Canon 60D - Upgrade Or Hybrid

The new Canon 60D upgrade to the 50D is on the shelves, both in the brick-and-mortar stores and in the cyber-stores. Will it be a successful as the Canon Rebel T2i and the mid-range Canon 7D have been over the last year?

An even more important question and consideration must be weighed: It the Canon 60D a true upgrade from the 50D as most Canon owners were hoping for, or is it a hybrid of the 50D, the T2i and the 7D as some contend?

It is not too hard to answer that question when you look at the specifications and features of the newest Canon Digital SLR. There are actually a couple of features where the 60D has been downgraded from the 50D. Most notably, the construction material for the camera body is now a polycarbonate (plastic) polymer instead of the magnesium alloy material used in the 50D.

Another feature that has been degraded is the continuous picture rate. Whereas the 50D is capable of 5.3 frames per second, the newer model can capture at a slower 5.3 frames per second.

There are several great features in the new Canon 60D that have been inherited from the T2i and the 7D. The 18mp sensor is common to all three models now. This means that getting really great image quality is a benefit of not only the 60D, but also the T2i and the 7D.

You will also get high quality HD video from all three models. The 60D has and advantage in the stereo sound input in that it has more control in that area.

The three best features that are found only in the Canon 60D are:
(1) the articulating LCD screen which makes it very easy to become a videographer with this camera
(2) Improved control over auto-ISO
(3) Improved control over audio input when in movie mode

The Canon 60D looks very much like a hybrid. Conjecture is that the other two models are doing so well that Canon decision makers decided not to infringe upon their success. Certainly, the 7D has been a much more successful release than many of their DSLRs in the past. If the 60D was a true upgrade of the 50D, and at a price tag at about the same point, there would be many buyers who would opt for the new camera instead of the 7D.

So, Canon decided to give some and take some. The Canon 60D upgrade (or hybrid) is really the perfect in-between camera in the Canon DSLR lineup. The one group that may not be too happy with this release is the group of 40D and 50D owners. That is simply because they already own a camera that is nearly as good as the new 60D (and in some cases, as in body construction.. better).

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