Build and handling
There are a number of differences in the build and handling of the Canon EOS 50D and the new 60D. The biggest of these is the decision to switch from a magnesium-alloy body to an aluminium shell with polycarbonate and glass fibre. Spending £1,000 on an enthusiast or prosumer camera would normally guarantee a camera an magnesium-alloy body, so it is a bold decision by Canon to use polycarbonate instead.
However, the camera feels solid and substantial and doesn’t have the same light, almost hollow, feel of many polycarbonate entry-level cameras. Changing the body material is also one of the factors that keeps the camera at a competitive price. Canon has looked at ways of keeping the camera strong and light, but without using more expensive magnesium alloy.
The decision to change the body material also separates the cameras in the EOS range. The EOS 7D is now very much the ‘baby’ EOS-1D Mark IV. That said, despite its lack of a metal body, I would still deem the EOS 60D as an excellent backup for a professional photographer.
As the body of the EOS 60D is smaller than that of the EOS 50D, you would also expect it to be lighter, particularly given the choice of materials. In fact, despite being a few millimetres smaller in every dimension, the EOS 60D is heavier than its predecessor, but only by an insignificant 25g.
The smaller body of the EOS 60D also necessitates some changes to the button placement compared to other Canon EOS cameras.
Gone are the various buttons that used to sit below the screen on the EOS 50D; they have been moved to the right-hand side of the body. Although not identical, the button placement of the EOS 60D has more in common with the EOS 550D than the EOS 7D, and I suspect that all future EOS DSLRs will move towards having all buttons on the right of the camera, particularly if vari-angle screens become more common.
While the EOS 60D retains the control dial familiar from prosumer and professional DSLRs, it has been slightly altered for the EOS 60D. The equally familiar joystick control for navigating menus and selecting AF points has been lost and replaced with a thumb cursor control that fits within the control dial. Canon has stated that the reason for this change is to make it easier to operate the camera, particularly to change AF points, when the BG-E9 battery grip is being used.
This is because users had to reach further to use the joystick, whereas the new control wheel cursor control is easier to get a finger to. Unfortunately, a battery grip wasn’t available to test the handling, but even without the grip the new control is a significant improvement on having the separate control. That said, it may take some time for existing Canon users to become familiar with it.
One of the reasons for the change in button placement is the new articulated screen. This folds out 90° from the side of the camera and can rotate through 270° to allow the screen to be viewed from in front of the camera, or when standing directly below it. The hinge seems solid and the extremities of the screen rotations are in 90° increments. This is important as it means the ‘point of no return’, where further turning will potentially damage the screen or hinge, is very obvious. I found that the EOS 60D handled very well.
The placement of the buttons made the camera easy to operate and the Quick Menu allows easy access to all the major shooting options. Similarly, there is the option to change the function of various AF metering buttons, although this isn’t completely customisable; there are instead nine selectable button configurations. The on-screen menu itself is very easy to navigate and will be familiar to both Canon DSLR and compact camera users. Importantly, it is very easy to read the on-screen display due to the high-resolution screen.
When it comes to the build and handling of the EOS 60D, it is quite easy to dismiss the camera on the grounds that the polycarbonate body doesn’t meet the high standard set by the EOS 7D. However, rather than thinking of the EOS 60D as a compromise, it is more appropriate to think of it as taking the best of the control of the EOS 550D and building upon this to create something completely new.
