Bestselling Canon EOS 60D Digital SLR Camera (Inc EF-S 18-135 mm f/3.5-5.6 IS Lens Kit) – Review & Rating
- Canon EOS 60D + EF-S 18-135mm f/3.5-5.6 IS Lens Kit\rDiscover your creative side with the EOS 60D. Expressing yourself by producing stunning stills or Full HD Movies has never been easier using the vari-angle LCD screen and the advanced creative features
- New
List Price: £1,299.99
Excellent Camera Deal + Amazons Superb Service,
After doing lots of on-line research, I decided to treat myself to this Canon 60D Kit for xmas from Amazon, I also ordered the 50mm 1.4 prime lens and a few other bits.
I’ve been into Photography for about 40yrs, my previous DSLR’s include the 550D and Nikon D90.
There may be cheaper options on a certain auction site, if you don’t mind having a grey import model, personally I value having that Canon UK warranty, and a proper UK power supply etc. already in the box.
Amazons price for a UK Stock model is very competitive indeed, and their returns policy is excellent, if only for peace of mind. The camera itself is superb, and works perfectly, it produces brilliant images, feels top quality in the hands, with a fantastic articulating high res lcd screen. What more could you ask for.
The 18-135mm lens in this kit is not top of the range, however, it produces some very good results especially once stopped down a little, and IMO it may be a touch sharper than the much older USM 17-85mm lens. The glass in the 18-135 is not too bad at all, and you have that extra range, albeit at the loss of the USM, so a matter of personal choice.
It’s also a nice walkabout lens giving you decent range yet still retaining the option for those wider shots, build quality also appears a little better than the cheaper 18-55mm. It appears to focus quicker, and seems a little quieter than the 18-55mm kit lens..JMO
Those that can afford it may appreciate the extra quality by choosing the 15-85mm lens, but I don’t think you will be disappointed by the images this kit produces. I would also recommend the purchase of the 50mm 1.8 or 1.4, you will be blown away by the IQ that can be achieved with both these prime lens, as ultimately any camera is only as good as the lens you put on it.
I can highly recommend this item from Amazon 9.5/10
Why Amazon? Well besides the reasons I’ve already mentioned above, if you have a issue, you can call them on their free support number, or email them and in my experience they will always endevour to resolve any issue one may have, without any hassle. IOW, as big as they are, Amazon is aware the customer has choices to shop elswhere, and will go that extra mile to secure your custom, and their customer service is first class. This is a company that deserves to succeed. Thank you Amazon!.
I would however like to see Amazon.. pack expensive items such as DSLR camera etc, a little better. Just plonking them inside a larger box with a small amount of crushed paper for cushioning is not really enough. They still move about a lot in the box, so, a little extra care in this area would be assuring from a customers point of view anyway, with most items it does’nt matter, but with expensive fragile kit like this, having the item not rolling around in the box would be appreciated.
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|A fine general compromise and an excellent all-rounder.,
One of life’s strange but fruitful coincidences. One Saturday recently at a leading London camera store, three or four people were interested in the same trio of Canon DSLR’s. So we formed a group and did a fair bit of testing and questioning together. There also happened to be a Canon specialist in the store.
These were the conclusions of our matey huddle, after the better part of an hour:
1) 550D: Terrific value for money, but a bit flimsy for rigorous use. Probably the winner for an amateur who would not punish it too much; and in those circumstances, why pay a penny more?
2) 7D: A clear first choice for professional sports photographers; with its weatherproofing, reinforced body and 8 fps shooting capability. For those who will not demand this toughness in the face of extreme weather conditions, its extra cost is less easy to justify. Would also be physically gruelling to carry after more than a certain time round your neck.
3) 60D: In terms of general performance, very little inferior to the 7D. Still tough in build but less exhausting to carry after a long day or journey. Controls marginally more fiddly than either the 550D or the 7D – you have to delve into subroutines that on the 7D are more easily accessed. Yet for me it’s the 60D that proves the perfect compromise. Winning point? The manoeuvrable LCD viewing screen that (alone amongst these three cameras) made the most of an excellent HD video performance and offered an ease of use comparable to professional, dedicated camcorders. With this one you’ll be set up for years.
Alas, a rival internet provider offered a price for the camera body alone that neither Amazon or Jessops could begin to match. But remember that the 60D is a spanking new product and its cost will probably fall over the months to come. Doubtless by then Amazon will have a more competitive price than that of Electric Universe (with whom, alas, Yours Truly also happens to have a long-running dispute).
As for this lens? The Tamron 18-250mm f3.5-6.3 LD zoom offers a spectacular focal range and admirable optics, but its flimsy build quality can’t compare with the lens you see on offer here. Neither has the Tamron any sort of image stabilisation, that I can determine. For toughness and lack of camera-shake plus the ultimate image quality, Canon’s Pro lenses are bees’ knees.
UPDATE after testing: I still use the Tamron 18-250mm myself (and with much pleasure), so I can’t comment on this Canon lens. But the 60D body is beautifully built and the image resolution of the camera is exemplary.
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|Amazon’s Excellent EOS 60D Bundle,
Having recently entered back into the world of photography (as a hobby) following a brief 20 year absence, I thought it wise to invest in some kit which would deliver simple but functional benefit to a genuine gadgeteer like myself. In doing so I have to be honest and say that I am nothing but “over the moon” with my recent purchase of the Canon EOS 60D DSLR Bundle inc. EF-S 18-135mm Lens kit, and the accompanying Canon EF 85mm f/1.8 USM Lens.
The camera packs in just about every feature the keen amateur (and gadgeteer) could want in a dSLR. It’s robust build quality is something I would come to expect from a leader in this field, however the ability to record 1080p video, with it’s swivel-and-tilt LCD screen aids low- and high-angle shooting – something not available on most of the competition which I considered.
The camera’s response times are blink-of-an-eye quick. Flick the power switch and you can be up and shooting as quickly as you can bring your eye to the optical viewfinder and your forefinger to the shutter-release button. It’s very satisfying. With the camera in autofocus mode, focus and exposure are likewise determined in an instant.
The shutter-release button is situated atop a large, well-moulded handgrip, around which you can comfortably wrap three fat fingers. The other controls, including the normal array of command dials, a scroll wheel and sundry dedicated function buttons, fall within reach of your right hand’s forefinger or thumb. Consequently, operation feels fluid and natural.
The optical viewfinder is large and reasonably bright, so I don’t find myself constantly squinting. A large LCD display on the top of the camera allows you to make key adjustments on the fly, such as altering the drive mode, metering and ISO speed. This saves you having to drill down into the menu system proper. Adjusting each setting merely requires a button press and a twist of a scroll wheel on the back of the camera. Very Easy indeed….
The more you play with the 60D, the clearer it becomes that Canon’s made a real effort to make its semi-pro camera user-friendly.
One of the clearest indications of this is the 60D’s flip-out, swivelling, vari-angle LCD screen (I mentioned above) with live view. It’s a first for the EOS dSLR family. This 3-inch display has a 3:2 aspect ratio (rather than the standard 4:3) and a high resolution of 1,040,000 pixels. Thus, the screen appears lifelike in its clarity, and it does an excellent job of keeping up with the action as you pan and tilt the camera.
The anti-reflective and water-resistant screen proves very useful when framing either stills or 1080p video, thanks to its swivelling nature. Incidentally, the movie mode now has its own icon on the overly crowded shooting-mode dial. That’s still a novelty for a dSLR.
All in all, the Canon EOS 60D is a pumped-up powerhouse of a digital SLR. It’s crammed full of class-leading but consumer-friendly features (I’ve only been able to touch on them here), and it may be the only camera that an amateur photography enthusiast like me will ever need. If you’re prepared to cough up the requisite dough, you’re unlikely to be disappointed with the camera or the excellent service from Amazon.
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