Hi, I'm new to this site.. / what do you guys think of the Canon EOS 60D?

[Ediacol]

Thank you all very very much! I didn't expect to get this much information out of the forum so I'm quite pleased! I just don't want something where I'm like well, this was a nice shot, except the quality is terrible (something I feel every day with the iPhone haha so yes, anything is better than what I have)

Yeah, I guess you're right I just looked at some photos on flickr in the canon group and loved what the outcome was with the Canon 60D the best, but decided to post where people would actually know what they're talking about to see what other options are out there. I have a huge problem with grain, with the iPhone that's obviously a huge problem and requires alot of editing to make a photo look even halfway decent when taking photos at like "twilight hour" so I wanted to go with something where I wouldn't take some photos and think "ugh the grain is back" I mean obviously most cameras in my range will still have it but.. I'm hoping to find something that doesn't have a lot of grain .. within my price range of course!

Let me remind you that it is the photographer that takes the photos, not the camera. I guarantee that you'll be able to do everything you want to do with the 60D, even a 550D which soon isn't available in store any longer (at least in Norway) as the 600D is slowly replacing it. With the 60D you get a bigger body, faster continuous shooting etc.. just "better" hardware. It'll take time to outgrow a 550D or a 600D, as they are extremely competent cameras. the general opinion is to not invest in body, but invest in lenses, as those are the main factor for image quality

Just learn to use whatever camera you end up with, don't shoot at full auto. In my personal opinion, if you shoot at auto with an slr, you could have saved the money and "just" get a compact camera. Learn to use it, learn to compose. Photography at its best means to make the viewer feel sometime, either that's fear, relaxing and calm, pride, awe, sympathy... the list goes on. Then only limiting factor is you and your creative half of your brain......... and a little bit of your equipment

Good luck!

Thank you! I had a chance to look at your gallery on flickr and I was thoroughly impressed and a little bit jealous lol your shots are so beautiful! The water was so tranquil and dreamy, I thought the cow was really funny!

 

[Compaq]

I'm glad someone like them, LOL I'm just a beginner a few steps ahead of you. You'll find that using your camera isn't the hardest thing in the world (read the manual, google stuff, practice), but taking images that are good, that's the hard part. If/when (I hope it's when) you put photos up here for comments and criticism, be prepared to get some harsh comments. Be humble about it and take some comments with a few grain of salt. Some people here are frank about the flaws in the photos, just don't take it personally Part of learning here is to accept that there are a lot of experienced, and some educated, people in photography and visual arts, and they know their stuff.

To blur the water, you'll almost always need a tripod. But (and this is a big but) I highly recommend learning to use your camera and aim to outgrow it. When you feel limited by your equipment, then perhaps it's time to get something new. A saying that goes around here often is "If you don't know what you need, then you don't need anything".

 

[jaomul]

Just a thought that may differ on your lens a bit, a lot if people recommend the nifty 50 ( I do as well) but I think the kit lens 18-55 or 18-135 would serve you better as a start lens, if for no other reason you may find when you do have the option to zoom, there may be focal lengths you prefer or use more. I bought the 50 first but soon bought the kit lens. The kit gives you more scope

 

[Malone]

Just a thought that may differ on your lens a bit, a lot if people recommend the nifty 50 ( I do as well) but I think the kit lens 18-55 or 18-135 would serve you better as a start lens, if for no other reason you may find when you do have the option to zoom, there may be focal lengths you prefer or use more. I bought the 50 first but soon bought the kit lens. The kit gives you more scope

I would recommend buying the body and lens(es) separately. You can get a better lens for not much more then the body and kit lens.

 

[Ediacol]

Thank you guys for the tips! I'm just taking in as much as I can before really getting out there with a good camera I know experience is one of the best learning platforms as well. I just think I need to learn more about cameras & all the things they do & which functions do what I'm sure I'll grasp it with time & I'll definitely post some of the things I come up with, I love reading the C&C's and the "rate the photo above you" thread, after reading through those a bunch I realized you're right google & the manual & of course this forum are all going to help me out a ton! Thanks for being there for us baby beginners lol I know in some forums they aren't this supportive of people who are just starting out.

 

[subscuck]

I would recommend some reading material as well. There's a lot to learn about the photographic process and camera function, and how they work together. "Understanding Exposure" by Bryan Peterson is the default recommendation, and it's a good one for beginners. The "Digital Photography" series by Scott Kelby is a three volume set that is also quite useful for beginners. As your understanding of the fundamentals improves, so will your photography. FWIW, if the positive feedback you've been getting is from friends and family, take it with a grain of salt. Friends and family have an emotional connection to you and will always praise your work. Instead, be open to the opinions of people who don't know you, but know photography. And have fun.

 

[vtf]

60d is a good choice, it's my next upgrade unless a 1-d Mark IV falls into my lap.

 

[MTVision]

I just bought the Nikon D5100 and it seems to work great. Haven't taken any videos with it as of yet. After I bought the Nikon I saw that they had it at the Costco where I live!

 

[subscuck]

Also be aware, if you're not already, the "baby Nikons", D3000 thru D5100, don't have built in focus motors. This means certain Nikon lenses will be manual focus only. With Canon, the AF motor is in the lens, therefore all Canon lenses will AF on all bodies.

 

[PatrickCheung]

While a 60D may seem like an attractive deal, and it certainly is a great camera and will serve your photography needs for a LONG time (it's good to start out big, no need to upgrade as often, and if you choose to sell it to upgrade, you get a higher value). However, I'd like to bring about the issue of camera size.

I used to shoot with DSLRs a lot, but over the years I found the D7000 kit to be a little too big, clunky, cumbersome... My huge DSLR bag kept swining around, hitting everything knocking things over. Carrying the camera on my shoulders all day got extremely tiring. My kit consisted of the D7000 (sometimes gripped), one or two lenses, sometimes a flash. It got to the point where I barely took the camera out with me, barely took photos, I eventually just stopped using the D7000.

I've replaced it with a Fuji X100 and I find it perfectly fine for everyday use. It fits right into your $1200 budget... and I find that it has a better sensor (better image quality) than the D7000, the fixed wide-angle (equivalent of a 35mm f2) lens is sharper, more corrected (less distortion) than most affordable SLR lenses. I've only had the X100 for two months, I've had the D7000 for 6 months, and I've taken more photos with the Fuji than the D7000 just because it's more portable.

I don't think the fixed wide-angle lens sounds too attractive to you right now. There's always the option of a Micro 4/3 camera (Panasonic GF series, Olympus EP series) or compact cameras (Sony's Nex series). Micro 4/3 cameras have their disadvantages (2x crop factor... a 50mm lens becomes a 100mm lens, 14mm lens becomes a 28mm, etc)... but they're very capable cameras and can mount all sorts of lenses (they make adapters for Nikon, Canon, Leica, and C-mount lenses)... here's a link to a flickr group of photos taken by C-mount lenses (those security camera and vintage movie camera lenses) on micro 4/3 cameras: http://www.flickr.com/groups/c-mount_/

Anyway, The 60D is bound to please. Just thought that I'd share my experiences with DSLRs. Quite frankly, I've been considering moving to Rangefinder cameras (just purchased a Leica M3) for good... they're just more compact and portable. They're not so good for the more creative things like Macro and super telephoto photography, but I've got the X100 for macro and a film Nikon F to use my Nikon telephotos on (though I rarely shoot telephoto anymore).

 

[VegasPhotoNut]

I bought the 60D back in june. I had a 10 percent off coupon from bestbuy and just bought the body only. after taxes i paid like $980. I picked up the nifty fifty for $115 and a couple nice sd cards. I love the camera. I think, as a first DSLR its amazing. You really cannot go wrong with it. It has great video capabilities and the pictures are great. Obviously the photographer makes the pictures, as a beginner i think it's great. It will serve me well for a long time. I already have over +2000 actuation's.

 

[MTVision]

Subscuck - Nikons AF motor is in the lens too. The older lens w/o the AF motor are not compatible with the D300-d5100 as far as I know. Is Canons AF motor in the lens too or the body?

 

[TwoTwoLeft]

That deal at Costco on the 60D is pretty good. They also have a 90 day no question's asked return policy. I would look at B&H Photo's website. They have the 60D with the 18-135 for $1199 or the 18-200 for $1299. No tax, free shipping and I've had nothing but exceptional service from them.

I shoot a 60D with a Canon EF-s 15-85, EF 70-300 IS USM & EF 100-400 L (when I can get my hands on it). I'm pretty happy with my set-up. The only things I'd like to add later on is a 50mm 1.4 prime & 430ex speedlite.

The key to putting up with the size of a DSLR & the gear is to get a bag that works for the kind of shooting you will be doing & what works best for you, i.e. backpack, shoulder sling, messenger bag....

 

[shortpants]

60D is good, I have one. It does what I need it to do. I feel no need to upgrade anytime soon unless I want a weatherproof body.

It really doesn't matter what you get to an extent, especially if you're just learning. Any newer DSLR will do what you need it to do. As you learn and grow, you may grow out of the camera but you don't need to start right off the bat with top of the line. Focus more on your lenses. People will argue until they're blue in the face about which is better, Nikon or Canon but they're both high quality. Good luck with the new camera

 

[KmH]

The older lens w/o the AF motor are not compatible with the D300-d5100 as far as I know.

First, I think you mean D3000. We need to also include the D40, D40x, D60 to the list of 'baby' Nikons.

Unfortunately, you don't know.

Currently available as new, Nikon lenses that do not have an autofocus motor in the lens (designated AF. AF-S designated Nikon lenses have an auto focus motor in them.) are compatible with any Nikon DSLR made today. However, since the 'baby' Nikon's don't have an auto focus motor in the camera body the photographer has to manually turn the auto focus ring on the lens.

With Canon's line of cameras users need to be aware that Canon EF-S lenses cannot be mounted on Canon EF camera bodies, though Canon EF lenses can be mounted on Canon EF-S camera bodies.

What you aren't aware of it is that the AF designated lens still send distance information to the 'baby' Nikon's CPU, and the camera will turn on the viewfinder 'In Focus' indicator when focus has been achieved at the selected viewfinder focus point.

In other words, when using AF designated Nikon lenses on a 'baby' Nikon camera, the only part of the auto focus sytem that is missing is a motor to move the focus mechanism in the lens. All the other needed electronics is present.

As a further note: Nikon AF-I lenses also have an auto focus motor in the lens and will auto focus on any of the 'baby' Nikon's.