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Canon EOS60D | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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I have been thinking that I could use a second camera (and hopeing for something a little up market from the Canon Vixia I have been using) for quite some time. I finally took the plunge and bought a good used Canon EOS60D. The Canon EOS60D is aimed at the advanced amateur market so it is above my level of photographic ability which gives me somthing to grow into. One thing that is missing out of the box is the ability to run it from a power source other than the battery. I struggled with it for a while swapping batteries in and out but I found this a significant shortcoming after getting used to my Canon Vixia operating on mains power. An after market power adapter is now on order. A high speed memory card is essential as the camera will automatically stop recording a movie if there are dropped frames. Dropped frames are caused when the memory card can't keep up with the bit rate at which the movie is being recorded. One work around is to reduce the size of your video recording (e.g. record 1080x756 instead of 1920x1080) but the real answer is to spring for a fast memory card like one in the links below. Just remember to make sure you have an SD holder for the Micro SD card or buy a SD card. I've been using it for several weeks now and all-in-all I am very happy with my purchase. It certainly isn't a professional level camera but then I'm not a professional so I find we are well suited. |
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| Pros: | 18-megapixel sensor Excellent high ISO performance 1.04-million pixel, 3-inch variable angle LCD 18-135 kit lens Full HD (1920x1080) movies Ergonomic design Great picture quality (compared to my previous cameras) |
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Cons: |
No continuous autofocus in Movie mode. Autofocus is much slower than other cameras I have used. Viewfinder is blocked when shooting movies, only the LCD is available. A little on the heavy side but comparable with similar modern cameras. |
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The fully articulated LCD screen folds away neatly when not in use and you can still use the view finder (but not in live mode). Leaving it folded away and turned off also saves power thereby extending battery life. |
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One thing I found a little disconcerting at first was the fact that the LCD screen shuts down during a long video shoot. Of couse I thought the whole camera had shut down the first time I encountered this. A good reason to read the manual first I guess. Just kidding, I never read the manual first. |
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The menu is a little sparse on features compared to some cameras I have seen and/or used but it is well laid out, logically named and easy to find everything. Being sparse on menu items isn't necesseraly a bad thing, there is less confusion and a novice (like myself) isn't overwealmed with too many choices. |
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In my opinion the top panel shows what I need to know and little else. Some photographers with more experience than me might want more information but as with the menus I find less it easier sometimes especially when I don't know how to interpret or use the extra information. |
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Looking down the barrel at the sensor. |
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This is how mine looks at the start and end of each day. I religiously remove the battery and lens and place the protective covers over the lens and camers. I remove the battery because I need to charge it and because it will leak power while it is sitting in the camera. I remove the lens and put the covers back as they were when I bought it because II think it would be better at kepping the dust out, or maybe just because I don't know any better. |
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| Check out these links is you would like to buy one: | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Canon EOS60D on EBay AU | Canon EOS60D on EBay CA | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Canon EOS60D on EBay US | Canon EOS60D on EBay UK | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| If you need a larger memory card here are some suggestions for purchasing SDXC memory (don't forget an SD carrier if you purchase the micro SD card). | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 64GB SDXC Card from EBay AU | 64GB SDXC Card from EBay UK | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 64GB SDXC Card from EBay US | 64GB SDXC Card from EBay CA | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||