Thinking about upgrading to a 6D from a 60D. Thoughts?

[blonigan16]

I've been using a Canon 60D for the past three years now and I am looking to make the jump to full frame. I don't know what the best course of action would be when it comes to getting rid of my current camera. I have a bunch of EF lenses I'll keep for my next camera and then my only EF-S lens is the 15-85mm. Is Adorama good when it comes to trade ins? I just moved to the United States so I've never used them before. I submitted a form and stuff listing my camera and the lens. How much do you think I'll be able to get for them? Both the camera and lens are in near perfect condition.

Thanks!

 

[Coldhands]

You may find more value in keeping the 60D as a backup/second body rather than selling it or trading it in. Camera bodies lose value quickly, especially once they have been superseded (as the 60D has). Lenses, on the other hand, hold their value better so you might be able to get a good price for your 15-85. From my experience with trade-ins with Henry's in Canada, you can probably expect a lot less than the used street price so unless you need the money ASAP, it's much better to sell privately.

 

[Zv]

You could sell your 60D and EF-S lens on Craigslist and use the money towards the 6D. I might not be much, maybe about $500 for both, I dunno how much they're worth depends on condition. (Edit - just checked some prices online and you could get more than $500 easily for both).

I had two bodies for a while, a FF and crop. I almost never used the crop and it collected dust before I sold it. You won't want to shoot with the 60D because you will think "hmmm, I could shoot with a camera with very good IQ or one with slightly less IQ; might as well use the better one".

Yes, I have an EOS M but that fills a different need. Something small and discreet. 60D isn't any smaller than the 6D. The only advantage is reach and cropping the 6D image will be almost as good if not better up to a certain point. If you are going to be doing a lot of telephoto stuff then maybe keep the 60D. But sell the EF-S lens and swap it out for a 24-105 (the L, the Sigma or the new cheap one) if you need an all purpose lens to replace it.

 

[Marsu42]

You may find more value in keeping the 60D as a backup/second body rather than selling it or trading it in.

+1, the 60d makes a nice backup for the 6d as it's got the same usability. Things break, the 6d isn't as sturdy as pro-line cameras, and any repair w/o high cps will leave you missing shots.

The crop camera is also better for macro (working distance), getting more reach with your long lenses and has the swivel screen for video & awkward tripod work. Last not least, the bit more fps vs. 6d can make a bit of a difference for sports and "get the right moment" shots.

Selling the 60d now won't leave you as a happy camper as the market is flooded with these cameras, you missed the opportunity to sell before 70d or 7d2 release.

 

[stan_tall_man]

I had two 60d's and I sold one and a few lenses to get a 6d. After using my 6d and 60d for a wedding I sold my 60d the next day. It's not a bad camera but once I had the low-light capabilities of the 6d along with a few good 1.4 primes the 60d just didn't even compare. I sold my 60d and saved up for a 2nd 6d and I'm glad I did. If I shot sports I'd do the 7d II but low light stuff and portraits is what I do so the 6d rocks for that. I thought I'd keep the 60d for macro and other random stuff because of the flip out screen but every time I'd consider using it, the iso capabilities of the 6d told my brain otherwise. Now when people ask me what camera to buy because they want to upgrade from a point/shoot I tell them to get a 60d because they're so cheap and still a good camera.

 

[AE1Pguy]

When I bought my 6D, I intended to have my 40D converted to shoot IR. Haven't gotten around to that yet though.

 

[wsheldon]

I had two 60d's and I sold one and a few lenses to get a 6d. After using my 6d and 60d for a wedding I sold my 60d the next day. It's not a bad camera but once I had the low-light capabilities of the 6d along with a few good 1.4 primes the 60d just didn't even compare. I sold my 60d and saved up for a 2nd 6d and I'm glad I did. If I shot sports I'd do the 7d II but low light stuff and portraits is what I do so the 6d rocks for that. I thought I'd keep the 60d for macro and other random stuff because of the flip out screen but every time I'd consider using it, the iso capabilities of the 6d told my brain otherwise. Now when people ask me what camera to buy because they want to upgrade from a point/shoot I tell them to get a 60d because they're so cheap and still a good camera.

+1

I had the same experience with a 50D after getting the 6D. It just isn't getting used and I should have sold it a long time ago. I'm now seriously considering a second 6D, since a good used/refurb/gray-market copy can be had for $1300, and new US for $1600. I occasionally lust after a 5DM3 for the heftier body, joystick and AF, but IQ is a wash (or slight down-grade in some areas) and I really do use the GPS and WiFi often, so just can't get my head around the extra expense.

If you're used to the 60D ergonomics you should really enjoy the 6D. Good luck.

 

[nc0b]

Unless you have no choice from an economic standpoint to sell the 60D/15-85mm lens, keep them both. A photog here in Denver has been trying to sell his 15-85mm on Craig's list for months, and cannot get an offer over $300. I have both a 6D and a 60D, and I took them both to Easter Island and Machu Picchu. Sure I shoot the 6D more than the 60D, but both take good pictures. I have large prints on my wall from both cameras, and I doubt anyone could guess which body was used for each print. I had a 24-105mm on the 6D and a 70-200mm f/4 IS on the 60D for my trip, and I needed the extra reach part of the time, and I certainly didn't want to have to be fooling around with swapping lenses. Being obsessed with this IQ is better than that IQ is crazy. I have some really nice prong horn antelope shots taken with my 5Dc and a 300mm f/4 IS. Don't be concerned with techie nerd numbers when you should be selecting the right body and optimum lens for a given shoot.

 

[dak723]

I would ask myself - what does my current 60D not do as well as I like? What would the 6D do better? If you need large prints (over 24" let's say), want a narrower Depth of Field, or do low light photography, then the 6D is a definite upgrade.

Just my personal experience, so feel free to disregard, but I rented both a 6D and 60D a couple years ago. For general (non-professional) photo needs, I found the 60D was advantageous when it came to the greater zoom reach and for working with semi-macro needs, such as photos of flowers. The 6D had too narrow a DOF to get the entire flower in focus front to back in many instances. Due to the need to create prints up to 36" for my employer, I did end up buying the 6D and am quite pleased with the results, but for my zooming and semi-macro needs I ended up buying another crop camera.

When viewing on a standard older monitor, or printing up to 11" x 17" prints, I could see no real difference in image quality.

My advice would be rent a 6D from Lensrentals or similar place and see if the 6D gives you the upgrade you want. I realize I am in a the minority, but given the choice of Full Frame over Crop, my choice would be crop for the type of photos I take the most. The question is, what is best for you - and only you can answer that.

 

[hanifshootsphotos]

I own both, still shoot with the 60d & 6D - both yield excellent images - at this point I've learned each bodies limitations and where they excel...if need you cash to cover the 6D then sell it - but if you dont the need money - why not keep them both:

This was taken with the 60D:

This was taken with the 6D:

 

[Mr_Canuck]

I'd never trade my gear at a store. You'll always get more selling privately, unless you don't want the hassle or risk of selling privately.

I would agree that you need to ask yourself what kinds of shots you take, and how you use your camera. Full frame isn't a panacea. I've had both apsc and full-frame each in two different systems and I've realized all I ever do is trade compromises.

I love the viewfinder in full-frame, #1. And I do like shooting often with narrow depth of focus, and playing with bokeh. The result is that I miss apparent telephoto reach.

The fact that you've got EF lenses in your bag suggests you may value the full-frame shooting experience. My backup camera is a Sony RX100. If you're a hobbyist, do you really care if you have a backup? If you're shooting for money, you want a dslr backup, no question.

 

[sanjosedave]

I have the 60D and 6D, and actively use them both.

I purchased the 60D for macro and because of its flippy screen. Don't know why the screen isn't on all bodies, to me, it is very useful.

From the beginning, I only purchased EF lenses because I knew there would be a FF in my future. I had the 60D for a few years before getting the 6D.

I didn't consider selling the 60D because I wanted a back-up, plus, I wanted the crop factor to help extend the range.

I believe the new new price of the 6D is $1499.

For vendors, I recommend B&H and Crutchfield, two that I've used.

 

[tss68nl]

I own the 7D and 6D, and have long debated whether or not to upgrade to the 6D. My initial plan was to sell the 7D, but I ended up keeping both, and the reasons are a mix of pro's and con's of both camera's.

As you know the 60D and 7D share practically the same sensor, and the only real difference in my opinion is the focus system. Don't expect much from the 6D autofocus. It does a very good job in the dark, but it's hopeless on moving targets at least compared to the 7D. This is a major reason for me to keep the 7D.

The high ISO performance is a lot better than the 6D/7D. I am very reluctant to push the 7D further than 400, and always try to keep it at ISO 100 even if that imposes long shutter times etc. With the 6D I find I can more easily photograph in bad light conditions without much hassle. I even use it at 320 or 400 regularly where I could actually shoot on ISO 100.... just to have a more convenient shutter time. So it is a step up from the 60D sensor for sure, that does actually make a difference. That said... keep in mind the narrower DOF of the 6D will sometimes push your ISO anyways, as you need to stop down your aperture.

Ergonomics and control layout of the 6D are not the best. The 5D Mark III and 7D have a better design in my opinion.

Yet.... I think 90% of the time I use the 6D as the quality of the photographs is quite a bit better. I keep the 7D a bit for the extra apparent reach advantage, and the focus system (which does not apply to the 60D). Personally I would look at the value that the 60D is still worth, and probably would come to the conclusion that the remaining value is not much for having:

• A backup body
• More apparent reach when you might need it
• Two body's which you can fit two lenses and use in tandem. Photographing any event (even private ones) get's easier not having to switch lenses that often even if you leave the other one in the bag ready to grab.

 

[jeffa4444]

I've never regretted buying the 6d or lamented over the 5dMKIII which I've used through work. The IQ from the 6d and 5dMKIII is identical. You will find moving up from the 60d a seamless process, if you can though keep the 60d crop has its uses as does FF.

 

[tayassu]

Honestly, looking at your lens setup, I would invest in some good glass first... Something like the 24-70 II or the 16-35/4 (with FF as a goal for the next years).
Glass is extremely important and there is a huge leap from the 15-85 to any good 24-70 (tried the Tamron and the Canon, bought the Tamron).

 

[lilmsmaggie]

I'd never trade my gear at a store. You'll always get more selling privately, unless you don't want the hassle or risk of selling privately.

I would agree that you need to ask yourself what kinds of shots you take, and how you use your camera. Full frame isn't a panacea. I've had both apsc and full-frame each in two different systems and I've realized all I ever do is trade compromises.

I love the viewfinder in full-frame, #1. And I do like shooting often with narrow depth of focus, and playing with bokeh. The result is that I miss apparent telephoto reach.

The fact that you've got EF lenses in your bag suggests you may value the full-frame shooting experience. My backup camera is a Sony RX100. If you're a hobbyist, do you really care if you have a backup? If you're shooting for money, you want a dslr backup, no question.

+1 That includes trading/selling to places like KEH. Although I've had good success buying/selling used photo gear on eBay, I've never used craigslist.

Where I've had EXCELLENT results were photography forums such as Fred Miranda's, Analog Photography Users Group (APUG) and Rangefinders forum.

I've also had some success posting ads in the photography departments of community colleges -- YMMV.

We also have a local photographic store (http://actioncamera.com/) that holds annual parking lot sales a couple times a year, where you can just setup a table in the parking lot and sell your wares. This past April, I sold a T3i and 40D and got my asking price without too much haggling.

 

[StudentOfLight]

You may find more value in keeping the 60D as a backup/second body rather than selling it or trading it in.

+1, the 60d makes a nice backup for the 6d as it's got the same usability. Things break, the 6d isn't as sturdy as pro-line cameras, and any repair w/o high cps will leave you missing shots.

The crop camera is also better for macro (working distance), getting more reach with your long lenses and has the swivel screen for video & awkward tripod work. Last not least, the bit more fps vs. 6d can make a bit of a difference for sports and "get the right moment" shots.

Selling the 60d now won't leave you as a happy camper as the market is flooded with these cameras, you missed the opportunity to sell before 70d or 7d2 release.

+1 and +1. I also still use my 60D for macro, casual shooting and training. The 60D is a very capable body if you're using external flash; I like the having the faster 1/250s sync-speed. Also on the lens front, I'm loving the new 24mm STM which also has me using the crop body a lot more now.

 

[slclick]

Then I can sell you my PZ-139 Kirk camera plate for the 60D (Gawd, I just can't get rid of that thing)

 

[Arty]

I've been using a Canon 60D for the past three years now and I am looking to make the jump to full frame. I don't know what the best course of action would be when it comes to getting rid of my current camera. I have a bunch of EF lenses I'll keep for my next camera and then my only EF-S lens is the 15-85mm. Is Adorama good when it comes to trade ins? I just moved to the United States so I've never used them before. I submitted a form and stuff listing my camera and the lens. How much do you think I'll be able to get for them? Both the camera and lens are in near perfect condition.

Thanks!

Why do you want to go to full frame? You don't have any fast glass, other than the 50F1.8. Do you do a lot of low light shooting? If you want better results in low light, the 6D will give you that. If most of your shooting is outside at ISO 100 or 200, you won't see any, or much gain...unless you routinely make very large prints.
What is it you want to get from your photos that you can't currently produce?

 

[Nethawk]

Like others I recommend keeping the 60D if you can. My experience is almost identical to tss68nl, I own both 6D and 7D. The difference between 7D and 7Dii didn't wow me so I decided to get a 6D instead. The resale value of the 7D wasn't really worth getting rid of it, as both bodies have their advantages and disadvantages. I've kept them both for obvious reasons where APS-C is the better tool.