An update in late 2013 -- At this time you can go to B and H and buy a 60D body for $700; the 70D will cost you $1200, the 7D will cost you $1500. I can see why you might buy the 60D if you were strapped for cash, but if you are considering the 70D, by all means scrape up the extra $300 and get the 7D.
I first wrote this in late 2010. The Canon 60D had just been announced. I was trying to sort out what was going on with the various camera bodies Canon was then offering. It was confusing, and I was by no means the only one who thought so.
My perspective in all this is that I own a canon 20D, which has served me very well (and is still doing so). I have been contemplating upgrading to a 50D for some time. The features I really want are live-view and the built in sensor cleaning mechanism. I have been scratching my head about the 7D for some time. The advent of the 60D now has me really wondering what is going on, hence this writeup. I don't care at all about video. I don't care very much about high ISO performance (some reviewers go on and on and on about this as if it is the single most important camera feature).
The above title, "why you should buy a 7D", is a bit tongue in cheek. That is probably what all this boils down to for me, but other people with different needs and points of view may well come to different conclusions (and rightly so).
At this time, the Canon 50D is still available, but I suspect supplies of these will dry up fairly soon. The Canon 7D is also available, and really needs to be considered alongside the 60D. The T2i Rebel (aka 550D) also has the same 18 megapixel sensor as the 7D and 60D and really needs to be pulled into this discussion.
As a matter of fact, the T2i, the 60D, and the 7D all have the sensor and offer a "spectrum" of capabilities as a person notches up their budget. Numerous other people have recognized this and written articles to clarify the situation:
To be specific about prices, as of 9-22-2010 at B and H, the pricing list as follows:
The 5D has a 21 megapixel full frame sensor with outstanding low light performance. 21 versus 18 megapixels is not going to make me stand up and take notice.
The 5Dii will not command external flashes from its built in flash, given that it does not have a built in flash. The 7D is a win if you think that is cool (as I do).
The 5Dii will reject your S series lenses (if you have any), but on the other hand, you may not care given the wider performance you get from your non S series lenses. On the other hand, if you have the 10-22 S lens you have a superb solution to your itch for a wide lens.
The autofocus has 15 sensors (9 main with 6 assist), which does not look all that hot compared to the 7D with 19 cross type sensors based on the 1D focus system. Clearly the 5Dii is looking long in the tooth here. Some people think the 5D autofocus is fine, others (like wedding photographers) think it is a bit slow. The 5Dii does fine in "center sensor" mode, but that is bypassing most of the fancy focus system. The 5Dii does not do all that well in servo mode, but we are talking sports/action type photo work here, which is the place for a 1D, the 5D is a landscape camera.
The 5Dii is beginning to show its age At this point in time, a person thinking about a 5D Mark II, might just want to hold out for a 5D Mark III. The 5D Mark II has been around for a while, so it is reasonable to think that an update is due.
The 7D will do some cool video things that the 5D will not do (like 720p at 60Hz). However I said up front that video is not my thing, so this should not sway me one way or the other.
If video is your thing (I am not in the least interested in video), you can rule out the 50D since it does not do video.
All of the cameras in the 20D to 50D line (up to now) have had a magnesium body and were considered "pro-sumer" cameras (as obnoxious as the term is). The 60D has a smaller redesigned, all plastic body, which is pretty disappointing, perhaps even insulting given the price point. On the other hand, rebels are durable and functional cameras, but we just need to be clear that the 60D is more of a rebel than an upgraded 50D.
The multi-axis joystick used on the 50D and 7D have been replaced on the 60D with a similar function integrated into the Quick Control Dial, with some loss of convenience and a loss of ergonomics. Note that rebels have pentamirrors, whereas this camera (and the rest in the x0D line) have true pentaprisms.
The 60D also sports a tilting LCD screen, which sends me unsettling messages. As one person said, this is now an "enthusiast" camera and no longer something a pro looking for a lightweight body might consider.
Let me be quite clear about the tilting LCD. I don't like it. It is just a potentially fragile and trouble-prone gimmic that I would prefer to do without. My recent experiences with a high-end point and shoot only server to remind me that composing on an LCD in bright sunlight can be all but impossible, and that the viewfinder is what I want to use, thank you very much. The only thing that I use the LCD for is to look at the histogram and I do not need an articulated LCD with zillions of pixels for that. Maybe this makes the video shooters happy .... if they aren't out in the sun.
The 60D (and the T2i) do not have a PC sync flash connector. The 7D does have one however; a clear mark of a "Pro" camera. Note that the prior members of the X0D series did have a PC sync connector. Sad and tragic; almost criminal. You will have to get a hotshoe adapter if you want to use this camera with studio flash units.
The 60D uses SD cards instead of CF cards. I am neutral on this. One card is as good as the other to my view. A person who already had a bunch of CF cards and wanting to upgrade to this body might be annoyed. SD cards do seem to be cheaper than CF cards.
On a positive note, the 60D does have a higher capacity battery, the same nice focus system as the 50D, and the ability to change viewfinder screens. Think of it as a Rebel T3i or T2i++. Also, the 60D, like the 7D, allows wireless control of Canon speedlights from the built in flash, which is very nice.
The quick conclusion, the 60D is off my list. I had been considering upgrading to the 50D (from my 20D), and it is still an option. The 60D is not an option for me.
It has the same 18 Megapixel sensor as the T2i and the 60D. The 7D has dual DIGIC 4 processors, which allow it to capture 8 frames, and to capture a run of 126 JPEG images at this rate. This might be a cool thing to brag about at parties, but isn't anything important to me. If I were a sports/action photographer, it might be vital, but I am a nature photographer.
The 7D has 19 cross type autofocus sensors, as compared to 9 in the 50D and 60D. Once again this is probably mostly a big benefit to people shooting action and sports, but I will wager it will make anyone happy from time to time. The autofocus system in the 7D is really good, though if you are a person who just uses the center sensor all of the time (as I often do), you will get no benefit out of the fancy system in the 7D.
One writer says that the sensor and exposure metering system in the 7D and 60D cameras is so much improved that the 50D should not even be considered. However, I don't know what he is talking about, he might be right, or he might be smoking crack. Indeed though, the 50D exposure system is a 35 zone system, whereas the 60D and 7D use a 63 zone dual layer system (whatever all that means). Apparently this new system takes color into account as well as brightness; something Nikon has been doing for some time, but this is a first for Canon.
The 7D has a lens micro adjust feature that allows it to store specific calibrations for each and every lens you own. This can be very important if one of your lenses back focuses significantly. Note that the 50D has this feature also, but the 60D lacks it. This should simply be a feature of the firmware, so a person has to feel that it is intentionally omitted from the 60D as part of a Canon "strategy".
The 7D has a 100 percent coverage viewfinder. (The 60D shows 96 percent). This is a really big deal for some people, but I don't really understand the fuss. If you were shooting slide film on a 35mm camera, this would be a big deal maybe.
The 7D supports (as does the 60D) wireless control of Canon speedlights using the built in camera flash (very nice, Canon finally caught up with Nikon on this one). The camera can control 3 groups of speedlights with up to 4 lights in each group.
The 7D has a weather sealed magnesium body, whereas the 60D has a body made entirely of polycarbonate plastic. (Once again, note that the 50D and previous cameras in this line did have magnesium bodies.) Clearly the 7D is a more rugged camera made for professional use.
The 50D and 60D shutters are rated for an estimated 100,000 cycles. The 7D shutter is rated for 150,000 cycles, which is a nice plus. (Note that the 5Dii shutter is also rated for 150,000 cycles).
Tom's Digital Photography Info / tom@mmto.org