Designed
for professionals and very serious amateurs, the new Canon EOS
D60 offers a significantly lower price alternative to the EOS 1D,
Canon's top of the line professional digital.
The EOS D60 is the next step in the development of the D30, and offers
not only twice the resolution, but major improvements in a number of critical
areas.
EOS
D60 with EF 70-200mm f/2.8L IS USM lens
and vertical grip BG-ED3.
Like
the D30, the D60 uses a CMS (Complementary Metal Oxide
Semiconductor) to capture photos; however, this new sensor provides
a 6.3 megapixel resolution. Moreover, this model also sees the addition
of a new Digital Signal Processor (DSP) with a faster algorithm to process
images, and an improved buffer memory that allows for up to 8 consecutive
frames to be captured at 3 frames per second, even in RAW mode.
EOS
D60 with EF 17-35mm f/2.8L USM lens and vertical grip BG-ED3.
100
milliseconds. Yet, for the most part the controls and features of
the D60 will be familiar territory to D30 users as the basic layout of
the dials and controls remains unchanged.
The Main Dial,
perched on top of the grip, continues it role as the primary means of
altering camera settings while shooting.
The
D60 has a crystal clear TTL viewfinder with a couple of additions over
the one used on the D30. First, the autofocus point lights up in red when
focus has been achieved. Second, the information display provides more
data.
Beyond the standard indications for aperture, shutter speed, exposure,
and focus, the D60 indicates flash compensation and the number of photos
that can fit in the buffer memory.
Just as
with the D30, the AF point can be manually selected when the camera is
used in one of its more advanced modes. The AF point is controlled by
pressing the
button while turning the Main Dial.
The AE (Auto Exposure) and FE (Flash Exposure) Lock
button
is to the left of the AF Point Selection button, and only needs to be
pressed once to lock the exposure parameters or, in the case of flash
photography, will pre-fire the flash and lock the settings until released
by pressing it again.
Another
improvement can be found with the LCD data panel. With the D60, the panel
can be illuminated at the press of a button. This makes it perfectly legible
in low light, and ideal for night photography when the viewfinder is capped
with the eyepiece cover that is part of the neck strap.
The display provides 2 "screens". The first indicating the current
ISO setting with the value on the left and the letters iSO on the
right.
The
second screen is more comprehensive, and includes most camera settings
such as white balance, shutter speed , aperture, and a host of other details.
The
Mode Dial of the D60 has the same layout as the D30, differing only in
its surface colour. Canon describes it as being divided into 2 primary
zones: the Basic Zone which starts at the Full Auto Mode and includes
the Image Zone and its Scene programs; and the Creative Zone,
which offers the Priority Modes.
Full
Auto mode lets the camera select both aperture and shutter speed.
In addition, the D60 automatically selects the closest subject in
any of its 3 focus points and pops open the flash as required.
Portrait
mode selects a wide aperture to blur the background of the subject.
Landscape
mode selects small apertures to maximize depth of field.
Close-up
mode works to balance the depth of field and the shutter speed,
but with an overall preference for depth of field.
Sports
mode tries to optimize for the fastest shutter speed possible to
freeze action.
Night
Scene mode uses a longer exposure and flash to capture
a well-lit foreground and a visible background.
The
other modes on the dial allow a greater control over the camera by the
user:
Program
mode differs from the Full Auto mode by allowing a number of items
to be manually selected (focus point, metering mode, Auto Exposure
Bracketing, etc.) and provides a Program Shift function that allows
choosing matching combinations of apertures and shutter speeds.
Shutter
Priority Auto Exposure allows the selection of a shutter speed
while the camera matches the aperture. A blinking aperture value
in the viewfinder indicates that the shutter speed selected is out
of range to obtain a correct exposure.
Aperture
Priority Auto Exposure permits the selection of the aperture
while the camera sets the shutter speed. Here again, a blinking
shutter speed indication in the viewfinder indicates that the aperture
selected cannot be matched by a shutter speed.
Manual
mode provides complete control over the camera. Correct exposure,
or any over or under exposure is indicated on the exposure scale
of the viewfinder.
Automatic
Depth of Field Auto Exposure works to achieve the greatest depth
of field by measuring focus at all 3 focusing points and selecting
aperture and shutter speed settings that will capture a sharp image
over the entire range. Moreover, the A-DEP mode automatically shows
the depth of field (Depth of Field Preview) when the shutter is
pressed halfway.
Starting with the power
switch on the upper left, the back of the D60 is unchanged from the D30.
A row of 5 buttons is aligned along the left side of the 1.8 inch LCD
screen:
Menu:
turns on the LCD screen and calls-up the menu.
Info:
displays current camera settings when the camera is ready to shoot,
and shows a histogram when the camera is in Playback mode.
Jump:
also works in Playback, either when an image is displayed over the
entire screen or when thumbnails are shown, and allows jumping by
groups of 10 images back and forth.
is for showing images as thumbnails on the screen, or magnifying one
of them (3X) by pressing it twice.
is to playback photos.
is to delete a photo.
Unless
the camera is in Playback, the Quick Control Dial —
the large rotary control on the right side of the LCD screen — can
only be used when the switch above it is set to the On position. The Quick
Control Dial is primarily used to navigate the menu of the D60, any selection
there being confirmed by pressing the SET button at its centre.
In addition, the Quick Control Dial can also be used as an adjunct to
the Main Dial when the camera is used in the more complex modes
as a fast way of changing the ISO, or the image quality, while by itself
it controls exposure compensation.
As
a camera that is part of Canon's EOS system, the D60 benefits from the
availability of a wide range of accessories. One of these is the vertical
grip (BG-ED3) shown at left. The grip provides a vertical shutter release,
a secondary Main Dial, AE Lock and Focusing Point Selector. It also houses
2 batteries which replace the single battery of the D60, thereby increasing
the autonomy of the camera while improving its ergonomic design.
The vertical shutter release and secondary Main Dial are positioned in
a similar manner as the standard ones, and are very comfortable to use.
Likewise, when the camera is held vertically, the Quick Control Dial is
easily reached with the thumb.
Yet, that
ergonomic design and practicality has a price: weight. The D60, particularly
equipped as shown here, is a fairly heavy camera, and with one of the
best Canon EF lenses attached, that weight can become quite significant.
Beyond the standard indications for aperture, shutter speed, exposure,
and focus, the D60 indicates flash compensation and the number of photos
that can fit in the buffer memory.
button while turning the Main Dial.
is to the left of the AF Point Selection button, and only needs to be
pressed once to lock the exposure parameters or, in the case of flash
photography, will pre-fire the flash and lock the settings until released
by pressing it again.
The
second screen is more comprehensive, and includes most camera settings
such as white balance, shutter speed , aperture, and a host of other details.
is for showing images as thumbnails on the screen, or magnifying one
of them (3X) by pressing it twice.
is to playback photos.
is to delete a photo.
