October 20, 2010

60D vs 7D


I will be upgrading my camera soon and I had been eyeing the Canon 7D until the 60D was released.   They appear to have mostly the same features, so I'm wondering why such a large ($400) price difference.  I searched around for helpful reviews and found Dan Carr Photography, and Canon DSLR Updates, and also did a side by side comparison on the Canon website.  It looks like the major differences are in the shooting speed, auto-focus, and LCD. 

  • The 7D has dual DIGIC 4 processors, which mean it can write to the card (and therefore shoot) faster.  8FPS!  The 60D only has one DIGIC 4 processor and shoots 5 FPS.
  • The 7D has 19 AF points, whereas the 60D has only 9.  Plus the 7D has more advanced AF functions like zone and spot AF
  • The 60D has a flip out LCD, which is very useful, especially with video.

The basic conclusion that I drew from these reviews were that the 7D is a better camera for photography (as opposed to video).  Also, whether or not the features sway you depends largely on what you are planning on doing with them.  I plan to use my camera mostly for studio shoots, although I will use it for outside stuff like travel and photojournalism here and there.  Because I have just finished a project on Sports Photography, my eyes are bugging out at the 8 fps that the 7D can do.  I would like to say that I want this all the time, but the reality is that I probably won't shoot that much sports or wildlife in the future.  If I do, I'm sure I can get a hold of the right camera for the job.  5fps probably will work just fine for me. 

My concerns however with the 60D are durability.  The 7D has a magnesium body, whereas the 60D is polycarbonate plastic.  In the past I have dropped cameras and ruined them so I usually consider that when buying a new camera.  Plus another huge concern is the flip out screen.  Because I will be shooting still photography and not using it that much, the screen is just another moving part that could snag on something during handling.  I suppose I could just be more careful.

It seems like the 60D would be the best camera for me because I probably won't need the fancy bells and whistles on the 7D that often.  Plus the 60D is cheaper, leaving me more money to buy lenses and other accessories. 

Please tell me what you think.  Vote on it on my poll to the right.  Thanks!!

2 comments:

  1. I would also look at long term regarding the one that you choose. I know from experience of trying to save that extra few dollars may cost you still in the end. I purchased a d90 last year over the 300 because I wanted to save money for lens and stuff. Guest what I am getting ready to now buy the 300 which I could have put a little more to what I paid for the d90. I don't want to even mention the fact that I still haven't purchased any lens, I mean "glass". Just something to consider and now I will vote

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  2. Nice. Makes me wanna go shop for one. Maybe February.

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