Canon EOS D60

Canon took the prosumer digital-camera market by storm two years ago with the introduction of the EOS D30, a 3.1-megapixel digital camera based on traditional 35mm single-lens reflex (SLR) camera designs. Now, with the $1,999 EOS D60--an impressive 6.3-megapixel camera that produces higher-resolution images and costs nearly $1,000 less than the D30--the company is poised to take the lead over its competition.

Film-Camera Looks

Instead of the fixed zoom lens found on most digital cameras, the D60 uses interchangeable lenses designed for Canon's EOS film cameras. This lets you attach a broad range of lenses--from wide-angle to telephoto--made by Canon and a number of third parties. Generally, the lenses you can purchase for use with the D60 will be of higher quality than those on a lower-end digital camera--which translates into sharper pictures overall--but they do add to the camera's expense unless you already have Canon EOS lenses.

The D60 has the D30's excellent design and feel, as well as improvements such as better autofocus capabilities, shorter shutter-release lag, and a 3-frame-per-second shooting speed (with a maximum burst capture of eight images). Anyone familiar with the smooth operation of a 35mm SLR camera will love the D60's smart interface and ease of use.

Great Photo Quality

The D60's 6.3-megapixel images are of extremely high quality and color fidelity. We printed photo-lab­quality images as large as 11 by 17 inches, and the extra resolution let us crop images while producing a crisp, clear, 8-by-10-inch print.

The only negative we ran into was the lack of OS X support. The camera is not currently recognized by OS X's Image Capture or iPhoto, though pictures can be transferred to your OS X system from the camera's CompactFlash card via a media reader or PC Card adapter. Canon says it's working on an update for OS X, which should be available sometime in the second half of 2002.

Macworld's Buying Advice

We highly recommend the EOS D60 if you want the look-and-feel of a 35mm camera, or if most digital cameras are not advanced enough for your needs. Canon has preserved the strengths of film cameras while adding the best attributes of digital imaging. The lack of direct OS X support is our only complaint, but if you have other ways of getting images into your Mac, this isn't a big problem.