Why I Bought The Canon 60D

by Scott at Picture-Power.com

Canon 60D DSLR -- Awesome Photo/Video

5/3/12 - I'm a dedicated Canon camera user. Currently, my very loyal Canon 30D is stuck with the dreaded "Err99" error message. Canon uses this term, Err99, to mean that something in your camera is forcing your camera to shut down. Once I got this message, my camera became useless. I can click the shutter but I get the Err99 message that asks me to turn the camera off and then back on.

Anyway, my current camera is a paper weight. Maybe this is a good thing. Repairs and cleaning look to cost about $200. For a mere $900 I could get the Canon 60D and have both photo AND video. Since I am both a photographer and video producer, this is an ideal set-up.

Plus, the Canon 60D is three generations newer and better than my comatose Canon 30D.

Picture wise, the 60D has 18M pixels to the 30D's 8M. So, this means, to me, that I can do a lot more with cropping. 8M pixels is more than enough to give good quality over the web and with prints.

There is no denying having more pixels is great, but not needed to take great pictures. It's the VIDEO quality where this camera is really going to shine.

Up until now I have been shooting video with a Panasonic DVX100A. At just five years old it is already proving to be very geriatric when compared to the newer cameras. The Panasonic DVX100A is actually a pretty amazing camera but it is not an HD camera. It can still bring in very good images. But it is a light hog...needing plenty of light to handle shadows.

With gains in ISO performance, newer cameras are able to make use of filming situations in ways that older cameras simply could not. But such is technology. Everything gets better.

The Canon 60D is an exciting purchase for me. It's a high performing camera especially when compared to my (non-HD) Panasonic and my tiny Flip video camera. I actually like the Flip. I always take two Flip cameras as back ups. So, the 60D is a big step forward for me.

If money were no object, I would buy a dedicated video camera. You can get a very good professional camera for $5k (more or less. Plus, "good" is so subjective.) But I am on a budget and having one camera that performs two functions well is a sales point that I can't pass up.

Here's My Full Photo and Video Production Equipment List for the Canon 60D:

Canon 60D

Canon EF 200mm f/2.8L II USM (Lens)

Canon EF-S 15-85mm f/3.5-5.6 IS (Lens)

Canon EF 50mm f/1.8 II Lens

Canon EF 12 II Extension Tube

Sigma EF 500 DG Super Flash (discontinued model. The EF-610 is the latest Sigma flash in this performance and price catergory)

Pearstone Off-Camera TTL Flash Cord
(This is also discontinued. The Vello Flash Cord is very similar)

Audio-Technica AT897 Shotgun Mic

Sennheiser EW 112P wireless mic
(I actually own the EW100 G2, but it is no longer in production. The latest Sennheiser lav mic at this performance/price point is the EW112 G3.)

Velbon FHD-51Q Tripod Head

Velbon Sherpa 538 Tripod
(This Tripod is discontinued. Link is to a similar tripod)

Gary Fong Puffer Pop Up Flash Diffuser

3.5mm Mini Male to 3 Pin XLR Female

Vello RS-C1II Wired Remote Switch

2 Pearstone Batteries

2 Memory Cards


Hope this is helpful.
Visit me at www.picture-power.com

Anyone else out there have a Canon60D?
Comments/feedback below..

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