Canon EOS
5D Mark II
 vs
Canon EOS
60D

Updated (March, 2013): Compare the Canon EOS 5D Mark III vs Canon EOS 70D

Canon EOS 5D Mark II

81

  
Canon EOS 60D

71

  

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
Viewfinder size
 Large viewfinder
0.71x
Weather sealed
 Weather sealed
Shoot in extreme weather
Sensor size
 Large sensor
Full frame 36.0x24.0mm
Badge
 Built-in focus motor
Autofocuses with more lenses
 
Runner-up

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
Built-in flash
 Built-in flash
External flash not needed
 

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
Sensor size Much larger sensor Full frame 36.0x24.0mm vs APS-C 22.3x14.9mm
Help
 More than 2.5x larger sensor
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
Color depth Better color depth 23.7 bits vs 22.2 bits
Help
 Distinguishes 1.5 more bits of color
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
Battery life Longer battery life 1100 shots vs 850 shots
Help
 Around 30% more shots per battery charge
Continuous shooting Shoots faster 5.3 fps vs 3.9 fps
Help
 Around 40% faster continuous shooting
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 $699.00 vs $2,069.95
Help
 The best price we've seen is $1,371 cheaper (3x 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
81 vs 71
Explain scores
Canon EOS 60D Canon EOS 60D
Green arrow Snapsort recommends the Canon EOS 5D Mark II.

similarities

Compared to recent DSLRs

Common Strengths Common Weaknesses
Weather sealed Weather sealed Help
Shoot in extreme weather
Viewfinder Both have pentaprism viewfinders Help
Pentaprism
Startup delay Minimal startup delay Help
400 ms startup delay
Fastest shutter speed Fast max shutter speeds Help
1/8000 of a second
Storage slots Fewer storage slots Help
1
HDR Neither has in-camera HDR Help
You could do HDR manually
Autofocus No video autofocus Help
Manual focus only
Focus points Few focus points Help
9
Light sensitivity Poor maximum light sensitivity Help
6,400 ISO
Panorama Neither camera stitches together panoramas Help
You could stitch photos in post
Image stabilization No image stabilization Help
Risk of blur
3D Neither camera can take 3D photos Help
No 3d support
Continuous shooting Slow continuous shooting Help
5D Mark II:3.9 fps
60D:5.3 fps

Compared to recent pro DSLRs

Common Strengths Common Weaknesses
Size Fairly small Help
5D Mark II:152x114x75 mm
60D:145x106x79 mm
Lowest price Inexpensive Help
5D Mark II:$2,069.95
60D:$699.00
Light sensitivity (boost) Poor boost ISO Help
5D Mark II:25,600 ISO
60D:12,800 ISO
GPS No built-in GPS Help
Missing geo-tagging
Viewfinder coverage Below average viewfinder coverage Help
5D Mark II:98%
60D:96%
Cross type focus points Few cross-type focus points Help
5D Mark II:1
60D:9
Screen size Very small screens Help
3.0"
Dynamic range Poor dynamic range Help
5D Mark II:11.9 EV
60D:11.5 EV
Overall image quality Low image quality Help
5D Mark II:79.0
60D:66.0

dxomark

DXOMark

competitors

Shared Competitors

Advantages

Disadvantages
Canon EOS 7D

Canon EOS 7D

Pro DSLR

$1,499 body only

$1,799 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 EOS 6D

Canon EOS 6D

Pro DSLR

$1,999 body only

$2,599 with 24-105mm lens
Low light performance Is slightly less noisy at high ISO
Light sensitivity Significantly higher maximum light sensitivity
Fastest shutter speed Has a slower max shutter speed
Shutter lag Has slightly more shutter lag
Compare the EOS 6D vs the EOS 5D Mark II
Compare the EOS 6D vs the EOS 60D
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 5D Mark II
Compare the Rebel T4i vs the EOS 60D
Nikon D7000

Nikon D7000

Entry-level DSLR

$897 body only

$997 with 18-105mm 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
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 5D Mark II
Compare the Rebel T3i vs the EOS 60D
Canon EOS 5D Mark III

Canon EOS 5D Mark III

Pro DSLR

$3,250 - $3,499 body only

$3,800 - $4,099 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
Nikon D5200

Nikon D5200

Entry-level DSLR

$697 body only

$797 with 18-55mm lens
Overall image quality Has slightly better image quality
Dynamic range Has slightly wider dynamic range
Fastest shutter speed Has a slower max shutter speed
Thickness Is thicker
Compare the D5200 vs the EOS 5D Mark II
Compare the D5200 vs the EOS 60D

Canon EOS 5D Mark II Competitors

Advantages

Disadvantages
Nikon D600

Nikon D600

Pro DSLR

$1,997 body only

$2,397 with 24-85mm lens
Low light performance Significantly lower noise at high ISO
Overall image quality Significantly better image quality
Shutter lag More shutter lag
Thickness Significantly thicker
Compare the D600 vs the EOS 5D Mark II

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

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 3 comments

Kaiser (6:31 AM, March 03, 2013)
Bought 60d today . . . let me handle it ... will comment after 2 days ...
 
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?