Considering my budget for now, I'd probably still stick with the 60D and just find a way to deal with the issue (a 5- to 7-inch LCD monitor with a hood around it so I can see the best possible image). Several hundred dollars more for the ability to see an HD image might be much of a stretch, especially when you can use that towards other vital accessories.

This is a reason.

http://www.dvinfo.net/forum/attachme...p-img_9980.jpg

Alan, would that hoodloupe be okay with glasses? I hate to take my glasses of every time... Z-finder in combination with glasses would be no problem I've heard (but mounting on the swivel screen would be somewhat more difficult)

60D = great value / price
 

I recently sold my 7D and replaced it with a 60D. For me, it came down to the whole overheating issue which plagues certain 7D bodies. Since using the 60D, I can say that I absolutely love it. There are no overheating issues and the build quality is surprisingly good. A few things to note about it:

- The articulating screen comes in handy more often than you would think. The point is that even if it doesn't suit you, you can flip it back into the closed position and use it like the 5D or 7D. At least there's the option there.

- I don't know about you guys, but with the 5D and 7D I find myself constantly bumping the dial into B (Bulb) mode accidentally. The 60D lock function, which prevents you from shifting the dial like this, is highly underrated and a complete blessing.

- The 60D in your hands feels a bit small. Not as uncomfortably small as the 550D, but still slightly smaller than a 7D. I've since gotten it with a battery grip and it's been great. With the extended height, it actually fits perfectly into your hands, moreso than a 5D/7D with battery grip as I feel that sometimes adds way too much height on an already tall body.

Those are just a few points on why the 60D has been so great up until now. It's a STEAL at the price point. I remember back only a few years ago, that $900 would only get me a consumer Canon HF11 camcorder, which while still good, is nowhere in the league of this still camera that shoots video. My only beef with the 60D is the lack of easy access to your white balance (as you have to enter the menu to access it) and no WB Shift options in video mode. Other than that, it's fantastic.

Alan, could you post a link to that Neoprene Hoodloupe holder?

[second request]

- I don't know about you guys, but with the 5D and 7D I find myself constantly bumping the dial into B (Bulb) mode accidentally. The 60D lock function, which prevents you from shifting the dial like this, is highly underrated and a complete blessing.

I own the T2i, 7D and the 60D. This lock function on the 60D is HUGE. I always bumped my 7D into the B Mode.

Never happened to me on the 5D or the T2i. But then I don't put my hands on the camera when I shoot and not sure why I ever would.

I just got a 60D and considered a 7D, but couldn't find any overwhelming reasons to spend the extra money.

The articulating screen is huge for me when doing video. I do hate going back and forth when I want to shoot photos, though. Guess I'm "old school" because I still prefer looking through the viewfinder instead of looking at the screen in Live View.

Also, having more manual audio control is important. I'm still not ready to sync audio and the audio I get from the input with my mics and a Juiced Link preamp work fine for my uses.

I like the smaller body for what I'll be doing the next few weeks -- shooting photo and video in a remote area of Peru. The more inconspicuous I can be, the better. (Unfortunately, I fear everyone in the village where I'm going already knows that a gringo is coming next week!) I don't have the need for the better body of the 7D.

Hopefully, I won't miss the HD out while shooting. Right now, I'm okay without it, but there are times when it would sure be handy.

The 60D is indeed a very compact camera, but has anyone put the Sony Alpha 55 up alongside it? I know it's not a true vDSLR but Popular Photography have awarded it Camera of the Year 2010, so I'm getting more interested. Swivelling rear screen, ALL lenses stabilised, GPS, and a big promotion that shaves lots off the price here in the UK.

tom.

I would recommend a Z-Finder Cine kit for those thinking of external monitors. I love mine for the T2i. And the magic lantern software will give this camera better audio displays and control than the 60D.