Canon 60D or T3i?

[bwells3]

Hi all,
Trying to decide between a Canon 60D or T3i. I plan on shooting everyday life, especially my fast moving 1.5 year old, and hopefully his sports in the future.However, I have always been interested in photography and am trying to learn more.

That said, I am just looking for good quality DSLR that will last for the long-term. I've tried to get a hands on feel for both the 60D and T3i at retail stores, but the demo devices have always been messed up by other users, so i'm not sure if I can get a good gauge on what really is better. It seems to me that the 60D can shoot faster, and that the T3i seemed a little slow to focus at times (both important features for me).

I am leaning towards the 60D, but don't want to get a bunch of stuff that i don't really need. Any advice?

Thanks in advance!

[ceremus]

Their feature sets are fairly similar. They have nearly identical sensors and the same image processors so the image quality between the two is going to be extremely close. I can list the major differences and you can decide whether or not they're worth it to you.

Both cameras should have very similar autofocus performance. I own the T3i and provided it isn't too dark, or the attached lens isn't very slow, it's always performed admirably in autofocusing. The exception of course is the extreme slowness when focusing in live view, the contrast-based autofocus is so much slower than using the AF points that it's practically useless, but this is a deficiency in both the T3i and 60D (and it's not as if it's any better on the 7D or 5DmkII, either). The viewfinder is less cropped on the 60D and uses a pentaprism instead of a pentamirror, so it should be slightly larger and brighter than the T3i.

The 60D has about the equivalent weather sealing as the 50D. I don't think it's as good as the 7D, but better than the Rebels which have none.

The 60D is the clear winner if you're shooting in continuous mode, higher FPS and much larger image buffer (meaning the camera has to pause and process/write the images to the card after the buffer is full). This is a feature more reserved for shooting action and sports, typically.

And of course there's the ergonomics. The 60D has a larger grip, top LCD panel with quick buttons, and the dual wheel controls are always nice. The T3i is more compact, it'll take up less space in a camera bag, though of course it's not as portable as a P&S. The 60D's mode dial is different from most everything else in Canon's DSLR lineup in that it has a lock button in the center that must be pressed to change the shooting selection. Some people like this feature so the shooting mode can't be changed accidentally. Personally I've never had a problem with the mode dial turning unintentionally and the lock button would drive me batty.



That's about all I can think of... I believe the articulated screen is identical on both models. If you're comfortable with the ergonomics I don't think you can really go wrong with either one, just a matter of if any of the above features is important enough for you to opt for the 60D. For what it's worth, the T3i packs a helluva lot of features into an intermediate level Rebel camera, so as dilemmas go it's not a bad problem to have.

[dlambert]

Personally, I'd go for the 60D. I've got a 40D, and I really appreciate the top LCD, the dial control on the back, and the high-speed shutter. I believe the 60D is now just a bit closer in size & weight to the Rebel than was the case with the 40D, but you'll probably still find that one feels more natural in your hand.

Whatever your decision, though, ceremus is right - they're both great cameras, and you can't go too far wrong with either of them.

[veritasimagery]

Personally, if you can afford the 60D, then that's what I'd go for. That's the only reason that I went with the T3i over the 60D was the price. And since they are so similar, I don't feel like I lost out too much. When I first started looking, the T3i wasn't out yet and the T2i is missing some of the things I wanted that the 60D had, like articulated screen and wireless flash capability. Fortunately by the time I could drop money the T3i was here with both of those, and for only $100 US more than the T2i.

Now, I'm at a point where, when I buy a new body, I will jump over the 60D to the 7d (or it's replacement if that happens).

Either camera will do you well.

[inkista]

+1. The 60D's got a few features that make it nicer than the T3i for fast-action (sports) photography, but these are digital electronics we're talking about here. Paying more doesn't mean you'll get a camera that lasts longer. You're just getting a camera with more features. Like computers and cellphones, most folks often feel a pull to upgrade (or have the equipment break down) within three to five years. These aren't mechanical-only cameras that can last for decades, like they did with film.

This is just me, but if you don't have any lenses, I'd actually try and budget the majority of my spending on the glass. Bodies come and go and are (weirdly) the most "disposable" part of the system. The glass is your permanent purchase, and moves with you from camera to camera. It also depreciates more slowly, and adds more function, and is just as important in determining image quality as the sensor/processor in your camera body. Your lenses are the other half of the camera. And a single lens can easily outstrip the camera body in cost.

Take a moment to look at lenses and lens prices, and maybe the T3i/60D price difference won't look so important.

[Bryanr12]

I really like the addition of the rotating dial on the back of the Canon 60D, changing f-stops is a breeze compared to the T3i. Canon has done very well in the past few years with the technology they included. They have been listening to their consumers and producing what "we" want. Not bad at all.

[Craig540]

I just ordered the 60D because of the faster burst sppeed and the way it feels and fits in my hand. The T3i feels lower quality to me, and the 60D feels more solid.

[Tzetsin]

Originally Posted by Craig540

... and the 60D feels more solid.

Until all the rubber falls off the grip. Then it'll just feel sticky. ;-D


I don't honestly know anything at all about the t3i, but I have a 60D. I use the 60 right along side my 5D every single day. I don't even care which camera I grab, unless one or the other is better suited to take the shot I want, then I'll be a little choosy.

As Inkista says though, the real magic happens in the lens. You'll be pretty hard pressed nowdays to find a body that takes a "bad' picture, so get the cheaper one and put the rest of the money into good glass instead. Get the cheapest model you can get away with, only going up a model if it actually has features you know you'll need.

Learn as much as you can about lenses before buying anything though. Every lens has different effects. Its not really something that people talk about much on this forum as most of the experienced photographers are busy answering the questions of the less experienced, but its something that anyone "really" wanting to be a photographer has got to know.

Theres a reason why most photographers only have one camera, but have many many more lenses, and a lot of those lenses cost much more than the body, and last through many bodies.

[dasmith232]

T3i.

I faced the same question with an unconstrained budget. (Well, unconstrained to the point that the price of the 60D was NOT a factor.)

I borrowed a 60D and shot for a full day. I took the T3i outside from a store and shot for 15 minutes.

I chose the T3i and I'm VERY happy with the decision.

I shoot a wide variety of subjects and during tennis season shoot for the high school teams. I really was looking heavily at the nearly 6 FPS rate of the 60D and that's the *only* thing that I miss.

Beyond that, I really disliked two things on the 60D. One, the mode dial was really annoying. I switch modes a lot (frequently going between Av and M when shooting outdoors). I like the knob on the right side, but really disliked the locking feature. I had an old film-based locking mode with an early Elan and dislike it then too. I've never had a problem with the mode switching inadvertantly and simply don't see the need for it.

The other feature that I disliked was how the "shutter" and "AE" button assignments worked. When shooting sports, I usually set the AF to the AE button (getting it off the shutter button) because I usually prefocus and manually track what I'm going to shoot and don't want AF to jump around with other distractions passing in between. The settings on the T3i were just as intuitive as I've had with other cameras, but the 60D was ... well, lots of options and just weird to me.

Other differences are very real and legitimate (weather sealing, all AF points are cross-type, etc.), but I got another flash unit and still spent less money. I've already printed 20x30's off the T3i and love it.

Bodies come and go. You really need to be hands-on with all your choices to know which is best.