Is the Canon EOS 60D a decent beginners camera?

I'm about to get a DSLR, and I believe I've narrowed it down to the Canon EOS 60D. I really want to try out HDR as a hobby. I don't plan to make any money on this, strictly hobby, so I won't spend a couple thousand on the body alone.

From what I've seen I can get the 60D for $900-$1200, maybe a little less. From what I've read, it's one of the better "consumer" (aka, non-professional) cameras.

Anyone have experience with this model? Does it do HDR fairly easy? I've seen a lot of photographers use Nikon; any reason?

* Of course a Canon 60D is a good starter camera and so is the Nikon D7000
(sensor comparison - http://www.dxomark.com/...d2)/Canon)

The Nikon sensor performance is just one reason people use Nikon dSLR's over a similar Canon.

The difference between the Nikon D7000 and Canon 60D is that the D7000 is a more robust camera, one that can be used by semi-pros.

I don't get your question about HDR imagery. Yes, some camera companies, trying to grab those who find HDR images cool, have added something they call in-camera HDR, but if you understand the concept of HDR, you can see that is really just a gimmick.

HDR combines many single image files and combines them into an ultra-wide dynamic range image.

To do that, the photographer has to first decide what exposure is needed in the shadows and then the one for the highlights. This usually exceeds seven stops. After the correct number of duplicate but OE, NE and UE exposures are taken, a program like Photoshop merges all the images together. It may take a few tries before you get the correct combination to meet your requirements

The Canon EOS 60D is a fantastic camera i love it
it feels really firm in the hand and feels really robust and the image quality is great
the tilt swivel screen came in handy for me dozens of times it's also great for videos too
you can't go wrong with this buy if you're beginning to get into photography/HDR/video