canon 60d or 600d or 550d...

[kj lee]

i love low light cityscape photography...
i read that 60d is good for low light...
but some other website, states that it is a bit noisier than other dslrs...(it got a rating of 8/10 for low light)(the 550d got 9/10)...is this reliable??

does the 60d have really good noise reduction technology...luminance control and dark frame subtraction?(which i don't know what they are or how they work)

it seems that 600d is like a simpler version of the 60d...
does it produce the same good quality image as the 60d does...in low light condition? or better? or maybe 550d is even better?

i'm consider a beginner i guess...since this would be my first dslr...
i used to be taking low light photo with a point and shoot...and later got fed up with it...too much noise and not sharp enough....

the 60d seems to be for higher level...and i don't know where my "level" is....and am i "qualified" to use the 60d?

the rebels are for beginners...which means that when i move on....eventually i will face limitations....and require to change to a better one...i don't that that much of money...

my idea is that i buy an much more expensive one, but a better one...(60d) and spent the rest of my life sticking to it....
the problem is : is it worth it?
can the rebels satisfy me forever? i dont want to change camera any longer...

[inkista]

Stop. Breathe. Slow down a little. It's actually pretty simple.

Canon has seven lines of cameras. Two pro, three "prosumer", and two entry-level.

The pro lines are the 1D and 1Ds. The generations between these are named with roman numerals (e.g., Mark II, Mark III, Mark IV). These are in the $5000+ price range, so you're likely not to be considering these unless you really are a professional and can write gear off on your taxes. They're really big (integrated portrait grips), feature-rich, metal bodies, and are weathersealed.

The prosumer lines are the XD and XXD cameras.

The 5D is a full-frame camera with the biggest sensor. The current new model is about $2500. It has a metal body and higher end features. Generations are Mark I, Mark II.

The 7D is the higher-end prosumer camera. It's geared for action shooting and uses the smaller 1.6x "crop" sensor. It has a metal body, a lot of the higher end features, and a very sophisticated aufocus system and a high frame rate in burst mode. This is probably the best all-rounder camera, but it's about $1500. It hasn't had a second generation yet, but chances are good, it will also get the "Mark" designation.

The XXD is the lower-end prosumer camera. It's a sizable step up from the entry-level cameras, with better control layouts and a mix of the high-end features and the entry-level ones. They used to have metal bodies, but the current 60D does not. The generations on this one have increasing numbers: 10D/20D/30D/40D/50D/60D.

At the entry level, you have two series: the XXXD and the XXXXD cameras. These are also called the digital Rebels or dRebels. These are the entry-level models, and as with the XXD bodies, the model numbers increment as they're replaced. The first dRebel was the 300D. It's been followed by the 350D (XT), 400D (XTi), 450D (XSi), 500D (T1i), 550D (T2i) and 600D (T3i). These are good basic cameras, but lack a lot of the higher-end features, such as the dual wheel controls and the top LCD.

At the very bottom of the pile, are the lowest-cost cameras, the 1000D (XS) and the 1100D (T3). These are similar to the dRebels, but are missing a few piece of hardware (like the infrared remote sensor) to cut down on costs.

So, the 600D is the model that replaces the 550D. It has more advanced sensor technology and is likely to give better high iso noise performance. All the Canon dSLRs can do dark-frame subtraction (also known as "Long exposure noise reduction). This is where, after taking a long exposure, the camera also takes a second exposure with the same settings, but with the shutter closed, so that it get a sample image that shows only the 'hot pixel' noise that can result from long exposures. The processor then uses that data to remove the hot pixels from the image you took.

And no, the 60D is unlikely to be better than the 600D when it comes to noise performance, because it shares the same sensor with it and (to a certain degree) the 7D. The higher tiers are about shooting features and controls, not about image quality.

Any time you see a 9/10-type rating, you really need to be careful treating that as a measure of quantitative worth. Remember, those numbers are typically arbitrary--like movie ratings. You can give a movie three stars out of five, but does that really make it 20% worse than a movie you'd rate at four stars? It can also be a matter of taste and judgement upon the part of the reviewer. You have to interpret numbers, not just take them at face value.

I would also say that going up-tier and spending more money on a more fully-featured camera does not guarantee that you're going to hang onto it for a longer period of time. dSLRs are digital electronics. How long do you hold onto your cellphone? Your iPod? Your computer? These things break. And new technology/models are continually going on. A lot of people feel the upgrade urge even when they have a camera that works perfectly well for them and has great image quality. Shiny new features will always beckon (e.g., HD video in dSLRs).

If you really think you're going to need those upper-tier features right away, I'd actually recommend going back one generation on the XXDs, and picking up a used 50D. It'll cost you about the same as a new 600D would right now. Possibly less. You'll have those upper tier features, but an older sensor (the 50D, for example, doesn't do video).

What you need to suss out is what features are important to you. Not all those fancy extra features are useful for everyone. You may not need a super-quick AF system if your main subject of choice is architecture or landscapes, for example.