Upgrade Lenses For Canon 60D

by Sridhar
(Wesminster, CO, USA)

HI Bruce
I'm restarting my interest in photography after 5-7 years. I have a Canon 60D with EF-S 18-135 and EF 50mm lens. I see there have been many new developments in the camera industry but it looks like Canon 60D is still considered a good beginner/intermediate camera. While I'm generally happy with the lens I have, I'm not very impressed with their low light performance. I was shopping for one wide angle and one tele photo lens but all the good lens are crossing $1000. That made me think if I should invest in this camera anymore?

Hi Sridhar,

Thanks for asking about upgrading your lenses for your 60D. I am curious as to which of the several different 50mm lenses you use on your 60D.

When you're looking for a faster lens for low light shooting situations, it must have a larger maximum aperture. For more on aperture, see the post on Canon Aperture.

To have a larger maximum aperture, the lens has to be bigger (wider) and use more glass to manufacture it which requires more expense and a bigger price tag for you. The good news is that Canon does have plenty of fast lenses to offer you.

Lens Upgrade For 60D

1.Consider the Canon EF-S 24mm f/2.8 STM. Not super fast at f/2.8, but very, very affordable.
2. The Canon EF 35mm f/2.0 is relatively fast. A great focal length for the "crop" sensor of your Canon 60D. It will give you the same perspective as a 50mm lens would on a full frame camera.
3. The Canon 50mm f/1.4. Extremely fast and a relatively moderate price. Same as what you have but faster. On your 50D you'll get the viewing angle of a short telephoto lens.
4. Canon EF 85mm f/1.8 USM Lens. Really fast mid-range telephoto at an affordable price.
5. Fast wide angle zooms. These may be out of your price range, but there are several options for getting one of Canon's wide angle zooms with a fairly wide maximum aperture. The Canon 16-35 f/2.8, the 17-55 f/2.8, 24-70 f/2.8.

Save Money on 60D Upgrade Lens

There's no reason you to force yourself into buying new lens. Theses Canon DSLR lenses have been around a long time and there are a huge number of pre-owned lenses that will work perfectly on your 60D. I highly recommend KEH as a reliable used lens dealer. That's where I buy my used lenses. See the advertisement on this page.

Sridhar, I hope this helps. Please feel free to comment back and tell me which 50mm lens you already have.

Thanks,
Bruce

Yashura Macro Lens on Canon 60D

by Mike Lozano
(Des Moines, Iowa )

I recently bought a Yasuhara nanoha macro lens 5.1 and found out that it will not fit my canon 60d. What kind of lens converter will I need for it to fit?

Hi Mike,

I don't know anything about Yasuhara Nanoha macro lens 5.1, except that is a powerful 5x macro magnifying lens. It comes in mounts for different cameras and I know it comes in an EF-M mount but I don't know if it comes in an EF-S mount for your Canon.

Canon 60D sensor

The Canon 60D has the smaller "crop" sized, APS-C sensor and takes EF-S or EF lens mounts. You could get an Canon EF-M adapter to EF-S if you did indeed get the Canon EF-M mount version of the Yashura Macro Lens.

Here is a full post on the differences between EF Versus EF-S Lenses.

Good Luck,
Bruce

Canon 60D Accessories

Macro Zoom For Canon EOS 60D

"I take pictures of coins using a 60D mounted on a copy stand with a canon EF 100mm f/2.8 macro USM lens. I love the sharpness this lens provides. Is there a zoom macro lens that will give me the same sharpness?

Thank you!"

Hi,
Thanks for your question about a macro zoom lens for your Canon 60D. The quick answer is no. Zoom lenses are not going to be as sharp as a "prime" (non-zooming) lens. But wait, there's a second question that you must ask yourself. Will you be happy with the sharpness of a macro zoom lens with you EOS 60D?

What is acceptable sharpness

Lens manufacturers have to make some compromises when designing zoom lenses. There are flaws that come up when you make a zoom lens compared to when you make a "prime" non-zooming lens. It's a simple matter of optics. That doesn't mean you can't get great images with a zoom lens that shoots good macro photos. If you use good technique and use the sharper f/stops (usually the ones that are in the middle of your f/stop range it's likely that you'll get sharpness that you're happy with.

Let me guess. You've probably been wondering if you can add the versatilty of using a zoom lens and still get good results with macro photography of your coins. Perhaps you'd like to do macro photography and want flexibility to be able to use your zoom lens with your 60D without being limited to the distances you're accustomed to with your copy stand.

Macro Zoom Lens for Canon 60D

The good news is that there are a lot of very affordable macro zoom lenses for Canon DSLR cameras. They may not be true macro lenses in terms of their magnification, but most macro photgrphy is really just close-up photography. That is to say you don't achieve true 1:1 magnification. It really depends on the amount of magnification you want, the subject matter you're shooting, and the sharpness you really need. Here is just one example of a telephoto zoom, that has very strong customer satisfaction, that's really affordable, and will give you decent ability for close-up photography: 70-300mm Zoom Macro Lens for Canon.

I've used my Canon 24-105mm Lens for macro photography many times. Other times I've use my Canon 85mm f/1.8 prime lens with Extension Tubes. Your 60D has a real nice sensor and you can easily crop your images post-capture and get in really tight to some fascinating subjects. The Canon 100mm f/2.8 is a remarakable lens, so you've been spoiled with a great lens. Your standards for sharpness may be too high. (Ha Ha)


Good Luck
Please let me know what you do,
Bruce

Related Canon 60D Articles

Consumer Rankings of the Canon 100mm F/2.8 Lens
Accessories for Your 60D
Canon 60D Portrait Lens

Shutter Count On Rebel 60D Camera?

"How do I find the shutter count of my Canon 60D?"

Thaks for asking about how to find the shutter count on your Rebel 60D.

Canon has historically been reluctant to provide easy access to its cameras' shutter counts.

Shutter count should be easy to locate, just like the mileage on a used automobile. It helps buyers and sellers have an idea on the wear and tear on a camera. This helps come up with fair prices for Canon cameras.

Canon Shutter Count Software

Another photographer asked about shutter count on the Powershot: G1X

Here are two resources you can try:
Free Shutter Count
Magiclantern

Let me know how you make out

Thanks,
Bruce

Canon 60D Accessories

Gift idea for husband....
Canon EOS 60D (about 3 years old)

by Joy

My husband loves to take pictures...he takes lots of pictures and is quite good in my unprofessional opinion! He has and reads the manual that came with his camera. Do you suggest another manual? What are some of your "must have/favorite" accessories for the EOS 60D? Your suggestions would be appreciated?
Thanks, Joy.

Hi Joy,

Thanks for your question about the 60D! It's a great camera and gets very high reviews from its owners. It was a big upgrade over the Canon EOS 50D. I have the younger brother of the 60D, the 70D. They have quite a few similarities and I love mine.

I beleive a tripod for his 60D would be a lot of fun for him to use. If he shoots videos, the quality of his video would go way up and it would open up a whole new world of photo opportunities with nighttime photography. Here's an article on the best accessories for all Canon DSLRs, including the EOS 60D: Recommended Canon Accessories

Canon EOS 60D Books

If he already has a good manual you might consider a book that isn't strictly about the 60D. If he has the original manual from Canon, there are better written ones and he might like one of the ones reviewed here: Books on the Canon EOS 60D

He might also like a good book on creative photography that is not specifically about the 60D. Here is one: HIGHLY RATED BOOK: How to Create Stunning Digital Photography-Includes 12 hours of free video.

Canon 60D Lens

If he only has the original kit lens, the 18-55mm lens that came with the 60D, you might splurge on another lens: Canon Lenses. That lens is a limited in its zoom range, about a 3x zoom, and he might be interested in getting something with a bigger reach, like a 55-250mm. There are also some great lens kits that come with a telephoto lens and a few worthwhile accessories like filters and lens cleaning cloths.

Feel free to let me know what lens or other accessories he has and I'd be glad to give you some more specific suggestions on accessories for his 60D.

Hope that helps!

Bruce

Unbrick (Repair) Canon 60D

by Bibin Raju
(Kerala,India)

How to unbrick my Canon 60D which was bricked during the firmware update.

Hi Bibin Raju.

Thanks for your question about unbricking your 60D and sorry for your issues with your 60D. I'm assuming you need to repair your Canon 60D. I am unfamiliar with the word unbrick, so I looked it up to find a definition and it sounds like your 60D stopped working completely.

what to do with an inoperable Canon EOS 60D

The only solution I know is to send it to the nearest authorized Canon service center. Good luck and let the readers of Canon Geek website know how you progress with its repair.

Bruce

Canon 60D add-ons

Cameras 700D(t5i) vs Canon 60D

by Prajwal
(India)

which is better canon 60D or canon 700D??

Thanks for your question Prajwal.
I like both of these cameras. They do have similar performances in terms of image quality and focusing.

The answer on which is better, the Canon 60D vs. T5i(700D) battle, comes down to your personal preferences.

I like the lighter, smaller size of the T5i and its lower price tag. The touch screen LCD is a big positive experience too.
I like the large grip on the 60D and the two control dials, the larger viewfinder, and better battery life. I also like that it has a top of the camera display.

The T5i is also two years newer and newer is often better in such a field as digital photography where advancements happen at a fast rate.

Canon EOS 60D
Canon T5i

Hope that helps you somewhat

Canon 60D Filmback Size
Differs in Photo vs Video Mode

by Sherif Bishara
(Cairo, Egypt)

In my Canon 60D, when I set up my video settings to 1920 x 1080 (aspect ratio 1.7778), and I take a photo on the same mode, the image resolution is 5184 x 2912 (aspect ratio 1.780). Why is the outcome different while I am still in the video mode?. Is the sensor size the same in both operations? What is the actual active sensor size (filmback size) that is being used?

Hi Sherif,
Thanks for your question about the video crop that's built into the Canon 60D. Unfortunately, that's the way the camera was designed to work due to limitations in cameras like the 60D. I stay away from cameras that use cropping in video mode to keep the resolution up.

Bruce

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KEH: WHERE I BUY CANON GEAR
"I've found that the condition of the used equipment from KEH is excellent and a whole lot cheaper than buying new" - Bruce, the Canon Camera Geek