Canon EOS 60D replaces 50D, adds flip-out LCD

The Canon EOS 60D makes its long-rumored official appearance today. It replaces the EOS 50D and adds a 3.0-inch flip-out LCD and all of the HD movie modes offered in the EOS 7D.

For a hands-on preview complete with sample images, take a look at our Canon EOS 60D First Look.

The Canon 60D maintains the place in the EOS lineup that was carved out by the 50D. It's not as advanced or high-octane as the 7D, but it offers considerably more than the Rebel series. In short, it's designed as a nice fit for the working photographer and advanced amateur.

That said, the 60D borrows many features from its bigger 7D brother. All of the 7D's movie recording modes (and there are several) have been carried over to the 60D. At its highest setting, the 60D will record 1080p HD at 24, 30 and 25 fps. Reduced resolutions include 720p and 640x480 with 50 and 60 fps rates available. It has a digital level to correct for pitch (but only on the horizontal plane) similar to the 7D.

The 60D also uses an 18 megapixel CMOS sensor and the same 7D metering system that was modified for the T2i. The new EOS will shoot up to 5.3 fps in burst mode (that's 58 JPEGS and 16 RAW images) and offer 3 shot bracketing.

The most obvious departure from the 60D's predecessor is the 3.0-inch, 1.04 million dot LCD. It's complemented by a optical viewfinder with 96% coverage, a bit better than the 50D's 95% OVF. The 60D also uses an 8-direction control button layout to make menu selections rather than the somewhat small joystick of the 50D.

The 50D's 9-point cross-type AF system is retained in the 60D. The wireless flash capability of the 7D will be available in the 60D, as will video wind filters, sound adjustments and movie clip trimming capabilities.

A DIGIC IV chip will do the processing work, and users will be able to process RAW images within the camera itself. Other post-processing options abound, including creative filters like the miniaturize and soft focus effects available in several Digital ELPH models.

ISO sensitivity has been expanded to 12800 from 6400, and a 3:2 aspect ratio setting has been added to the 60D's image size options.

Pricing and availability
The EOS 60D is scheduled to become available at the end of September at a body-only MSRP of $1099 or as a 18-135mm f/3.5-5.6 IS USM kit for $1399.