remote control terminal.

The ports are all standard, except for the proprietary A/V / USB terminal.

Battery

Canon has overhauled the battery pack that ships with the 60D, upgrading it from the BP-511A that came with 2008's 60D to the LP-E6 battery pack. The new battery has approximately twice the life of the 50D's battery. With the excellent articulated LCD, we expect more people to use Live View for shooting with the 60D, so it's good that Canon has provided a more robust battery. The LP-E6 is rated for 1600 pictures without using the flash and 350 while using Live View.

If you need something with a little more battery life, you can purchase the optional BG-E9 battery grip for $270.00. This is not the same battery grip that is compatible with the 50D; if you have the BG-E2N, you'll have to buy the E9 in order to have a battery grip that works with the 60D.

The battery is housed in the bottom of the camera.

Memory

Canon has made a huge shift in recording media for the latest in their EOS series of DSLRs. The 60D records entirely to SD/SDHC/SDXC memory cards, instead of the traditional compact flash (CF) cards that were used by the 50D and its predecessors. CF cards tend to be affordable, even for higher capacities, while SDXC cards are still relatively new and can be quite pricey.

The 60D records to SD/SDHC/SDXC cards—not Compact Flash.