What to do with older 60D body

[ronaldbyram]

I purchased a 7D Mark II last November as my primary Body, thus forcing my 70D as Backup and the 60D as third. I have put close to 50k shutter releases on the 7DMKII in 9 months. I hardly pull the 60D out of the bag. Should I sell it or should I alternate between it and the 70D as backup?

Should I sell or repurposed it?

 

[verysimplejason]

Suggestions:

1. Sell it to finance any lens or practically anything you want. (If I got one, I'd trade it for a very good mountain bike. )
2. Convert it for IR photography.
3. Give it or sell it cheap to somebody you know who's really interested with photography.
4. Sell it together with your 70D and get a 6D. For all its flaws, a 6D is still one of the best low-light/landscape/portrait cameras. This way you've got two cameras that can be a back up of each other and yet can be utilized on different photographic situations.

For me, I'd prefer #4 or #1.

 

[YuengLinger]

Suggestions:

1. Sell it to finance any lens or practically anything you want. (If I got one, I'd trade it for a very good mountain bike. )
2. Convert it for IR photography.
3. Give it or sell it cheap to somebody you know who's really interested with photography.
4. Sell it together with your 70D and get a 6D. For all its flaws, a 6D is still one of the best low-light/landscape/portrait cameras. This way you've got two cameras that can be a back up of each other and yet can be utilized on different photographic situations.

For me, I'd prefer #4 or #1.

#3 = +1 (especially if recipient is very short on resources)

I wonder what the 60D fetches these days?

(I use mine for "fun" photography at the beach or if I think I'm going into a dodgy area at the wrong time...If it is still working in another few years I will give it to my daughter.)

#4 Could work too!

 

[nc0b]

I seldom use my perfectly good 60D or 40D anymore, even though they generally take perfectly good pictures. I simply prefer the focal lengths of my lenses on full frame rather than on crop. Where I don't have good results with the 60D or 40D are BIF with either my 300mm f/4 IS or 400mm f/5.6. Both the 6D and 5DsR perform very well with BIF and the 400mm.

I would give the 60D to someone if you don't need the money, or try to sell it locally. I haven't had much luck selling on CraigsList, though I have purchases several items that way. I got zero responses listing a 40D and EF-S 15-85mm. I also had no results listing the 300mm f/4. So I just keep the equipment, on give it to my daughter-in-law.

 

[j-nord]

1. Sell it to finance any lens or practically anything you want. (If I got one, I'd trade it for a very good mountain bike. )

You must be confused about what a used 60D goes for or what a 'very good' mountain bike retails for or probably both ???

Used 60D will get you 1 mid-range wheel

 

[unfocused]

Looks like a 60D body-only sells for $300 (low) to $450 (high) on eBay. It looks like an infrared conversion will cost you about $350.

Ultimately, it depends on whether or not you need the money and if converting it to Infrared is worth the expense to you personally.

I sort of like the idea of selling both the 60D and 70D and financing a refurbished 6D, but that's only practical if you have, or intend to buy, EF lenses (and not EF-S). Otherwise, going to full-frame will require buying (at a minimum) a 24-105 to begin.

Giving it away is always a good option, either to a local charity (tax deduction) or to an adult child (the usual fate of my cameras).

On the other hand, $300 is $300 and will help you justify a new lens purchase.

 

[sunnyVan]

I would give it away or sell it for whatever amount I could collect. It will continue to depreciate fast especially when people begin to hear that the latest generation sensors are quite substantially improved.

I would think twice before converting a 60d. In my opinion it makes more sense to convert a small camera such as the eos M or G series. My IR converted M + 18-55 still weighs less than a 60d. Just my 2 cents.

 

[NancyP]

Camera for a young person. If you have a spare kit lens, throw that in.
Experimental / deep sky astro camera: convert to full spectrum, IR, or astro-suitable (extended filter that lets H band through)
Prize (with kit lens) for a local junior photography contest (an upgrade from the cell phone used for the winning photo)
Hand-me-down to a relative who is a snap-shot taker or beginner.
Give it (with kit lens) to a school.
The 60D is a darn capable camera. It deserves some love from a new user.

 

[wsmith96]

I'm in a similar situation so I'm letting my kids use my 60D and T1i to learn about photography in their 4-H club. I use the 60D as a backup occasionally to my 6D, but for the most part end up using the 6D the majority of the time. As others have stated, if I'm going to shoddy places, I'll take the T1i and the kit lens for it.

 

[monkey44]

60D is a great camera - and not so technical it overwhelms the user ... I'd find a young relative or friend's young adult child that has an interest in it. Let a learning experience begin.

Most kids stare at a mini-screen today, and have no clue what a true photograph looks like when printed with good detail. I'd make some deserving kid happy - take you time, find a kid that will truly appreciate it ... and its potential.

 

[skeglesswonder]

I loaded magic lantern and relegated mine to timelapse duty.

 

[ashmadux]

Sell it an buy some lights.

Im going to sell my 6d to get a couple of Einsteins.

 

[Ozarker]

1. Sell it to finance any lens or practically anything you want. (If I got one, I'd trade it for a very good mountain bike. )

You must be confused about what a used 60D goes for or what a 'very good' mountain bike retails for or probably both ???

Used 60D will get you 1 mid-range wheel

Bwhahahahaha!

Way back in 1999 I built up a mountain bike for my teenage daughter. She was racing cross country, won the California State Championship Series(Jr. women), 1 Nationals, Rim Nordic Series, etc.

Dean Scout Titanium Frame, Set of Dave's Speed Dream Wheels with Chris King Hubs, Raceface Crank, titanium this that and the other. etc, etc. In total about $4K or better. That was 17 years ago.

She still has the bike. It will last forever with regular maintenance. Titanium doesn't rust. And you sir are right!

I think the guy was being funny though.

 

[Ozarker]

I purchased a 7D Mark II last November as my primary Body, thus forcing my 70D as Backup and the 60D as third. I have put close to 50k shutter releases on the 7DMKII in 9 months. I hardly pull the 60D out of the bag. Should I sell it or should I alternate between it and the 70D as backup?

Should I sell or repurposed it?

Keep it. Still a good camera and you may run into somebody who would be overjoyed to have it later. Some schools may still offer a photography course. There might just be some disadvantaged child who would flip over it, especially if you gave him the kit lens to go with it.

I took a photography class in high school. We lived in Orange County, California... but i was a poor military kid. Most of the kids I went to school with were from well to do families. I shot with a little 110 camera. Horrible film to handle. I'd have just about had my very first "O" if somebody had come along and donated an old SLR film camera to me.

 

[NancyP]

The 60D, and all other Canon cameras, can be used with old manual M42 screw-mount and Pre-AI/AI-S Nikkor lenses using an inexpensive adapter - in the case of the M42 adapter, that's $5.00. Almost all lenses will work with APS-C bodies - only a few Nikkor lenses requiring mirror lock-up would be out of bounds.

 

[alexturton]

have it IR converted

 

[Michael Clark]

Suggestions:

1. Sell it to finance any lens or practically anything you want. (If I got one, I'd trade it for a very good mountain bike. )
2. Convert it for IR photography.
3. Give it or sell it cheap to somebody you know who's really interested with photography.
4. Sell it together with your 70D and get a 6D. For all its flaws, a 6D is still one of the best low-light/landscape/portrait cameras. This way you've got two cameras that can be a back up of each other and yet can be utilized on different photographic situations.

For me, I'd prefer #4 or #1.

#4 is the way to go. One FF and one APS-C back each other up fairly well. When shooting with two bodies putting the longer lens on the APS-C (which generally also needs the better AF system such as you have in the 7DII) and the shorter lens on the FF allows you to spread your total angle of view coverage further. When I need/want to use three bodies I can still get by with the slow and inconsistent AF system of the 5DII at 17mm. The 5DIII with a 24-105 tops out with reach right where the 7DII with a 70-200 (110-320mm equivalent AoV) picks up. There's also no comparison to the images you can get in very low light with a FF camera and a fast prime compared to an APS-C from the same manufacturer.

 

[Khufu]

The 60D, and all other Canon cameras, can be used with old manual M42 screw-mount and Pre-AI/AI-S Nikkor lenses using an inexpensive adapter - in the case of the M42 adapter, that's $5.00. Almost all lenses will work with APS-C bodies - only a few Nikkor lenses requiring mirror lock-up would be out of bounds.

Yeeeah! I learnt to love ~50mm primes on my old 60D; Helios 58mm f/2 with crazy, swirly bokeh and the Pentax 50mm f/1.7 (pretty much a pancake by today's standards) with ~£3 adapters off eBay... Good times! Served me well between frail EF 50mm II purchases too; as their barrels fell out and plasticky bits failed, these wee tanks continued to report for duty!

I sold my 60D before it devalued too much, it worked out kinda' like having rented a 60D for a couple of years for about £150... I like to think about lens and camera sales in similar terms

 

[davidhfe]

I purchased a 7D Mark II last November as my primary Body, thus forcing my 70D as Backup and the 60D as third. I have put close to 50k shutter releases on the 7DMKII in 9 months. I hardly pull the 60D out of the bag. Should I sell it or should I alternate between it and the 70D as backup?

Should I sell or repurposed it?

I always had grand aspirations to convert my 20D to IR when I got my 60D, but never got around to it and subsequently it sat on my gear rack for years. I'm finally looking at moving to a full frame when the 5D4 hits and totally caught myself thinking "oh, I should convert my 60D to IR!"

Instead, (and after reading the responses) I'm now thinking of giving it to a friend on extended (aka indefinite) loan. Bigger question for me is what to do with the 10-22, 18-200 and 18-55 (from the 20D kit--ha). I haven't looked at prices in a while--if they've dropped a ton I'll just "loan" them with the camera.

Anyways, lesson from me is what ever you decide to do, actually do it and don't let a perfectly good camera gather dust for years.

 

[romangeber]

There's lots you can do with it. I just bought a defective one (top LCD is dead) as a video camera that will take all my EOS lenses. It's a dirt cheap option to get a dedicated Youtube camera. Or use it as a second video camera for a different angle for example.

You may also use it as a tele or macro body where you may benefit greatly from the APS-C crop. IR or even full spectrum conversions (you may want to check out some astro modders) can lead to pretty amazing results. But be aware that you might need some expensive and highly specialized filters.

Or give it to somebody you care about. I gave my beloved Olympus E-P1 to my girlfriend after I found that I'd no longer shoot it anyway.

Just a few ideas on what to do with a capable older body. Just don't let it rot. By making sure it continues to serve it's purpose to the very end one can honor the countless hours of innovation and craftsmanship that went into making any one of these devices. Sure you pay for it, but that's just half the story.

Have fun!