Digital Inspiration. That's how the good folks at Canon define their EOS 60D DSLR Camera. With an 18MP APS-C CMOS sensor, a 3" Clear ViewLCD, and HD video capture, among other mouth-watering features, perhaps you will agree. Let's take a tantalizing tour of thishighly-anticipated DSLR camera body.
What was that? Did I say video? Yes, I did. Let's take a moment to delve into the feature that has all those techies out there jumping outof their desk chairs. The 60D is more than your run-of-the-mill DSLR camera, as we know; it doubles as a 1920 x 1080 HD video camera. Withthe built-in video camera you'll be able to capture MOV video clips up to 4GB in size (time depends on resolution).
With features like manual exposure control, the option to attach on any of the Canon EF or EF-S lenses, and various audio adjustments -including an external stereo mic connection, and both manual and auto gain control - the 60D puts DSLR film-making at yourfingertips. Other noteworthy features of the video function include in-camera editing, a number of recording resolutions to choose from,and an HDMI output for one-cable connection to your HDTV.
Perhaps you should take a moment and catch your breath. Ok, here we go - back to the DSLR proper.
Let's ease back into things here. No matter if you're shooting video or digital stills the 60D captures everything to convenient flashmemory cards - Record to SD/SDHC/SDXC memory cards. Canon also gives you the option to use wireless USB 2.0 drives, or Eye-Fi cards forcomputer-free wireless transfer of your images.
Now, back to the show... The 18MP APS-C CMOS sensor packs in enough pixel-power to make those mural prints you've only been dreaming of, areality. But even if you don't plan on making a wall-sized mural of your dog romping through the surf, 18MP have other advantages.Sharpness, clear details, a lack of image-destroying noise, and true-to-life colors are all examples of how more pixels will make yourimages pop!
The 60D also features Canon's DIGIC 4 Image Processor. With DIGIC 4 you'll enjoy the benefits of fast shooting speeds, in-camera RAW imageprocessing, creative filters, image resizing, and other exciting in-camera features. Enhanced Face Detection Live Mode, Full HD videorecording, Auto Lighting Optimizer, and Lens Peripheral Optimization are additional features also enabled by DIGIC 4.
Another high-point of the 60D is the fully articulated (in layman's terms: flip out and/or swivel) 3" LCD screen. That's right boys andgirls, the LCD opens away from the camera and articulates for viewing from multiple angles. You can also choose to leave the LCD in thetraditional back of the camera position. When you're done shooting, turn the LCD in, and its back cover protects the display from damage.
When it comes to low light you want the option to shoot without a flash. Canon gave the 60D ISO settings from 100-6400 - and the option togo up to 12800 using the custom function. You have more options to choose from - and more opportunity to capture stunningly clear images,even in low light.
What else could Canon fit into this divinely, oh wait, I mean digitally inspired camera? A short overview; includes 5.3 frames per secondcontinuous shooting, a 96% coverage viewfinder, a multi-control dial, a 63-zone dual-layer metering system, and a 9-point AF system.
In addition to these user-friendly features, the camera also boasts in-camera photo editing technologies. You'll be able to process RAWfiles entirely in the camera to produce a separate JPEG file - without a computer. Filters like "Grainy Black-and-White" and "Soft FocusEffect" also allow you to add an artistic touch to your images, sans post-production. Throw in compatibility with Mac and PC, along with amyriad of bundled software options, and the 60D is one camera that packs a powerful punch.
- 18MP CMOS Sensor and DIGIC 4 Imaging Processor
- The EOS 60D features a Canon-designed 18MP APS-C size CMOS sensor that captures such a high level of resolution; it's easy to cropimages for enlargement without concern of losing detail. A major factor in reducing noise, the CMOS sensor assures that images shotat highest sensitivity will be remarkably smooth
The improved DIGIC 4 Image Processor ensures that images are captured, processed and saved with remarkable speed. The EOS 60DDSLR's new 3:2 multiple aspect ratio, in-camera RAW image processing, creative filters, image resizing and provided S2 and S3image-recording quality are all possible thanks to the DIGIC 4 Image Processor. With dazzling results, the new DIGIC 4 ImageProcessor also works to capture and process data of images shot at 18MP at 5.3 fps, as well as 14-bit signal processing forexcellent image gradation, enhanced Face Detection Live mode, Full HD video recording, Auto Lighting Optimizer and LensPeripheral Optimization
- Vari-Angle 3" Clear View LCD Monitor
- The EOS 60D features a bright, high resolution, flip-out Vari-angle 3.0-inch Clear View LCD monitor for shooting at a variety ofangles. By easily switching between low and high angles, the EOS 60D freely enables angle adjustments even if the camera is mountedon a tripod or has a battery grip attached
With 1,040,000 (dots/VGA) pixels for spectacular detail, the advanced, smudge-resistant monitor includes high transparencymaterials plus anti-reflective and water-repellent coatings to provide clear and bright viewing. Superb for reviewing, editingand deleting photos or composing new images in Live View function, the Vari-angle Clear View LCD monitor also allows access tocamera settings like ISO, metering modes, AF Point selection, the horizontal Electronic Level and flash options
- EOS HD Video
- The EOS 60D features HD Video capture technologies - manual exposure control for more creative control, for example - borroweddirectly from professional Canon DSLRs to capture stellar video with all the benefits of shooting with a DSLR. By shooting videowith the EOS 60D, photographers as well as filmmakers can take advantage of the creative features native to DSLR cameras. Alongwith its manual controls, the EOS 60D allows for full use of Canon EF and EF-S lenses, including macro and fisheye, providing aplethora of shooting options once reserved only for still photography. The resulting HD video is a standout in its beautifuldepth-of-field characteristics and remarkable capture capability under poor lighting conditions. Additionally, a Movie Cropfunction is included: An SD-quality video (640 x 480) can be cropped to the equivalent of about 7x magnification of regularshooting
The audio input level feature offers both manual and auto gain control, up to 64 levels, and a wind filter minimizesunwanted background noise. By pressing the Quick Control button, a simple graphic user interface for adjusting image quality,white balance, image creation and other settings appears on the LCD. The EOS 60D even lets users edit video in-camera: On-siteor off, unnecessary scenes can be deleted and the start/end points of video footage can be designated via in-camera editingfunctions without the need of a separate computer
Video can be captured at a number of resolutions and frame rates for numerous applications. It can capture 1920 x 1080 Full HDvideo at frame rates of 30 (29.97 fps), 24 (23.976 fps) and 25 frames per second, for up to 4GB per clip. Video footage issaved as MOV files and can be viewed in Full HD through the EOS 60D DSLR's HDMI output. Other recording sizes include HD at1280 x 720 (50/60 fps) or SD/VGA at 640 x 480 (50/60 fps) -24/30 fps delivers cinema-like motion, while 60 fps is perfect forfootage being uploaded to video-sharing websites. The EOS 60D also has a built-in microphone for simple mono recording andstereo sound can be recorded through a self-powered external microphone. (1/8" mini jack)
- High ISO Sensitivity
- With a broad range of ISO settings, expandable up to 6400 in the auto setting and 12800 with the custom function, the EOS 60Denables shooting from sunrise to sunset and helps ensure capture of the finest detail. With enhanced high-sensitivity optimization,subjects can be captured clearly and easily at high shutter speeds without flash, with minimized blur and noise. In bright scenes,especially long exposures in daylight, optimal exposure can be achieved with a fully open wide-diameter lens, no dark filter needed
- 5.3 fps Continuous Shooting
- With a 0.1 second start-up time, speedy autofocus, and minimal shutter lag, the EOS 60D is made to capture even rapidly-occurringscenes with stunning precision. Able to shoot up to 5.3 frames per second (fps), capturing a maximum burst of approximately 58Large/JPEGs and 16 RAW, the EOS 60D DSLR lets you catch even the briefest of moments, whether it's a faced-paced soccer game or theflicker of a candle flame
- 96% Viewfinder Coverage
- The EOS 60D features a redesigned viewfinder that not only offers 96% coverage, 0.95x magnification, a 27 angle of view anduser-controlled dioptric adjustment, it also features a transparent LCD display that enables a number of viewfinder displays. Asix-level battery check indicator has been added on the left, and the exposure level indicator scale has been expanded to up tothree stops, with arrows indicating greater exposure levels
The EOS 60D also features a horizontal Electronic Level, that, when activated, is superimposed on the LCD monitor to aid inachieving evenly leveled shots by indicating the horizontal tilt up to approximately 9 in 1 increments
- Enhanced iFCL 63-Zone Dual-Layer Metering System and 9-Point AF System
- The EOS 60D features a 63-zone dual-layer sensor designed to complement the 9-point AF system. By taking into account the color andluminosity surrounding chosen AF points, this system delivers an advanced level of accuracy for stunning results even in difficultlighting situations. Since the metering sensor has a color measurement function, exposure errors and focus errors caused bydifferent light sources are minimized; the EOS 60D gives stable exposure from shot to shot in situations where light changes, suchas in a theater or concert hall. This makes the EOS 60D ideal for scenes with extreme difference in brightness such as brightly litscenes or backlit scenes; the camera balances exposure of the main subject at the background, and exposures are not overlyinfluenced by bright areas in the shot. Since the EOS 60D provides high-speed X-sync ("X-sync" means the fastest shutter speed thatcan synchronize with a flash burst at the moment the shutter is fully released) up to 1/250 sec., the range of photographicexpression is dramatically increased, allowing the EOS 60D to be used with confidence in bright scenes or dim
- In-Camera Technologies for a Streamline Workflow
- The EOS 60D marks a highpoint in convenience for the photographer by being able to shoot an image as a RAW file and then process itentirely in-camera to produce a separate JPEG file without the need of an outside computer. The EOS 60D gives you 10 processvariables - brightness adjustment, white balance, Picture Style, Auto Lighting Optimizer, noise reduction, JPEG image-recordingquality, color space, lens peripheral illumination correction, distortion correction, and chromatic aberrations correction - tocreate the image you envision, set to the 3:2 aspect ratio used in 35mm film
Additionally, once you capture an image with the EOS 60D, you can digitally manipulate it in-camera with a number of creativefilters for artistic and dramatic effect. Options include Soft Focus Effect to convey dreamy tableaus; Grainy Black-and-WhiteEffect for a gritty, hard-bitten look; Toy Camera Effect - the deliberate vignetting and color shift technique popular in artphotography - and Miniature Effect, which blurs the top and bottom edges of the image to emphasize perspective and conveys aminiaturized look of the scene
- Flexible Storage with Memory Cards
- The EOS 60D DSLR uses popular SD, SDHC and SDXC memory cards. Compact, inexpensive and available in increasingly large capacities,SD, SDHC and SDXC memory cards are a nice complement to the EOS 60D DSLR's compact and lightweight body design
The 60D can also gives you the option to store recordings to external media sources like USB 2.0 or Wireless LAN/Eye-Fi card(Canon cameras are not guaranteed to support Eye-Fi card functions, including wireless transfer)
- Compatible with Canon EF and EF-S Lenses
- The EOS 60D is compatible with all Canon lenses in the EF and EF-S lineup, ranging from ultra-wide angle to super telephoto lenses.Canon lenses employ advanced optical expertise and micron-precision engineering to deliver unprecedented performance in all facetsof the photographic process. Special optical technologies, such as aspherical, ultra-low dispersion, or fluorite elements arefeatured in the universally acclaimed L-series lenses. And Canon's Optical Image Stabilizer technology is featured in select lensesto minimize the effect of camera shake. Additionally, photographers can use for video the same lenses they do for stillphotography; Canon wide-angle, macro, super-telephoto, tilt-shift and fisheye lenses provide a wealth of focal lengths,depth-of-field and other creative shooting options once reserved for stills
- Flash Photography
- With a flash sync speed of 1/250 of a second, the EOS 60D features the E-TTL II flash metering system. With any of the optionalflashes in the EX Speedlite line, E-TTL II provides reliable flash output whether shooting fill-in flash pictures in sunlight, orusing flash in total darkness. With E-TTL II, the exact same 35-zone metering sensor used for measuring ambient light is also usedfor flash metering - giving even finer metering command of the image area. If you prefer a broader area for flash metering, there'sa menu setting to change to "Average" flash metering - where the entire 35-zone area is measured evenly for flash exposure.Additionally, the EOS 60D has a Speedlite transmitter built-in for convenient, full-featured wireless control of EX-seriesSpeedlite flashes set as slave units
The optional Canon Speedlite 430EX II is a step-up accessory for powerful flash shooting with the EOS 60D. It has excellentflash power (maximum guide number of 141 ft/43m at ISO 100), and is the perfect way to get great flash pictures when you can'tget right up to the subject. The 430EX II is also great for bounce flash, with its tilting and swiveling flash head. Itautomatically zooms the flash head to cover lenses ranging from 16mm up to 105mm or longer with the EOS 60D. Of course, itworks with the camera to provide full E-TTL II automatic flash exposure. And the 430EX II has a powerful AF-assist beam, whichallows the camera to autofocus even in total darkness on subjects as far as 32 ft. from the camera
- Powerful Bundled Software
- The EOS 60D comes bundled with an updated Canon EOS Digital Solution Disk, which features powerful software programs designed toextend the EOS experience to the computer. These include Canon's EOS Utility (Version 2.9.0), Digital Photo Professional (Version3.9.1), ZoomBrowser EX for Windows (Version 6.6.0), ImageBrowser for Macintosh OS X (Version 6.6.0), the Picture Style Editor(Version 1.8.0), PhotoStitch (Version W: 3.1.22/M: 3.4.4), WFT Utility (version 3.5.1), Memory Card Utility (Version 1.4), WFTUtility (Version 3.5.1), Original Data Security Tools (Version 1.9.0). Each application is designed to make captured images looktheir best and to streamline the workflow.
