60D - First Blush

The things I dislike I had read on the forums before getting this camera (Coming from Rebel 350):

a) Louder: Shutter and focus beep (I've been shooting some plays lately and being around any video equipment that uses on camera mics annoys the video techs).

b) No quick exposure comp (although auto-iso seems to significantly reduce this need in my case). Also I dislike that when I use exposure comp, I must use the rear wheel - so the same finger must fumble the menu then make the adjustment, rather than use the top dial. On the 350 it was "hold the comp button with the right thumb, rotate the top disc with the forefinger" - super fast.

Canon - please provide a firmware update that allows exposure comp (not just flash comp) to be triggered by the set button. To me, one button access to drive mode is much lower priority!
c) No eye detect to turn off screen.

Now here's what I love about it that completely overshadows any shortcomings:

The 60D takes the exact picture my eye sees with very little need to make adjustments. It captures the delicate light features that I see. Coming from the 350 there are so many exposure upgrades (highlight tone priority, metering, etc) it's hard to to know for sure, but I suspect that most of it has to do with auto-ISO + high ISO capabilities. The human eye has Auto-ISO / High-ISO, so I suppose this is the last core photographic variable to capturing what the eye sees much more frequently.

I also want Canon to know that sRAW was my hold-out feature on upgrading my Rebel (please don't make any more 18+ MP cameras that don't have smaller RAW choices.)

Turn off the beep, or use AI Servo focusing which never beeps. You can't do anything about the shutter, though, unless you use live view.

If the meter is on (i.e. you have just half-pressed the shutter button), you just turn the rear dial for exposure compensation. Just half press the shutter button, release it, and turn the rear dial. You don't even need to take your eye from the viewfinder. I couldn't figure that out when I first got mine, but as soon as I did, I smacked myself on the forehead. It makes sense, because you don't need a dial lock (as soon as the meter turns off, the dial becomes inactive), and when you need it, you don't have to push any inconvenient buttons: just tap the shutter lightly.

I leave the screen facing in, so that it's never on and never gets smeared. I find no need for it except when reviewing photos and the occasional settings change. That was the biggest appeal of the camera for me: saves batteries, stops me from chimping, and protects the screen from damage and nose smears.

Darwin Sanoy said:

The things I dislike I had read on the forums before getting this camera (Coming from Rebel 350):

a) Louder: Shutter and focus beep (I've been shooting some plays lately and being around any video equipment that uses on camera mics annoys the video techs).

Click to expand...

The beep can be turned off. The mirror/shutter mechanism of the 60D is more robust than the xxxD models. You may prefer "silent" shooting with Live View in that situation.

Darwin Sanoy said:

b) No quick exposure comp (although auto-iso seems to significantly reduce this need in my case). Also I dislike that when I use exposure comp, I must use the rear wheel - so the same finger must fumble the menu then make the adjustment, rather than use the top dial. On the 350 it was "hold the comp button with the right thumb, rotate the top disc with the forefinger" - super fast.

Click to expand...

???

The Quick Control Dial (QDC, ie the rear wheel) adjusts EC directly. No need to press and hold an EC button while turning the Main Dial like the xxxD, no need to delve into the Q menu. Nothing is quicker or easier.

Darwin Sanoy said:

c) No eye detect to turn off screen.

Click to expand...

Half-press of the shutter turns it off.

--
Unapologetic Canon Apologist

Thanks for that tip. I've read the manual front to back and looked at instructional videos and missed that. It works like a charm.

Now tell me, is there a quick way to dial in bracketing?

tourretired

Travel in RV when not home.

CarVac - thanks!! That is so awesome!

Allen, I accidentally discovered a short cut for setting bracketing when trying to find quick setting of exposure comp. It's not as direct, but maybe shorter than the full menu.

When you use the Q menu to access exposure comp, the back dial changes exposure comp, but the top disc does quick setting of bracketing. Rotate it clockwise while on the exposure comp screen. Obviously this let's you easily see the relationship of the current exp. comp. along with bracketing.

D/

Lemming51 said:

The beep can be turned off. The mirror/shutter mechanism of the 60D is more robust than the xxxD models. You may prefer "silent" shooting with Live View in that situation.

Click to expand...

I did disable the beep - but it would be nice just to have it quieter and be able to have it on - the camera is only 2 inches from my ears, no need to have people 6 feet away hear it.

Lemming51 said:

Lemming51 said:

c) No eye detect to turn off screen.

Click to expand...

Half-press of the shutter turns it off.

Click to expand...

Good point! Will make that small practice change.

I tried silent live view, but I find quick focus mode the only practical one for live view - of course it is twice as noisy as non-live view due to flipping the mirror to focus.

Live view with silent mode 2 seemed to extend the focus even longer and prevented a focus lock completely in one test.

D.

--Thanks. I have discovered that and use it. Also useful if you want to bracket around other then '0' if you want/need more frames for HDR which I don't do but some do.

The 'Q' menu is pretty fast and easier then the menu.
tourretired

Travel in RV when not home.

Just a follow up to half-press - this works for turning off the preview of the previous shot, but if you have an info screen on - half-press does not clear it.

D.

I find my 350D very loud, if you say 60D is even louder, then it will be another good reason for me to switch to Nikon.

I make sometimes photos on conferences or lectures and this "clack !"-sound really nerves and distracts people.

ZAnton said:

I find my 350D very loud, if you say 60D is even louder, then it will be another good reason for me to switch to Nikon.

I make sometimes photos on conferences or lectures and this "clack !"-sound really nerves and distracts people.

Click to expand...

I came from the 400D and thought the 60D's shutter quieter. The 400D shutter is also brighter and more metallic. Anyway, I do not know anything about the 350D.

I don't find the clack that loud, but I'm coming from a relatively noisy film camera. One thing that I do like about the 60D, though, is that there's no winding noise after a shot, unlike the rebels. It just goes 'clack' and is done with it.

Darwin Sanoy said:

Just a follow up to half-press - this works for turning off the preview of the previous shot, but if you have an info screen on - half-press does not clear it.

D.

Click to expand...

--
Unapologetic Canon Apologist

Darwin Sanoy said:

The things I dislike I had read on the forums before getting this camera (Coming from Rebel 350):

a) Louder: Shutter and focus beep (I've been shooting some plays lately and being around any video equipment that uses on camera mics annoys the video techs).

Click to expand...

You are shooting plays so you are presumably shooting from a fixed location to a pretty much fixed location on a well lit stage. Why can't you shoot live mode with manual focusing? That would be totally silent.

All of your other "complaints" about the 60D have been answered by others, and in every case, they were not camera errors but operator problems.

archiebald said:

Darwin Sanoy wrote:

You are shooting plays so you are presumably shooting from a fixed location to a pretty much fixed location on a well lit stage. Why can't you shoot live mode with manual focusing? That would be totally silent.

All of your other "complaints" about the 60D have been answered by others, and in every case, they were not camera errors but operator problems.

Click to expand...

Archie,

No not a fixed location - roaming the outer skirt of the seating area and the back of the auditorium. Lighting varies dramatically from scene to scene. One play was A Christmas Carol and was very dark with mixed warm and blue light - so on a scene by scene basis, the auto-ISO would have been a life saver.

The quieter beep is not an operator error - if the beep is unnecessarily loud, then it should be made quieter or made adjustable.

In any case, I love the camera, but it's not an object of religion to me - I can love it and take exception with any given feature. It does need to be perfect to be wonderful.

D.

Darwin Sanoy said:

archiebald said:

Darwin Sanoy wrote:

You are shooting plays so you are presumably shooting from a fixed location to a pretty much fixed location on a well lit stage. Why can't you shoot live mode with manual focusing? That would be totally silent.

All of your other "complaints" about the 60D have been answered by others, and in every case, they were not camera errors but operator problems.

Click to expand...

Archie,

No not a fixed location - roaming the outer skirt of the seating area and the back of the auditorium. Lighting varies dramatically from scene to scene. One play was A Christmas Carol and was very dark with mixed warm and blue light - so on a scene by scene basis, the auto-ISO would have been a life saver.

The quieter beep is not an operator error - if the beep is unnecessarily loud, then it should be made quieter or made adjustable.

In any case, I love the camera, but it's not an object of religion to me - I can love it and take exception with any given feature. It does need to be perfect to be wonderful.

D.

Click to expand...

Why not just disable the beep off in the menu? You have all the necessary visual cues in the viewfinder.

archiebald said:

Darwin Sanoy said:

archiebald said:

Darwin Sanoy wrote:

You are shooting plays so you are presumably shooting from a fixed location to a pretty much fixed location on a well lit stage. Why can't you shoot live mode with manual focusing? That would be totally silent.

All of your other "complaints" about the 60D have been answered by others, and in every case, they were not camera errors but operator problems.

Click to expand...

Archie,

No not a fixed location - roaming the outer skirt of the seating area and the back of the auditorium. Lighting varies dramatically from scene to scene. One play was A Christmas Carol and was very dark with mixed warm and blue light - so on a scene by scene basis, the auto-ISO would have been a life saver.

The quieter beep is not an operator error - if the beep is unnecessarily loud, then it should be made quieter or made adjustable.

In any case, I love the camera, but it's not an object of religion to me - I can love it and take exception with any given feature. It does need to be perfect to be wonderful.

D.

Click to expand...

Why not just disable the beep off in the menu? You have all the necessary visual cues in the viewfinder.

Click to expand...

The essence of what I'm getting at would be best demonstrated by reversing that question and posing it to Canon: "Why have a beep at all if it is too loud for most shooting situations?"