Not every photograph has to be level with the horizon. However, many types of photos (landscapes, cityscapes, and architectural photography, for example) suffer greatly when the camera is tilted. The old-fashioned solution to leveling your camera is to use a bubble or spirit level (found at photography stores) to check the camera’s alignment with the Earth. The Canon EOS 60D simplifies leveling your camera greatly by displaying an electronic level on the back LCD monitor that you can use to correct camera tilt.

You’ll need to make sure the level is turned on and accessible through the Info button. Press Menu and navigate to Setup Menu 3. Select Info Button Display Options, press Set, and make sure Electronic Level is selected. If not, scroll down to the option and press Set to toggle it on. Scroll down to highlight OK and then press Set.


To display the electronic level, press the Info button until you see the level appear on the camera’s back LCD panel. The level appears whether you’re using the viewfinder or shooting in Live View mode.


The electronic level acts like the attitude indicator in an aircraft. If you’re tilting one way or another, a red line that represents the horizon moves one way or another. The gray line is your camera. To level the camera, tilt the camera back so the red line aligns with the gray and turns green.


You can also activate the electronic level in the viewfinder by changing the behavior of the Set button.