Canon EOS
5D Mark II
 vs
Canon EOS
60D

Updated (March, 2012): Compare the Canon EOS 5D Mark III vs Canon EOS 60D

Canon EOS 5D Mark II

83
"The original 5D was the first 'affordable' and lightweight full frame camera, and set a standard for low noise at high ISO settings that remains competitive three years later."
dpreview.com | talking about the 5D Mark II's iso-noise
"The 'denser' build and slightly chunkier grip on the EOS 5D Mark II does make it feel that bit more substantial than the EOS 50D, you know there's something special about it from the moment you lift it. That said it's also lighter than an EOS-1D series (obviously) and therefore is more portable for it."
dpreview.com | talking about the 5D Mark II's feel

Reasons to buy the Canon EOS 5D Mark II

Low light performance
 Low noise at high ISO
1,815 ISO
Overall image quality
 Great image quality
79.0
Color depth
 Great color depth
23.7 bits
Viewfinder size
 Large viewfinder
0.71x
True resolution
 High true resolution
21 MP
Weather sealed
 Weather sealed
Shoot in extreme weather
Canon EOS 60D

71
Runner-up

Canon EOS 60D
"Excellent image quality up to ISO settings unthinkable just one camera generation ago"
dpreview.com | talking about the 60D's image-quality
"It may have turned its back on the semi-pro, but the 60D is still a camera that should enthuse the enthusiasts."
dpreview.com | talking about the 60D's overall-performance

Reasons to buy the Canon EOS 60D

Screen flips out
 Flip-out screen
Great for movies
Fastest shutter speed
 Fast shutter speed
1/8000 of a second

differences

Advantages of the Canon 5D Mark II
Low light performance Significantly lower noise at high ISO 1,815 ISO vs 813 ISO
Help
 The 5D Mark II has excellent image quality 1.2 f-stops higher ISO than the 60D
Overall image quality Significantly better image quality 79.0 vs 66.0
Help
 Around 20% better image quality
Color depth Better color depth 23.7 bits vs 22.2 bits
Help
 Distinguishes 1.5 more bits of color
Sensor size Much larger sensor Full frame 36.0x24.0mm vs APS-C 22.3x14.9mm
Help
 More than 2.5x larger sensor
Weather sealed Weather sealed Yes vs No
Help
 Sealed to shoot in the rain
Dynamic range More dynamic range 11.9 EV vs 11.5 EV
Help
 0.4 f-stops more dynamic range
Viewfinder size Significantly larger viewfinder 0.71x vs 0.59x
Help
 Around 50% larger viewfinder
True resolution Higher true resolution 21 MP vs 17.9 MP
Help
 Capture around 20% more detail in your photos
Shutter lag Less shutter lag 206 ms vs 253 ms
Help
 Around 20% less delay when taking photos
Viewfinder coverage Better viewfinder coverage 98% vs 96%
Help
 Almost the same
Thickness Thinner 3" vs 3.1"
Help
 Around 10% thinner
Light sensitivity (boost) Better boost ISO 25,600 ISO vs 12,800 ISO
Help
 The 5D Mark II's boost ISO is 1 f-stop better
Canon EOS 5D Mark II Learn more about
the Canon 5D Mark II

Advantages of the Canon 60D
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
Lens availability More lenses available 162 lenses vs 125 lenses
Help
 Around 30% more lenses available
Screen resolution Higher resolution screen 1,040k dots vs 920k dots
Help
 More than 10% higher resolution screen
Cross type focus points More cross-type focus points 9 vs 1
Help
 Grab focus in difficult situations
Continuous shooting Shoots faster 5.3 fps vs 3.9 fps
Help
 Around 40% faster continuous shooting
Battery life Longer battery life 1100 shots vs 850 shots
Help
 Around 30% more shots per battery charge
Built-in flash Built-in flash Yes vs No
Help
 A built-in flash is useful for taking indoor shots where there is little light
Size Slightly smaller 145x106x79 mm vs 152x114x75 mm
Help
 Around 10% smaller
Lowest price Cheaper $848.00 vs $2,198.00
Help
 The best price we've seen is $1,350 cheaper (2.6x less)
Weight Lighter 755 g vs 850 g
Help
 More than 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 5D Mark II Canon EOS 5D Mark II
83 vs 71
Explain scores
Canon EOS 60D Canon EOS 60D
Green arrow Snapsort recommends the Canon EOS 5D Mark II.

advice

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similarities

Compared to recent DSLRs

Common Strengths Common Weaknesses
Viewfinder Both have pentaprism viewfinders Help
Pentaprism
Supports 24p 24p support Help
For that film look
Fastest shutter speed Fast max shutter speeds Help
1/8000 of a second
Storage slots Fewer storage slots Help
1
Autofocus No video autofocus Help
Manual focus only
HDR Neither has in-camera HDR Help
You could do HDR manually
Focus points Few focus points Help
9
Image stabilization No image stabilization Help
Risk of blur
Panorama Neither camera stitches together panoramas Help
You could stitch photos in post
3D Neither camera can take 3D photos Help
No 3d support
Light sensitivity Poor maximum light sensitivity Help
6,400 ISO

Compared to recent pro DSLRs

Common Strengths Common Weaknesses
Size Fairly small Help
5D Mark II:152x114x75 mm
60D:145x106x79 mm
Supports RAW Supports RAW Help
Better editing
Lowest price Inexpensive Help
5D Mark II:$2,198.00
60D:$848.00
Weight Light weight Help
5D Mark II:850 g
60D:755 g
Thickness Thin Help
5D Mark II:3"
60D:3.1"
Light sensitivity (boost) Poor boost ISO Help
5D Mark II:25,600 ISO
60D:12,800 ISO
Cross type focus points Few cross-type focus points Help
5D Mark II:1
60D:9
Continuous shooting Slow continuous shooting Help
5D Mark II:3.9 fps
60D:5.3 fps
Shutter lag Significant shutter lag Help
5D Mark II:206 ms
60D:253 ms
Battery life Few shots per battery charge Help
5D Mark II:850 shots
60D:1100 shots
Screen size Very small screens Help
3.0"

dxomark

DXOMark

competitors

Shared Competitors

Advantages

Disadvantages
Canon EOS 7D

Canon EOS 7D

Pro DSLR

$1,549 - $1,821 body only

$1,500 - $1,849 with 18-135mm lens
Continuous shooting Shoots faster continuously
Shutter lag Has slightly less shutter lag
Compare the EOS 7D vs the EOS 5D Mark II
Compare the EOS 7D vs the EOS 60D
Canon Rebel T3i

Canon Rebel T3i

Entry-level DSLR

$619 - $700 body only

$745 - $1,000 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 5D Mark II
Compare the Rebel T3i vs the EOS 60D
Nikon D7000

Nikon D7000

Entry-level DSLR

$1,000 - $1,197 body only

$1,100 with 55-200mm lens
Dynamic range Has slightly wider dynamic range
Movie continuous focus Can focus continuously while recording movies
Compare the D7000 vs the EOS 5D Mark II
Compare the D7000 vs the EOS 60D
Nikon D5100

Nikon D5100

Entry-level DSLR

$500 - $597 body only

$600 - $697 with 18-55mm lens
Dynamic range Has slightly wider dynamic range
HDR Has in-camera HDR
Fastest shutter speed Has a slower max shutter speed
Thickness Is thicker
Compare the D5100 vs the EOS 5D Mark II
Compare the D5100 vs the EOS 60D
Nikon D90

Nikon D90

Entry-level DSLR

$830 - $897 body only

$1,199 - $1,200 with 18-105mm lens
Dynamic range Has slightly wider dynamic range
Fastest shutter speed Has a slower max shutter speed
External mic jack Lacks and external mic jack
Compare the D90 vs the EOS 5D Mark II
Compare the D90 vs the EOS 60D
Canon EOS Rebel T2i

Canon Rebel T2i

Entry-level DSLR

$544 - $949 body only

$649 - $867 with 18-55mm lens
Size Is slightly smaller
Thickness Is thinner
Fastest shutter speed Has a slower max shutter speed
Viewfinder Has a lower quality type of viewfinder
Compare the Rebel T2i vs the EOS 5D Mark II
Compare the Rebel T2i vs the EOS 60D
Canon EOS 5D Mark III

Canon EOS 5D Mark III

Pro DSLR

$3,499 - $3,500 body only

$4,299 - $4,300 with 24-105mm lens
Low light performance Is slightly less noisy at high ISO
Screen size Has a significantly larger screen
Lowest price Is slightly more expensive
Weight Is slightly heavier
Compare the EOS 5D Mark III vs the EOS 5D Mark II
Compare the EOS 5D Mark III vs the EOS 60D

Canon EOS 5D Mark II Competitors

Advantages

Disadvantages
Nikon D700

Nikon D700

Pro DSLR

$2,199 body only
Low light performance Lower noise at high ISO
Focus points Many more focus points
Movie format Does not take movies
True resolution Significantly lower true resolution
Compare the D700 vs the EOS 5D Mark II
Nikon D800

Nikon D800

Pro DSLR

$2,999 - $3,000 body only
Overall image quality Significantly better image quality
Low light performance Significantly lower noise at high ISO
Thickness Thicker
Size Larger
Compare the D800 vs the EOS 5D Mark II

Canon EOS 60D Competitors

Advantages

Disadvantages

No significant competitors found that are specific to the Canon EOS 60D.

appearance

Canon EOS 5D Mark II Canon EOS 60D
Canon EOS 5D Mark II Canon EOS 60D
Canon EOS 5D Mark II Canon EOS 60D

discussion

Showing 2 comments

Avatar for Nitsan Simantov Nitsan Simantov (2:49 AM, September 13, 2011)
lol no one answered the guy below.. :P
 
videostudent (1:04 PM, September 23, 2010)
Does anyone have an idea when they are going to upgrade the Canon 5D mark II? Also how many mic inputs can you put on the Canon 5D mark II?