Blue Pink Photo: Canon 60D First Impression

This past week, Canon 60D started shipping out and I managed to get my hands on one. I'm not a professional reviewer, but I'd like to share some of my first impressions. I'd try to compare this to the 50D, which is the model that the 60D replaced.

Size: It looks and feels slightly more compact than the 50D. I don't have a 50D body to compare side by side, but I'm pretty sure it sits between the T1i/T2i and 50D/5D Mark II. The body is also more curvy, which contributes to the more compact look.
Weight: Spec says it's a few ounces lighter, but I really couldn't tell.
Feel: Did I mention it's more curvy? One thing you'll notice is the bump at the top right portion of rear, where your thumb would rest. This bump actually makes it feel more natural to hold the camera and guides your hand position. It has the usual texture, which helps with the grip.

Canon 60D right hand grip. Notice the bump on the back and indentation on the front.

Canon 60D from the front left. Notice the curves everywhere.

Buttons:

This is what messed me up initially, because they are all over the place now. The mode dial now has a button in the center that you have to press before you can change the mode (AV, TV, M, etc.). The On/Off switch is also by the mode dial, and it's just On/Off now.


Canon 60D shooting mode dial wheel and power switch. Plus the erase (trash can) button right below it.

In addition, the joystick is gone, and although I have somewhat warmed up to the new directional pad embedded in the scroll wheel, I find myself instinctively trying to reach for the joystick. If you use multiple DSLR bodies, this is going to throw you off. On the other hand, having the Menu, Info and Play buttons on the right means you can control everything with pretty much one hand!

The top right control buttons are pretty much the same, though the ISO button now has a little bump. The LCD is no longer rectangular, which means you loose a little bit of real estate. The whole top right area does look busy, though, don't you think?

Canon 60D top right LCD and buttons.

Display: The new swivel LCD is both nice (reminds me of my old S5) and annoying. With the swivel it now feels more natural for shooting video. You have to remember though that it only swivels a certain direction (I tried turning it the wrong way and it wouldn't go, I thought it got stuck and almost forced it -- potentially breaking it), so perhaps best to keep it in one position. I did flip it in to get a feel of old school SLR (when there was no LCD), but quickly realized I needed the LCD preview. :)

Canon 60D LCD screen in 'normal' position.

Canon 60D LCD swivels open (don't have my tripod, so pardon the dark LCD)

As for image quality, I've only had a chance to take some sample pictures. One big improvement is the Auto ISO now can be set up to ISO 6400, which is grainy but surprisingly quite usable if you really need it. Unofficially, the 60D seems to trump the 50D in the higher ISO image quality.