Canon 7D versus Canon 60D

The Canon EOS 7D and the Canon EOS 60D are two enthusiast cameras that were announced, respectively, in September 2009 and August 2010. Both are DSLR (Digital Single Lens Reflex) cameras that are equipped with an APS-C sensor. Both cameras offer a resolution of 17.9 megapixel. Read on to find out how these two cameras compare with respect to their size, their sensors, their features, and their reception by expert reviewers.

Body comparison: Canon 7D vs Canon 60D

The side-by-side display below illustrates the physical size and weight of the Canon 7D and the Canon 60D. The two cameras are presented according to their relative size. Three consecutive perspectives from the front, the top, and the back are available. All width, height and depth measures are rounded to the nearest millimeter. You can also use the toggle button to switch to a percentage comparison if you prefer that the measures are being expressed in relative terms (in this case, the camera on the left – the 7D – represents 100 percent across all the size and weight measures).

If the front view area (width x height) of the cameras is taken as an aggregate measure of their size, the Canon 60D is notably smaller (6 percent) than the Canon 7D. Moreover, the 60D is markedly lighter (12 percent) than the 7D. In this context, it is worth noting that both cameras are splash and dust-proof and can, hence, be used in inclement weather conditions or harsh environments.

The above size and weight comparisons are to some extent incomplete since they do not consider the interchangeable lenses that both of these cameras require. In this particular case, both cameras feature the same lens mount, so that they can use the same lenses. You can find an overview of suitable optics in the Canon EF Lens Catalog.

The adjacent table lists the principal physical characteristics of the two cameras alongside a wider set of alternatives. If you would like to visualize and compare a different camera combination, just use the right or left arrows in the table to switch to the respective camera. Alternatively, you can also navigate to the CAM-parator app and make your selection from the full list of cameras there.

Camera Body Specifications

	Camera Model	Camera Width	Camera Height	Camera Depth	Camera Weight	Battery Life (CIPA)	Weather Sealing (yes/no)	Camera Launch (announced)	Launch Price (USD)	Street Price (USD)	Used Price (USD)	Camera Model
	Canon 7D»	148 mm	111 mm	74 mm	860 g	800	Y	Sep 2009	1,699	-		Canon 7D
	Canon 60D«	145 mm	106 mm	79 mm	755 g	1100	Y	Aug 2010	1,399	-		Canon 60D
	Canon 80D« »	139 mm	105 mm	79 mm	730 g	960	Y	Feb 2016	1,199			Canon 80D
	Canon G3 X« »	123 mm	77 mm	105 mm	733 g	300	Y	Jun 2015	999			Canon G3 X
	Canon 7D II« »	149 mm	112 mm	78 mm	910 g	670	Y	Sep 2014	1,799			Canon 7D II
	Canon 70D« »	139 mm	104 mm	79 mm	755 g	920	Y	Jul 2013	1,199	-		Canon 70D
	Canon 1D Mark IV« »	156 mm	157 mm	80 mm	1230 g	1500	Y	Oct 2009	4,999	-		Canon 1D Mark IV
	Canon 5D Mark II« »	152 mm	114 mm	75 mm	850 g	850	Y	Sep 2008	3,499	-		Canon 5D Mark II
	Canon 50D« »	146 mm	108 mm	74 mm	822 g	800	Y	Aug 2008	1,299	-		Canon 50D
	Nikon D7000« »	132 mm	105 mm	77 mm	780 g	1050	Y	Sep 2010	1,499	-		Nikon D7000
	Sony RX10 III« »	133 mm	94 mm	127 mm	1051 g	420	Y	Mar 2016	1,499	-		Sony RX10 III
Convert to Imperial

The camera’s price is obviously a critical decision-making factor. The manufacturer’s suggested retail prices give an idea on the placement of the camera in the maker’s lineup and the broader market. The 60D was launched at a somewhat lower price (by 18 percent) than the 7D, which makes it more attractive for photographers on a tight budget. Normally, street prices remain initially close to the MSRP, but after a couple of months, the first discounts appear. Later in the product cycle and, in particular, when the replacement model is about to appear, further discounting and stock clearance sales often push the camera price considerably down. Then, after the new model is out, very good deals can frequently be found on the pre-owned market.

Sensor comparison: Canon 7D vs Canon 60D

The size of the imaging sensor is a crucial determinant of image quality. A large sensor will tend to have larger individual pixels that provide better low-light sensitivity, wider dynamic range, and richer color-depth than smaller pixel-units in a sensor of the same technological generation. Further, a large sensor camera will give the photographer additional creative options when using shallow depth-of-field to isolate a subject from its background. On the downside, larger sensors tend to be associated with larger, more expensive camera bodies and lenses.

Both cameras under consideration feature an APS-C sensor and have a format factor (sometimes also referred to as "crop factor") of 1.6. Within the spectrum of camera sensors, this places the review cameras among the medium-sized sensor cameras that aim to strike a balance between image quality and portability. Both cameras have a native aspect ratio (sensor width to sensor height) of 3:2.

The two cameras under review do not only share the same sensor size, but also offer an identical resolution of 17.9 megapixel. This similarity in sensor specs implies that both the 7D and the 60D have the same pixel density, as well as the same pixel size. It should, however, be noted that the 60D is a somewhat more recent model (by 11 months) than the 7D, and its sensor might have benefitted from technological advances during this time.

Since 2007, DXO Mark has published sensor performance measurements that have been derived using a consistent methodology. This service determines an overall sensor rating, as well as sub-scores for low-light sensitivity ("DXO Sports"), dynamic range ("DXO Landscape"), and color depth ("DXO Portrait"). The Overall DXO ratings for the two cameras under consideration are close, suggesting that they provide similar image quality. The following table provides an overview of the physical sensor characteristics, as well as the sensor quality measurements for a selection of comparators.

Many modern cameras are not only capable of taking still images, but can also record movies. Both cameras under consideration are equipped with sensors that have a sufficiently high read-out speed for moving images, and both provide the same movie specifications (1080/30p).

Feature comparison: Canon 7D vs Canon 60D

Apart from body and sensor, cameras can and do differ across a range of features. The 7D and the 60D are similar in the sense that both have an optical viewfinder. The latter is useful for getting a clear image for framing even in brightly lit environments. The following table reports on some other key feature differences and similarities of the Canon 7D, the Canon 60D, and comparable cameras. If you need more detail on the specs, you can find comprehensive listings, for example, in the dpreview camera hub.

The 7D writes its imaging data to Compact Flash cards, while the 60D uses SDXC cards.

Both the 7D and the 60D have been discontinued, but can regularly be found used on eBay. The 7D was replaced by the Canon 7D Mark II, while the 60D was followed by the Canon 70D.

Review summary: Canon 7D vs Canon 60D

So what is the bottom line? Is the Canon 7D better than the Canon 60D or vice versa? A synthesis of the relative strong points of each of the models is listed below.

Reasons to prefer the Canon EOS 7D:

• Faster burst: Shoots at higher frequency (8 vs 5.3 flaps/sec) to capture the decisive moment.
• More heavily discounted: Has been on the market for longer (launched in September 2009).

Arguments in favor of the Canon EOS 60D:

• More detailed LCD: Has a higher resolution rear screen (1040k vs 920k dots).
• More flexible LCD: Has swivel screen for odd-angle shots in portrait or landscape orientation.
• Less heavy: Has a lower weight (by 105g or 12 percent) and is thus easier to take along.
• Longer lasting: Gets more shots (1100 versus 800) out of a single battery charge.
• More affordable: Was released into a lower priced segment (18 percent cheaper at launch).
• More modern: Was introduced somewhat (11 months) more recently.

If the count of individual advantages (bullet points above) is taken as a guide, the 60D is the clear winner of the contest (6 : 2 points). However, the relevance of individual strengths will vary across photographers, so that you might want to apply your own weighing scheme to the summary points when reflecting and deciding on a new camera.

In any case, while the comparison of technical specifications can provide a useful overview of the capabilities of different cameras, it remains partial and cannot reveal, for example, the handling experience and imaging performance when actually working with the 7D or the 60D. At times, user reviews, such as those published at amazon, address these issues in a useful manner, but such feedback is on many occasions incomplete, inconsistent, and unreliable. This is why hands-on reviews by experts are important. The adjacent table relays the overall verdicts of several of the most popular camera review sites (cameralabs, dpreview, ephotozine, imaging-resource, photographyblog). The detailed reviews can be accessed by clicking on the site logo in the table header.

Review Scores

	Camera Model						Camera Launch (announced)	Launch Price (USD)	Street Price (USD)	Used Price (USD)	Camera Model
	Canon 7D»	HiRec	84/100	4.5/5	5/5	4.5/5	Sep 2009	1,699	-		Canon 7D
	Canon 60D«	Rec	79/100	4/5	5/5	4.5/5	Aug 2010	1,399	-		Canon 60D
	Canon 80D« »	HiRec	84/100	4.5/5	4.5/5	4.5/5	Feb 2016	1,199			Canon 80D
	Canon G3 X« »	Rec	-	4.5/5	3.5/5	4/5	Jun 2015	999			Canon G3 X
	Canon 7D II« »	Rec	84/100	4/5	5/5	4.5/5	Sep 2014	1,799			Canon 7D II
	Canon 70D« »	HiRec	83/100	4.5/5	4.5/5	5/5	Jul 2013	1,199	-		Canon 70D
	Canon 1D Mark IV« »	-	89/100	-	5/5	-	Oct 2009	4,999	-		Canon 1D Mark IV
	Canon 5D Mark II« »	91/100	79/100	4/5	5/5	-	Sep 2008	3,499	-		Canon 5D Mark II
	Canon 50D« »	HiRec	HiRec	4.5/5	5/5	4.5/5	Aug 2008	1,299	-		Canon 50D
	Nikon D7000« »	-	80/100	4.5/5	5/5	4.5/5	Sep 2010	1,499	-		Nikon D7000
	Sony RX10 III« »	Rec	84/100	4.5/5	4.5/5	4.5/5	Mar 2016	1,499	-		Sony RX10 III

The above review scores should be interpreted with care, though. The ratings were established in reference to similarly priced cameras that were available in the market at the time of the review. Hence, a score should always be seen in the context of the camera's market launch date and its price, and comparisons of ratings among very different cameras or across long time periods have little meaning. Also, kindly note that some of the listed sites have over time developped their review approaches and their reporting style.

Other camera comparisons

Did this review help to inform your camera decision process? In case you would like to check on the differences and similarities of other camera models, just use the search menu below. An an alternative, you can also directly jump to any one of the listed comparisons that were previously generated by the CAM-parator tool. If the camera you are interested in is not available, please contact me, and I will try to update the database with the necessary infos.

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