Digital Camera Buyers' Guide - Year of the SLR
by Wesley Fink on November 23, 2007 6:00 AM EST- Posted in
- Digital Camera
Entry-Level SLRs
Last year entry-level barely managed to get some models under the $1000 limit, but this year the entry range is comfortably $400 to $750. However, only a few new models have appeared in "entry-level" this year. Nikon updated their aging 6MP 40D model to 10MP, and they call the new model the D40X.
Olympus, which seemed to be struggling with the 4/3 format in a market dominated by APS-C sensors, came back to life. First, they introduced the smallest DSLR yet in the 10MP Olympus 410, which features "Live View" and the Olympus dust-busting standard called Supersonic Wave Filter (first introduced with the E-1 in 2003).
Live View is the ability to see through the lens on the camera's LCD - something point-and-shoot users take for granted, but a feature that was absent from SLRs until Olympus pioneered it. It's not a hot feature appearing on other makers prosumer cameras like the new Canon 40D and Nikon D300. Olympus also delivered on the promise of 4/3 with tiny kit lenses with the 410 and later 510 that many experts consider the best quality kit lenses available today.
Recently Olympus upped the ante even higher with the Olympus 510. In addition to Live View and auto dust cleaning, the 510 adds in-body image stabilization that will work with any lens mounted on the Olympus 510. In terms of checklist features the 510 looks like a strong player for Olympus this holiday season.
Pentax also discontinued their low-end K110D and refreshed their K100D with a "Super" added to the name. It's still 6MP and still features body-integral shake reduction, but it now supposedly does all of this faster.
Price Reductions
You may want to look back at the Digital SLR Buyer's Guide for details of the rest of the entry-level cameras. That's because many of the models are the same as last year - they are just much cheaper now.
The 10MP Sony A100 comes in a kit with the Sony 18-70mm lens for $600 to $700. The body only is now about $550. Canon's best-selling Rebel XTi, which is also 10MP, is available in the same price range - $600 to $700 for the kit with the 18-55mm lens. The updated 10MP D40x is also available this holiday season in the same price range.
Nikon has always asked and gotten a premium for their cameras, so we find the D80 still selling for around $750 for the body alone and $850 and up for a D80 kit. One of the amazing price drops of this season is the Pentax K10D, which can be found with the kit lens for around $750, or as a body alone for as little as $650. The Pentax K10D is the only camera in this group that has full dust and moisture sealing. It also features body-integral image stabilization, auto sensor cleaning, and an 11-point focusing system.
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xoham - Monday, January 7, 2008 - link
In my view, Canon is great. I would prefer that they integrated the image stabilization into the camera body like their competitors but I am otherwise very happy with my Canon.Consider this site for, perhaps, better digital camera reviews:
dpreview . com
I think this website is important enough to see that I created an account here just to tell you about it.
xoham - Monday, January 7, 2008 - link
In my view, Canon is great. I would prefer that they integrated the image stabilization into the camera body like their competitors but I am otherwise very happy with my Canon.Consider this site for, perhaps, better digital camera reviews:
http://www.dpreview.com/">http://www.dpreview.com/
I think this website is important enough to see that I created an account here just to tell you about it.
xoham - Monday, January 7, 2008 - link
In my view, Canon is great. I would prefer that they integrated the image stabilization into the camera body like their competitors but I am otherwise very happy with my Canon.Consider this site for, perhaps, better digital camera reviews:
http://www.dpreview.com/">http://www.dpreview.com/
I think this website is important enough to see that I created an account here just to tell you about it.
xoham - Monday, January 7, 2008 - link
In my view, Canon is great. I would prefer that they integrated the image stabilization into the camera body like their competitors but I am otherwise very happy with my Canon.Consider this site for, perhaps, better digital camera reviews:
http://www.dpreview.com/">http://www.dpreview.com/
I think this website is important enough to see that I created an account here just to tell you about it.
xoham - Monday, January 7, 2008 - link
In my view, Canon is great. I would prefer that they integrated the image stabilization into the camera body like their competitors but I am otherwise very happy with my Canon.Consider this site for, perhaps, better digital camera reviews:
http://www.dpreview.com/">http://www.dpreview.com/
I think this website is important enough to see that I created an account here just to tell you about it.
ChibiKitty - Tuesday, December 4, 2007 - link
Up until I read these comments I had no idea what Pentax was or what they produce. I've been looking to replace my water logged camera for a while now (it wet at the beach). I'll have to look into Pentax some more.....rodspade - Wednesday, November 28, 2007 - link
For those of us who aren't already camera mavens, it would have been nice to have the term "SLR" explained.melgross - Wednesday, November 28, 2007 - link
Single Lens Reflex.It means that you are looking through the taking lens, rather than through a viewfinder that is separate.
It uses a mirror in front of the film, or sensor, that flips up right before the picture is taken, and then right back down again. The mirror usually also reflects the light to the meter, which is usually in the area of the prism, on top of the camera (the bump you see on top).
The prism also enables the reflected light from the mirror to be projected out the back, and top of the camera, where the viewfinder is.
some cheaper digital cameras also allow viewing through the lens, but use no mirror, and show the image on a small, magnified, display inside the viewfinder. This is called "live view".
While such a camera is a single through the lens viewing camera, it's not a reflex, because it doesn't use a prism, which is where the term reflex comes from.
Some new D-SLR's now have live viewing as well, but under limited conditions, not as a general purpose function.
I hope that helped. If it's still not clear, ask more questions.
Morro - Monday, November 26, 2007 - link
As far as I remember according to dpreview Sony A100 has terrible noise at ISO 800 and higher. It is quite a original choice to pick a camera with 400 ISO max. for low light.drwho9437 - Monday, November 26, 2007 - link
Seriously, this isn't even remotely a good write up of the field. Pentax excluded as many have mentioned, Sony suggested for its paper features. If you are blown away by what is on the data sheet this is the review for you, otherwise read something half real at dpreview.Stick to computers anandtech (not that anyone but Anand and Johan do a good job at that here either), or hire someone good.