Canon EOS 60D DSLR

Shooting from the middle ground

Optical drive

The 60D comes equipped with a number of artistic options, picture controls and custom settings. There are creative filters (grainy B/W, Soft Focus, Toy Camera and Miniature) that can be applied before or after capture and that have quite a sophisticated, tasteful effect. Also Highlight Tone Priority broadens dynamic range to improve quality of detail in highlight areas and AutoLighting Optimizer automatically improves the brightness and contrast of an image.

Winning combination? A lightweight shell with some semi-pro properties

I tested the camera with the EF-S 18-135mm f/3.5-5.6 IS kit lens. It's very much is a consumer zoom, but the build quality is more solid than most lenses at this level and it is sharper than I expected. At maximum focal length it does suffer from softness and colour fringing at the edges, and the lack of a USM (ultrasonic motor) makes it a bit noisy when the autofocus kicks in.

Verdict

Although not particularly innovative – mostly borrowing features from other EOS models – the EOS 60D nicely fits the market section between beginner and semi-pro DSLR models. With virtually the same image quality of the EOS 7D plus a swivel LCD screen, the Canon EOS 60D is an accomplished DLSR that will no doubt satisfy the most demanding and advanced enthusiast. ®

Catherine Monfils is a professional photographer specialising in portraiture, lifestyle and fashion.

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