I'm looking at adding an additional body to the two T2i's I already own. Besides the swivel screen on the 60D, video-wise.. is there any advantage to using the 7D over the 60D (or vice-versa)?

Just to narrow it down, the use of CF cards to SDHC cards is NOT an issue. Neither are batteries since both the 60D and 7D use the same one (and they're NOT the same as T2i, dang it).

Educated guesses, non-educated opinions, and well wishes for the holidays and new year are all welcome!

and...
wait for it...
go!

Advantage 1 of the 60D: Because the LCD display is away from the body, it doesn't overheat. Critical if you're shooting in hot areas or for extended times (like shooting a wedding all day). The 7D has been known to overheat and you have to shut it off.

Advantage 2 of the 60D: You can run Magic Lantern firmware on it, which I absolutely love. It gives you zebras, histogram/waveform monitor, focus peaking, you see your audio levels while you shoot, and much, much more. To my knowledge Magic Lantern is not available (yet) on the 7D, but I've heard rumors that it wil be in the future.

Advantage 3 of the 60D: You can manually control the audio gain. On the 7D, you can not.

Advantage 1 of the 7D: You can monitor your shots in 1080HD on an external monitor. REALLY helps for pulling focus. On the 60D, as soon as you hit record, the resolution drops to standard def on an external monitor.

Advantage 2 of the 7D: name recognition. A lot of people want to hire a shooter with a Canon 5D or 7D.

Advantage 3 of the 7D: Better Build Quality

Advantage 4 of the 7D: You can shoot 8 stills per second, versus around 4 per second (I think) on the 60D

These are just a few pros and cons - other folks can give you more detail.

Why not go with t3i??

The T3i is similar to the 60D, but I see it as an intermediary between the T2i and 60D... not an upgrade IMHO. Like Matt posted above, the "7D" might get you more name recognition, but I feel a "60D" sounds more pro than a T3i. I realize that I can use the 550D (T2i) and 600D (T3i) monikers, but that's not what's imprinted on the body and may raise questions...

I'm definitely looking at all angles though... I just want to get the most bang for my buck.

As an aside, the overheating thing is important down here in Louisiana. I've had my T2i overheat on a number of exterior (and some interior) shoots.

I just picked up a 60D and went through the same decision process you are going thru now.

If overheating is a real issue for you then you should pick up the 60D. Little to no complaints about overheating on that model some say because of the swivel screen. Plus it is an immensely useful feature.

The only real advantages the 7D offers are in the realm of stills photography where its feature set (8 fps mptor driver vs 5.3 on 60D) and all metal body with weather sealing are a real plus.

But if you are like me and are buying this cam primarily for video applications, 60D takes it.

I started with a 5D and bought a 7D to supplement my work in stills for my day job (magazine publishing group), but now that I'm delving deeper into independent paid video projects (commercials, event promotions, product reviews), I've discovered that my DSLRs aren't always practical in many cases, although they are awesome for supplementary pick-up shots. The 60D sounds like a great bang for the buck, but why not mix it up and get a camcorder instead of an additional DSLR? I've invested in an XDCAM system to suit some particular client preferences, but I've always thought a great entry-level pro package would be a basic dslr setup and a small pro handheld like the HMC150 or Canon XF100. It all depends on your situation, of course. Are you looking to make money in media/commercial content? Wedding "fusion" services? Just a hobby? Indie films? Those factors matter big time.

In your situation, I would also recommend the T3i over the 60D.

Overheating is even less of an issue, form is nearly identical to the T2i with the exception of the swiveling LCD plus you get audio control, tele-crop and you get to use the same batteries.

I have a 1/2 dozen different DSLR's, and don't mind switching around, but for many people - having a uniform way of doing things is a big plus. Sometimes, those extra few seconds it takes to look down at the camera to remember where the ISO, WB or other function is, can disrupt the flow.

Advantage 2 of the 60D: You can run Magic Lantern firmware on it, which I absolutely love. It gives you zebras, histogram/waveform monitor, focus peaking, you see your audio levels while you shoot, and much, much more. To my knowledge Magic Lantern is not available (yet) on the 7D, but I've heard rumors that it wil be in the future.



Magic Lantern for the 7D is extremely unlikely. Canon put a firmware upgrade counter and a maximum limit in a firware upgrade for the 7D and completely "locked out" further attempts to develop Magic Lantern for that camera. Last I heard the 7D being used for development would no longer accept firmware updates and was "stuck" at the last version being tested.

I have a 7D (and both a 60D and T3i as well). I use the 7D with "official firmware" only and settle for the features that offers. I am also reluctant to install ML on either of my other cameras because we have no way of knowing what Canon has "buried" in the firmware of those.

I'm content with the features the "official" firmware offers and am professional enough to be able to work with it. I don't need any "self inflicted" surprises on location.

Which do you prefer for the bulk of your shoots?

Magic Lantern seems to be a plus in favor of the 60D over the 7D as well. I just saw a demo of HDR video made possible by a Magic Lantern update. Quite an interesting development.

HDR video with Magic Lantern - Magic Lantern User Group forum on Vimeo (http://vimeo.com/groups/74140/forumthread:250295)

In your situation, I would also recommend the T3i over the 60D.

Overheating is even less of an issue, form is nearly identical to the T2i with the exception of the swiveling LCD plus you get audio control, tele-crop and you get to use the same batteries.

I have a 1/2 dozen different DSLR's, and don't mind switching around, but for many people - having a uniform way of doing things is a big plus. Sometimes, those extra few seconds it takes to look down at the camera to remember where the ISO, WB or other function is, can disrupt the flow.+1 Same look, feel, batteries, manual audio plus the 3X HD crop mode is very handy as it effectively gives you an extra telephoto lens for free. the 600D/T3i is 2/3 the price of the 60D.

The 7D body is much more waterresistant. Lately my 550d refused to work on a foggy day.

+1 Same look, feel, batteries, manual audio plus the 3X HD crop mode is very handy as it effectively gives you an extra telephoto lens for free. the 600D/T3i is 2/3 the price of the 60D.

+1. 3X Crop mode and Magic Lantern are incredibly useful. I would have difficulty shooting without them. Hopefully audio monitoring on the T3i is coming soon. They've indicated that's a top priority for Magic Lantern development.

+1 Loving my t3i. For video I would say t3i or 5d and forget about anything in between.

+1. 3X Crop mode and Magic Lantern are incredibly useful. I would have difficulty shooting without them. Hopefully audio monitoring on the T3i is coming soon. They've indicated that's a top priority for Magic Lantern development.

Brett,

Where did you read about the T3i getting the audio monitoring feature with Magic Lantern? The lack of this feature is the only thing preventing me from getting a T3i. I was prepared to go the 60d route to get audio monitoring, but now may hold off if I know that it is coming on the T3i.

60D for swivel LCD on that fact alone. laying on the ground to do a slider shot kind of sucks with the 7D.
magic lantern is a huge bonus to adjust and see audio levels. big plus there! If you're not using it
for stills, than the 60D makes the most sense.

I'm with Scott. I've used a 10D for years with no complaints, but I'd come to love the flexibility an articulated screen brings to my video cameras and I was darn sure my next SLR would have the same feature. This limited the number of cameras on my shortlist but I'm glad I waited and didn't plump for the 50D, sorely tempted as I was.

tom.

Just put my mint spare (3rd) 60D for sale in the classifieds. I run 2 x 60Ds on most of my shoots now, never experienced the overheating that 7D owners talk about, manual audio adjustment, fab Magic Lantern integration and I've yet to use more than 2 batteries in an entire day - very efficient on power usage. The articulating screen means I can run an LCDVF clip-on viewfinder and it becomes a very effective documentary camera. Also allows me to use a Steadicam Merlin without the guessing.

Ben.

Interesting you mention the minimalist battery consumption of the 60D Ben. With my 10D I always used the Canon battery grip and just assumed I'd be needing the same for the 60D. It's nice to have the grip for portrait shots and it means you can attach a short strap between top of camera and bottom of grip, but apart from that it's not needed on the 60D. Maybe the camera simply wastes less power in heating than the 7D.

tom.

Bob, many of the issues raised are correct, some are conjecture.

I had a t2i, it overheated often. I now have a 7D. It never has overheated. I use it extensively. I think that it's the battery placement that changed between the two models. Also, because of that change, I can change batteries while the 7D is mounted on a tripod. I could not do that with the T2i. That meant something to me during high pressure shoots.

The 7D is much better built, and if you shoot outdoors in high humidity and rain, you should really consider the 7D and the high price Canon glass. Creates a highly water resistant camera. I love it.

The swivel monitor is not much of a problem, and I can always hook up an external LCD.

I have never had a problem with CF cards. I had numerous problems shooting with high quality SD cards.

It comes down to the type of shooting you are doing. Both cameras are good, I would say. Good luck!