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Canon 6oD offers io8op HD and vari-angle screen but seems more aimed at consumers than pros.
Last month I looked at a prosumer level digital SLR - the Nikon D7000 - which produced stellar image quality, had a surprisingly tough build, and boasted several advanced features that might appeal to pros. This month we have a camera that seems to lean in the opposite direction: the 18-megapixel Canon EOS 60D, which is a descendent of the 50D, a DSLR some pros used as a lightweight second camera body.
After I got a chance to shoot with a prototype 60D back in August, I quickly realized that Canon is aiming this successor at a less professional-oriented group: the advanced amateur. This is not to say there's anything wrong with advanced amateur photographers or with the 60D.
Consumers who are getting serious about photography constitute one of the fastest growing segments in the photo industry. They're buying advanced compact cameras with innovative features such as the Canon S95, Sony NEX-5, and Olympus PEN models. They're also buying digital SLRs like hotcakes and many may have already owned a Nikon D40 or Canon Rebel and now want something better. Enter the Canon 60D which, at a list price of $1099 (body only), fits squarely between the Rebel T2I and 7D models.
COMPARISON SHOPPING
At first blush, the 60D may resemble the 50D - which came out two years ago - but examine it more closely and you'll find it's smaller, lighter and has less weather sealing than its predecessor. (The 6oD's introductory price is also several hundred dollars cheaper than what the 50D debuted at.)
Both cameras use APS-C-size CMOS sensors which magnify lenses by i.ôx.The 60D has a slower shooting speed than the 50D however and a g-point autofocus system that hasn't changed much in the last few years. But along with being fitted with a higher resolution sensor - 18MP vs. 15MP - the 60D adds two key features that put it head and shoulders above the previous model: the ability to shoot full 1080p HD video, and a handy, 270-degree-articulating, 3-inch LCD screen on the back for shooting still or video from hard-to-reach angles. (Heck, the D7000 doesn't even have a flip-out screen and...