Canon EOS
50D
 vs
Canon EOS
60D

Updated (March, 2013): Compare the Canon EOS 50D vs Canon EOS 70D

Canon EOS 60D

71

  
Canon EOS 50D

58

  
Winner

Canon EOS 60D

Reasons to buy the Canon EOS 60D

Weather sealed
 Weather sealed
Shoot in extreme weather
Screen flips out
 Flip-out screen
Great for movies
Battery life
 Great battery life
1100 shots
Badge
 Built-in focus motor
Autofocuses with more lenses
Fastest shutter speed
 Fast shutter speed
1/8000 of a second
 
Runner-up

Canon EOS 50D

Reasons to buy the Canon EOS 50D

Shutter lag
 Barely any delay taking photos
131 ms shutter lag
Badge
 Built-in focus motor
Autofocuses with more lenses
Thickness
 Thin
2.9"
Fastest shutter speed
 Fast shutter speed
1/8000 of a second
 

differences

Advantages of the Canon 50D
Shutter lag Significantly less shutter lag 131 ms vs 253 ms
Help
 Around 50% less delay when taking photos
Continuous shooting Shoots faster 6.3 fps vs 5.3 fps
Help
 Around 20% faster continuous shooting
Thickness Thinner 2.9" vs 3.1"
Help
 Around 10% thinner
Startup delay Slightly less startup delay 300 ms vs 400 ms
Help
 Around 30% less delay when turning on
Size Slightly smaller 146x108x74 mm vs 145x106x79 mm
Help
 Almost the same
Canon EOS 50D Learn more about
the Canon 50D

Advantages of the Canon 60D
Movie format Shoots movies 1080p @ 30fps vs None
Help
 Shoots Full HD (1080p) video as well as still pictures
Weather sealed Weather sealed Yes vs No
Help
 Sealed to shoot in the rain
Screen flips out Has a flip-out screen Yes vs No
Help
 Flip-out screens can be helpful when composing tricky shots or taking movies
Color depth Better color depth 22.2 bits vs 21.8 bits
Help
 Distinguishes 0.4 more bits of color
Overall image quality Better image quality 66.0 vs 63.0
Help
 Almost the same
Screen resolution Higher resolution screen 1,040k dots vs 920k dots
Help
 More than 10% higher resolution screen
Battery life Longer battery life 1100 shots vs 640 shots
Help
 More than 70% more shots per battery charge
True resolution Higher true resolution 17.9 MP vs 15.1 MP
Help
 Capture around 20% more detail in your photos
Low light performance Slightly lower noise at high ISO 813 ISO vs 696 ISO
Help
 The 60D has a slight edge (0.2 f-stops) in low noise, high ISO performance
Dynamic range More dynamic range 11.5 EV vs 11.4 EV
Help
 0.1 f-stops more dynamic range
Light sensitivity Better maximum light sensitivity 6,400 ISO vs 3,200 ISO
Help
 The 60D's maximum light sensitivity is 1 f-stop better
Viewfinder coverage Better viewfinder coverage 96% vs 95%
Help
 Almost the same
Weight Slightly lighter 755 g vs 822 g
Help
 Around 10% lighter
Canon EOS 60D Learn more about
the Canon 60D
vs

recommendations

Relative to the best recent pro DSLRs, and ignoring price

Canon EOS 50D Canon EOS 50D
58 vs 71
Explain scores
Canon EOS 60D Canon EOS 60D
Green arrow Snapsort recommends the Canon EOS 60D.

similarities

Compared to recent DSLRs

Common Strengths Common Weaknesses
Lens availability Many lenses available Help
162 lenses
Viewfinder Both have pentaprism viewfinders Help
Pentaprism
Startup delay Minimal startup delay Help
50D:300 ms
60D:400 ms
Fastest shutter speed Fast max shutter speeds Help
1/8000 of a second
Built-in flash Each has a built-in flash Help
External flash not needed
Storage slots Fewer storage slots Help
1
Viewfinder coverage Below average viewfinder coverage Help
50D:95%
60D:96%
HDR Neither has in-camera HDR Help
You could do HDR manually
Autofocus No video autofocus Help
Manual focus only
Light sensitivity (boost) Poor boost ISO Help
12,800 ISO
Focus points Few focus points Help
9
Light sensitivity Poor maximum light sensitivity Help
50D:3,200 ISO
60D:6,400 ISO
Sensor size Very small sensors Help
APS-C 22.3x14.9mm
Panorama Neither camera stitches together panoramas Help
You could stitch photos in post
Dynamic range Poor dynamic range Help
50D:11.4 EV
60D:11.5 EV
Image stabilization No image stabilization Help
Risk of blur
3D Neither camera can take 3D photos Help
No 3d support
Overall image quality Low image quality Help
50D:63.0
60D:66.0
Color depth Poor color depth Help
50D:21.8 bits
60D:22.2 bits
Low light performance Above average noise at high ISO Help
50D:696 ISO
60D:813 ISO

Compared to recent pro DSLRs

Common Strengths Common Weaknesses
Size Fairly small Help
50D:146x108x74 mm
60D:145x106x79 mm
Weight Light weight Help
50D:822 g
60D:755 g
GPS No built-in GPS Help
Missing geo-tagging
Cross type focus points Few cross-type focus points Help
9
True resolution Capture low resolution images Help
50D:15.1 MP
60D:17.9 MP
Viewfinder size Below average viewfinder size Help
0.59x
Continuous shooting Slow continuous shooting Help
50D:6.3 fps
60D:5.3 fps
Screen size Very small screens Help
3.0"

dxomark

DXOMark

competitors

Shared Competitors

Advantages

Disadvantages
Canon Rebel T4i

Canon Rebel T4i

Entry-level DSLR

$669 - $800 body only

$699 - $749 with 18-55mm lens
Light sensitivity Slightly higher maximum light sensitivity
Touch screen Has a touch screen
Fastest shutter speed Has a slower max shutter speed
Thickness Is thicker
Compare the Rebel T4i vs the EOS 50D
Compare the Rebel T4i vs the EOS 60D
Canon EOS 7D

Canon EOS 7D

Pro DSLR

$1,499 body only

$1,799 with 18-135mm lens
Continuous shooting Shoots faster continuously
Cross type focus points Has slightly more cross-type focus points
Compare the EOS 7D vs the EOS 50D
Compare the EOS 7D vs the EOS 60D
Canon Rebel T3i

Canon Rebel T3i

Entry-level DSLR

$549 body only

$599 - $649 with 18-55mm lens
Weight Is slightly lighter
Fastest shutter speed Has a slower max shutter speed
Thickness Is thicker
Compare the Rebel T3i vs the EOS 50D
Compare the Rebel T3i vs the EOS 60D
Nikon D7000

Nikon D7000

Entry-level DSLR

$897 body only

$997 with 18-105mm lens
Overall image quality Has significantly better image quality
Color depth Has slightly more color depth
Thickness Is thicker
Shutter lag Has significantly more shutter lag
Compare the D7000 vs the EOS 50D
Compare the D7000 vs the EOS 60D
Nikon D5100

Nikon D5100

Entry-level DSLR

$497 body only

$597 - $805 with 18-55mm lens
Overall image quality Has significantly better image quality
Color depth Has slightly more color depth
Fastest shutter speed Has a slower max shutter speed
Thickness Is thicker
Compare the D5100 vs the EOS 50D
Compare the D5100 vs the EOS 60D
Nikon D90

Nikon D90

Entry-level DSLR

$675 - $899 body only

$799 - $1,099 with 18-105mm lens
Overall image quality Has slightly better image quality
Dynamic range Has significantly wider dynamic range
Fastest shutter speed Has a slower max shutter speed
Thickness Is thicker
Compare the D90 vs the EOS 50D
Compare the D90 vs the EOS 60D
Canon EOS 6D

Canon EOS 6D

Pro DSLR

$1,999 body only

$2,599 with 24-105mm lens
Low light performance Is significantly less noisy at high ISO
Overall image quality Has significantly better image quality
Fastest shutter speed Has a slower max shutter speed
Built-in flash Doesn't have a built-in flash
Compare the EOS 6D vs the EOS 50D
Compare the EOS 6D vs the EOS 60D

Canon EOS 50D Competitors

Advantages

Disadvantages

No significant competitors found that are specific to the Canon EOS 50D.

Canon EOS 60D Competitors

Advantages

Disadvantages
Canon Rebel T5i

Canon Rebel T5i

Entry-level DSLR

$749 - $905 body only

$899 with 18-55mm lens
Touch screen Has a touch screen
Autofocus Video autofocus
Weather sealed No weather sealing
Color depth Worse color depth
Compare the Rebel T5i vs the EOS 60D
Nikon D5200

Nikon D5200

Entry-level DSLR

$697 body only

$797 with 18-55mm lens
Overall image quality Significantly better image quality
Dynamic range More dynamic range
Weather sealed No weather sealing
Battery life Significantly shorter battery life
Compare the D5200 vs the EOS 60D

appearance

Canon EOS 50D Canon EOS 60D
Canon EOS 50D Canon EOS 60D
Canon EOS 50D Canon EOS 60D

discussion

Showing 1 comments

Yerbol (9:19 PM, February 11, 2012)
I have a 60D right now and I am pleased with it. I had a 50D in the past so in my opinion 60D is better by: ISO performance, image quality, color accuracy, obviously HD video.I found its light weight as advantage over heavy weight 50D especially when you have to keep the camera for few hours. My all-go lens is 15-85mm f3.5-5.6 IS USM and this combo works fine. My tele is Sigma 120-400mm and it works fine too. I had no chance to use any of portrait lenses as 50mm or 85mm yet but I am sure it will be fine. I can imagine what if you stick Canon L class lens in front of it!
No regrets so far. Very good performer.