topic Re: Is the Canon EOS 60D a good camera by today's standards? in EOS DSLR & Mirrorless Cameras

Is the Canon EOS 60D a good camera by today's standards?

hashmifernandes — Sun, 23 Sep 2018 11:57:28 GMT

I am in the market to buy my first DSLR and I've found a Canon EOS 60D that comes with a 18-135mm f/3.5-5.6 IS lens for fairly cheap ($350) on craigslist, but I wonder if this camera is still worth the buy.

Primary uses I would like out of it will be nature pictures, maybe some night shots of the sky/moon and I might want to try doing some short videos as well.

Being new to photography, I don't know much about it and would like to know other photographers opinions of the camera. The general feel I get from reading reviews is that the camera is good (back in 2011) but the lens brings about pain.

Let me know what you guys think, thanks in advance!

Re: Is the Canon EOS 60D a good camera by today's standards?

Tronhard — Sun, 23 Sep 2018 21:06:50 GMT

Hi Hamish, and welcome to the forum!

I have three of the Canon 60D bodies and personally find them to be excellen cameras. I have the 80D, 7D and 7DII yet I still love using the 60D. For a first DSLR I think it would be an excellent and quality camera to learn on.

As with any second hand camera I would suggest ensuring the vendor is reputable and what they say about the camera (condition etc) is liable to relied upon. Second I would find out how many shutter actuations this camera has had and of course ask if it and lens have had any problems. Do they offer a money back period if you find an issue?

Regarding the 18-135 lens. I have a couple of the Canon EF-S 18-135 IS STM units and find that model to be an excellent walk-around lend. Their popularity as a kit lens is testament to their value for money. For a starter kit I would think that, as long as the price is reasonable and you researched other options, it would be a good combination to start with.

You could spend more money and get better gear, but frankly the combination you have, if the price is right is an awesome starter kit.

This is a photo, taken hand-held under far from ideal lighting conditionas of quite dim lighting of a Maori Kapa Haka performer, taken with exactly this combination of gear. 115mm, 1/100sec, f5.6, ISO-400

Same gear, another type of subject.

My great newphew looking a bit dubious about having his photo taken!

Finally a close-up shot...

These are all hand-held with available light, and using the body+lens combo.

So that is an idea of some of the capabilities of the camera combination. The rest is up to your developing skills!

@hashmifernandes wrote:
I am in the market to buy my first DSLR and I've found a Canon EOS 60D that comes with a 18-135mm f/3.5-5.6 IS lens for fairly cheap ($350) on craigslist, but I wonder if this camera is still worth the buy.
Primary uses I would like out of it will be nature pictures, maybe some night shots of the sky/moon and I might want to try doing some short videos as well.
Being new to photography, I don't know much about it and would like to know other photographers opinions of the camera. The general feel I get from reading reviews is that the camera is good (back in 2011) but the lens brings about pain.
Let me know what you guys think, thanks in advance!

Re: Is the Canon EOS 60D a good camera by today's standards?

Tronhard — Mon, 24 Sep 2018 03:43:16 GMT

If you are really serious about video, you might want to consider a later camera like the 80D - which will cost more, or the later Rebels, but if you want to learn still photography and do some video work this should be fine. The 18-135 STM (as opposed to the earlier non-STM version) is a very quiet lens and should not be heard focusing when taking video.