Canon EOS 60D 18.0 MP Digital SLR Camera Review

Introduction
Canon has released several high quality DSLR camera bodies over the last 5 years including the EOS 30D, 40D, 50D, Rebel T2i and the EOS 7D. The key improvements have been related to the 1) the size of the sensor, 2) the frame rate during the shooting mode and 3) the number of frames which the processor can save in one burst.
Both the Rebel T2i and the EOS 7D have an 18MP sensor. The EOS 60D not only has an 18MP sensor, but it also has video capability.

So how does this latest model compare to previously released camera bodies?

Advantages
1) 18.0 - megapixel APS-C CMOS Sensor - those remote bird shots can now be cropped even more without losing image quality. This is a big advantage compared to the older Canon models 50D (15.1MP), 40D (10.1MP) or 30D (8.2MP).

2) Full 1080p HD video capture with NTSC or PAL frame rates of 24p, 25p or 30p (50p or 60p at 720p HD and SD). This is the first of the Canon top end DSLR's to feature video capturing capability. In combination with a good telephoto lens this can be a key advantage provided the equipment will be mounted on a solid tripod.

3) In camera RAW processing. This new feature is maybe nice to have but most professional photographers will continue to prefer to do the RAW image processing on the computer.

4) Price - 25% cheaper than the Canon EOS 50D.


Disadvantages

1) Partial Weather Sealing - only the Canon 1-series bodies are weather sealed. The 60D has the same level of weather sealing as the 50D but slightly less than the 7D. Better not to get your 60D wet!

2) Slower Frame Rate - the processor can only shoot up to 5.3 fps, in bursts of up to 58 JPEGs - somewhat slower than the Canon 50D, which has 6.3 fps with bursts of up to 90 JPEG's, a definite disadvantage when shooting birds in flight.

3) The 60D does not have the magnesium alloy chassis and does not feel as solid as its predecessor the 50D. This for me is a definite downgrade in the quality of the camera, and I don't understand Canon's reason to sacrifice cost in this way.


Summary
The Canon EOS 60D 18.0 MP Digital SLR Camera offers some advantages over the Canon EOS 50D but also some disadvantages.
I guess it all depends whether you really want video capability in your DSLR. If not then it may be better to wait for the "70D".