Canon EOS 60D Ergonomic Review

Introduction   For many years my cameras of choice were Pentax SLR's starting with the Spotmatic.  But Pentax was slow to embrace autofocus so in 1989 I switched to Canon EOS, starting with the 630.  That was followed by the 10, 50E, 1V  and 33V.  In the digital era, I have owned and used the 20D, 40D, 450D  and currently the 60D with a range of zoom lenses.

User level  Looking at it's price point, specifications and features I rate the 60D as a camera intended for use by photographers at  Level 4 (Expert/Controller, frequent use).  This is not an entry level/snapshooter camera.  Photo 1 shows the 60D basic hold.

Image Quality and Performance   This is an ergonomic review but I will make brief reference to the other two pillars of camera evaluation. Image quality has been exhaustively analysed elsewhere. Suffice to say it is good enough for almost any photographic project. Performance is also very good in all respects except autofocus accuracy. I find that particularly at the wide end of zoom lenses, AF is erratic, sometimes focussing incorrectly even in good light.  I have experienced this problem to some degree with every Canon EOS camera which I have owned.

Ergonomics  There are four phases of camera use, Setup, Prepare, Capture and Review.

Setup Phasemostly involves selection of menu options. The 60D menus are well laid out and easy to navigate. Submenu options never occupy more than one screen so scrolling down  in search of an option is not required. My Menu takes user allocated options for quick access. This is a much better arrangement than some other cameras which automatically shift recently used items to the My Menu screen. Compared to some other cameras, the 60D's menus are a model of clarity.

Prepare Phase  AF Mode, Drive Mode and Metering Mode are adjusted by the Press Button>Scroll Wheel>View LCD Panel method.   This gets the job done but Set and See Dials/Levers use fewer actions and can be set without having to switch the camera on. Other parameters are adjusted via the Q Menu. This also gets the job done but a more streamlined interface would be possible if each item in the Q Menu could be user set.

Capture Phase       The three main descriptors of ergonomics in this Phase are Holding, Viewing and Operating.

Holding  The 60D is a nice camera to hold. It is a good size for average adult human hands. It has a well shaped handle and thumb rest. It conforms to the hand much better than many smaller DSLR's and Compact System Cameras.

Viewing  Both the eye level viewfinder and the monitor screen are clear and bright, giving an excellent view of the subject. Camera status indicators are clearly visible in either viewing mode. The only downside of the viewing arrangements on this camera are those inherent in the DSLR concept, namely that eye level viewing and monitor (Live) viewing are separate user interfaces with a different AF system and different presentation of camera status data. This arrangement is not bad. However mirrorless (or Sony SLT) cameras offer a seamless segue from eye level to monitor viewing.

Operating  For the Level 4 photographer who wants to take control of camera functions in the Capture Phase, there is a substantial task list to be completed in a few seconds. The specific items on the list will vary somewhat with individual preference, but deliberative practice will typically include the following:

* Hold camera steady with both hands, without changing grip.

* View subject in the viewfinder without interruption, compose, zoom.

* Shift active AF area if required,  or center focus and recompose, or AE + AEL, or AF + AFL.

* Adjust Aperture in A Mode, or Shutter Speed in S Mode, or Program Shift in P mode, or Aperture + Shutter Speed in M Mode.

* Adjust ISO.

* Adjust Exposure Compensation if required.

* AF or MF > AE > Capture.

Let us analyse how the 60D goes about completing this task list.

The left hand is busy supporting the mass of the lens plus zooming and manual focussing if required.

The right thumb has to play an important part in gripping the camera but also has carriage of three Capture Phase tasks.

1. Start/lock AF with the AF-ON button. This button is just about perfectly placed on the 60D, making back button AF start/lock a smooth operation.  I would prefer the button to be slightly more prominent to make it easier to operate without having to flex the interphalangeal joint, but it works well enough as is.

2. Shift active AF area. This task is allocated to the 8 Way Controller. To engage with the 8 Way Controller the thumb has to drop down 50 mm from base hold position. In order to do this  the right hand has to release it's grip on the camera, forcing the left hand to take the full mass of the camera and disrupting the Capture Phase work flow.  It is also difficult to reliably hit the exact spot on the controller required to select intermediate AF sensor positions.

Photo 2

3. Exposure Compensation is allocated to the rear/lower scroll wheel, access to which requires the same actions as described above.

These arrangements for shifting active AF area and Exposure Compensation get the job done. Ergonomically the process is not bad but it could be upgraded to excellent with some minor changes to the user interface.

This camera has plenty of space for a JOG Lever, the optimum location for which is indicated by the white X in Photo 2.  The existing buttons would have to be slightly relocated.   The thumb has only to move 12 mm to the left, by side to side movement at the carpo metacarpal joint to engage with and operate the JOG Lever. This is the ideal user interface for shifting active AF point. The JOG Lever can also make itself useful for scrolling around items in Setup, Prepare and Review Phases of use.

Exposure Compensation can be moved up to the index finger's operational zone, as described below.

Photo 3

Now let us examine the role of the right index finger in Capture Phase.     On the 60D  the index finger operates the Shutter Release Button, the Mode Dependent Scroll Wheel and the ISO button.  The layout is shown in Photo 3.   But there are several ergonomic problems with this arrangement.

* The horizontal distance from the center of the Shutter Release Button to the center of the ISO button is 27 mm. This is a stretch too far for many people whose metacarpo phalangeal joint may have just average flexibility for side to side movement.

* ISO is a Primary Exposure Parameter, which should be easily adjustable in the Capture Phase of use. But the ISO button is in the middle of a row of identically shaped (apart from a tiny little nipple on the ISO button) and sized buttons, the other three of which are allocated to Prepare Phase actions.

Photo 4

* The consequence of these arrangements is that when using this camera I cannot reliably find  the ISO button by touch. My hands are 69 years old, like the rest of me, but they are in good working order, free from arthritis and degenerative disorders. If I can't do it, there will be plenty of other people in the same situation. As a result adjusting ISO goes back to being a Prepare Phase action, requiring the camera to be lowered from the eye and the ISO button located by sight. This is not the end of the world, it just means that the process of making photos has to be interrupted to change ISO. Ergonomically, it's not bad but not optimal either.

This camera has plenty of space to fit a much more efficient layout of User Interface Modules for use by the right index finger. One option is the Quad Module system which could be implemented in any of several different ways, but one which fits the projecting handle design of the 60D is shown in Photo 4.  This system allows the index finger to rapidly control the primary exposure parameters (Aperture, Shutter Speed, ISO), the secondary exposure parameter (Exposure Compensation), AF if desired, AE and Capture, all with minimal physical movement, without disrupting view or grip. There is a division of labour between the thumb and index finger with the  thumb having control of AF if desired and focus area position.

Photo 5

I like to use the sports car analogy when thinking about camera ergonomics. For optimum speed and accuracy of operation without the driver having to think about each separate action, the accelerator, brake and clutch pedals have to be at the same height and close to each other, but not too close.

The UIM's in Photo 4  are placed with a similar concept in mind. They are at the same height so the finger can move directly from one to the other and they are close, but not too close. I spent a lot of time relocating UIM's on mockups to arrive at the disposition shown here. The horizontal distance from the center of the Shutter Release Button to the center of either the ISO or EV Buttons is 21 mm, an easy reach for most people. These two buttons  have a different shape and feel so they are easily located by touch. In a working camera their functions should be user selectable from a wide range of options.  There are plenty of photographers who would want to use these buttons for different purposes.

Photo 5  shows another version of the Quad Module system on a Sony camera. In this case we see a good  idea poorly executed, with excessive distance between the Scroll Wheel and the other Modules which are also at a different height and in a different plane.

Photo 6

Photo 6  shows another version of the Quad Module system on a mockup with Parallel Handle,  with the UIM's laid out in a fashion which suits the handle design.

Summary  I have been using Canon's mid range SLR's and DSLR's for many years. Apart from chronic autofocus accuracy problems they have all functioned reasonably well. The thing which I am not seeing is evolving improvements to the user interface, in other words, ergonomics. There are changes, the monitors grow and acquire swivel. The buttons move around, mostly to allow the larger monitors. But the process of controlling the camera in Capture Mode has not improved.   In fact, in some respects such as the loss of the JOG lever, it has gone backwards.

If Canon revised the user interface of the 60D in the ways which I have suggested the experience of operating this camera could  improve from "Not Bad" to "Excellent". There would be no cost penalty. Good ergonomics costs no more than poor ergonomics. Poorly located UIM's cost just as much as well located ones.