Canon 60D Modes & Menus

Canon EOS 60D Modes and Menus

The Mode dial on the left side of the Canon EOS 60D's top panel lets you select various exposure modes, and although the order has been changed for some items, it provides the same range of options presented as on the EOS 50D, with the exception that one custom mode and the A-DEP mode have been removed to make room for the new Bulb and Movie modes (see descriptions below) . Canon divides the dial into "Basic" and "Creative" zones, the Basic range encompassing the Full Auto setting and the six scene modes in what Canon refers to as the "Image" zone. The Creative zone includes settings for Creative Auto, Programmed exposure, Shutter priority, Aperture priority, full Manual control, Bulb, and a Camera User mode, for registering one bank of settings for quick recall. Finally, there's one Mode dial position that's not considered part of either the Basic or Creative zones: the Movie mode.

Here's a description of each of the shooting modes:

Movie Mode: When Movie mode is selected, the camera's mirror and shutter open, as in Live View mode, but the Live View / Movie button on the camera's back functions as the start/stop button for movie recording. Unlike most other movie-capable SLR cameras on the market, the Canon 60D can perform single autofocus operations during movie operation, albeit with focusing noise very clearly picked up on the audio track using the EF-S 18-135mm f/3.5-5.6 IS kit lens. (Like most digital SLR video modes, continuous autofocus isn't available in Movie mode, though.) Another feature of the 60D's movie mode that's rather uncommon is that it allows fully manual control over aperture, shutter speed, and (optionally) ISO sensitivity. The 60D's internal microphone is monaural, but the camera also includes an external microphone jack compatible with stereo microphones. Movie recording capacity varies based on the size of memory card you're using, but is in all cases limited to a maximum of 29 minutes and 59 seconds. (That's thanks to European tax regulations, but as it turns out, the 4GB limit on video file sizes will in practice restrict you to shorter movie clips anyway.)

Night Portrait Mode: The first mode in the Basic Zone, this mode is for taking pictures of people at sunset or at night, letting the flash illuminate the subject, while the longer exposure provides a brighter view of the surroundings. The autofocus mode is automatically set to One Shot. Drive mode choices are Single or 10-second self timer, white balance to Auto, and metering mode is set to Evaluative. Since slower shutter speeds will be used, a tripod is recommended to prevent movement from the camera. The built-in flash is automatically enabled and synched with the slower shutter speed, so subjects will need to remain still for a few moments after the flash fires to avoid ghost-like after-images. ISO is automatically adjusted by the camera. (For night exposures without the flash, Canon recommends shooting in Landscape mode.)

Sports Mode: This mode uses a faster shutter speed to capture fast-moving subjects. The autofocus mode is automatically set to AI Servo. Drive mode choices are High-Speed Continuous Shooting or 10-second self timer, white balance and ISO are set to Auto, and metering mode is set to Evaluative. The onboard flash isn't available in this mode (since it can't cycle fast enough to keep up with the continuous exposure mode).

Close-up Mode (Macro Mode): Turning the Mode dial to the macro flower symbol sets the camera for capturing smaller subjects such as flowers, jewelry, and other small details. The autofocus mode is automatically adjusted to One Shot, the drive mode choices are Single Shot or 10-second self timer, and the metering mode is set to Evaluative. ISO and white balance are set to Auto. Close-up mode takes advantage of the current lens' minimum focal distance. However, an EOS-dedicated macro lens and the Macro Ring Lite MR-14EX are recommended for better close-up photography. Note that unlike the macro mode on most consumer digital cameras, Macro mode on the Canon 60D has no effect on lens focusing range, as that parameter is entirely determined by the lens being used.

Landscape Mode: Landscape mode combines slower shutter speeds with smaller aperture settings to increase the depth of field when shooting broad vistas and sweeping landscapes. This mode is also good for night scenes without people in them. The Canon 60D's built-in flash is automatically disabled, even if it's already raised. Because this mode uses slower shutter speeds, a tripod may be needed in less-bright lighting conditions. Focus is set to one shot, the AF assist lamp is disabled, and drive mode choices are single or 10-second self timer. Metering is again set to Evaluative, and both white balance and ISO are set to Auto.

Portrait Mode: This mode uses a large aperture setting to decrease the depth of field, which blurs the background to emphasize the subject. ISO and white balance are set to Auto, metering to Evaluative, and AF mode to One Shot. Drive mode choices are Low-Speed Continuous Shooting or 10-second self timer, and the flash pops up and fires automatically as necessary.

Creative Auto Mode: The Canon 60D offers an updated version of its Creative Auto (or "CA") mode, which debuted on the 50D. The CA mode is something of a cross between the Program and Full Automatic modes. When set to CA mode, the Canon 60D allows the user to select from a subset of the flash and drive modes. You can also choose from one of nine Ambience selections, with each given a user-friendly description such as "Vivid", or "Cool". All Ambience selections except Standard Setting and Monochrome offer a three-step strength adjustment, while for Monochrome photos you can select between neutral, blue-tinted, or sepia-tinted. Program shift is also available, under the friendlier name of "Background: Blurred <-> Sharp", and with five-step control. Since exposure compensation is itself an ambience selection, available as Darker or Lighter options, it can't be combined with other ambience types. The exposure steps available with the three-step strength adjustment correspond to 2/3-stop increments/decrements.

You can select between Raw, JPEG (including several image size/quality options), or Raw + Large JPEG file formats through the main menu system, where you can also enable or disable Peripheral Illumination Correction and red-eye reduction. The rest of the more complex features remain under automatic control. Autofocus mode is set to AI Focus. (AI Focus evaluates subject movement, automatically sets either one-shot AF or AI Servo AF automatically.) Drive mode choices are Single Shot, Low-Speed Continuous Shooting, or 10-second self timer, ISO is set to Auto, and both the white balance and metering mode are set to Evaluative. The Canon 60D's rear-panel LCD display offers text help for each setting while in CA mode, for example prompting the user as to whether they want to blur the background with program shift, or make the picture brighter / darker with exposure compensation, etc.

Flash Off Mode: Flash Off mode disables both the internal flash head and any external flash unit connected. Focus is set to AI Focus mode, the AF assist lamp disabled, drive mode choices are Single or 10-second self timer, and metering is set to Evaluative. The camera controls ISO sensitivity and white balance automatically, as well.

Full Automatic Mode: The final mode in the Canon 60D's Basic Zone, Full Automatic is indicated on the Mode dial by a green rectangular outline. In this mode, the camera makes all exposure decisions with the exception of image quality. Autofocus mode is set to AI Focus. Drive mode choices are Single Shot or 10-second self timer, ISO is set to Auto, and both the white balance and metering mode are set to Evaluative. The flash fires automatically if needed.

Program AE: This is the first mode in the Creative Zone of the Mode dial. Program AE works similarly to the Full Automatic exposure mode, but allows more control over the exposure variables. Aperture and shutter speed (from 1/8,000 to 30 seconds) are automatically selected by the camera, but you can bias the exposure to larger or smaller apertures by turning the Main dial, which will change the combination of aperture and shutter speed so as to maintain the same exposure value, but with a different combination of aperture/shutter speed.

Shutter-Priority AE: This mode allows you to manually set the shutter speed anywhere from 1/8,000 to 30 seconds, while the camera chooses the best corresponding aperture setting. You have control over all other exposure variables, including exposure compensation.

Aperture-Priority AE: The opposite of Shutter-Priority mode, Aperture-Priority AE allows you to set the lens aperture (with available apertures depending on the lens in use), while the camera selects the most appropriate shutter speed. Again, you have control over all other exposure variables, including exposure compensation.

Manual Exposure: This mode provides the same range of exposure control as the other Creative Zone exposure modes (except for exposure compensation), but lets you control both shutter speed (from 1/8,000 to 30 seconds) and lens aperture independently. A display in the viewfinder reports whether the camera thinks your settings will result in under, over, or correctly exposed photos.

Bulb Mode: This mode is similar to Manual exposure, in that it lets you control both shutter speed and lens aperture independently. However, instead of a fixed shutter speed, the 60D offers a Bulb shutter, allowing long exposures for as long as you hold the Shutter button down. (The top panel info display reports the elapsed time, from one to 999 seconds, as the exposure progresses.) To avoid camera shake, you can also control the exposure time using an RS-60E3 cabled remote switch, or one of three infrared remote controls -- the RC-6, RC-5, or RC-1.

Camera User Settings Mode: This final setting on the Mode dial allows you to save one group of camera settings for quick recall. Useful when shooting an event under a known light source, this custom mode lets you register camera settings for that specific condition and easily switch between shooting in any of the other exposure modes, or the previously saved user settings mode. You can save most of the camera's shooting mode options as well as the Custom Function settings.

Playback Mode: This mode is entered by pressing the Play button on the back panel. Playback mode lets you erase images, protect them, or set them up for printing on DPOF compatible devices. You can also view images in an index display, enlarge images to 10x, view a slide show of all captured images, or rotate an image. The Info button activates an information display, which reports the exposure settings for the image and graphs the exposure values on a small histogram.

Canon EOS 60D Menu Details

Below are 60D menu options and their descriptions. The precise selection of menus and their available options varies depending on the camera's operating mode. Click on the image to see a matrix of screen shots showing the full menu layout.

Movie Menu 1:

Movie Menu 2:

Movie Menu 3:

Record Menu 1:

Record Menu 2:

Record Menu 3:

Record Menu 4:

Playback Menu 1:

Playback Menu 2:

Setup Menu 1:

Setup Menu 2:

Setup Menu 3:

Custom Functions Menu:

My Menu: