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 Recommendations
Entry-level buyers don't normally have a collection of lenses for their new camera, so they are usually shopping for kits. Kit lenses are notorious for being mediocre, but that is improving in some of the kits we have recently seen. Our recommendations considered the quality and value of the kit itself, as well as the lens system for the entry DSLR buyers who end up enjoying digital photography and want to grow.
We are getting ready to be stoned, as our recommendation for best value in a kit is the 2-lens Olympus E-510 kit. The picture above is the complete kit, with both the 14-45mm f3.5-5.6 and tiny 40-150mm f4.0-5.6. These two small and light lenses cover the 35mm equivalent of 28mm to 300mm - a range from true wide angle to moderate telephoto. The 510 system finally realizes the promise of 4/3 with a small light body and small light lenses, but these two lenses are also two of the finest quality kit lenses available anywhere. This two-lens kit is available for as little as $675 at Amazon.com with free shipping, and you will find the E-510 two-lens kit at many web and brick-and-mortar stores for less than $800.
You get all the checklist features in this 10MP DSLR kit. This includes auto sensor cleaning and Live View as well as body integral image stabilization that works with all 4/3 lenses. This image stabilization - a first for Olympus - is selectable for either horizontal motion, which is generally best for panning and action, or both horizontal and vertical for general use, or off.
Olympus has improved their autofocus modules with each new generation, and the E-510 is the best one yet (outside of the E-3). However, the autofocus is still a weakness in an otherwise very capable system. It uses the somewhat dated 3-point autofocus, with a center cross sensor for greater sensitivity. In normal light, the E-510 is just as accurate and fast as other cameras, but it tends to search too much in low light conditions. Olympus introduced a fast and innovative 11 cross point 4-plane AF module in their new E-3. It needs to move down the line quickly to fix the last remaining issue with Olympus DSLR cameras. However, your reward with the E-510 is gorgeous, sharp, and evenly lighted lenses with the two kit lenses - and that is what photography is about.
Alternative: If low-light performance is a major concern, then you would do well to choose the Sony A100 kit with the 18-70mm kit lens. For a bit more money, the Pentax K10D gives you a great 11-point auto focus module, the truly useful hyperprogram feature that allows front and back dials to shift aperture and shutter speed in equivalent program steps, 3-plane image stabilization, all the other features, PLUS pro-type dust and moisture sealing.
The Safe Choice: The safe choice, and the one most buyers will make, is the Canon Rebel XTi or the Nikon D40x with the pedestrian 18-55mm kit lens. The problem with either choice is they don't include image stabilization, which is most useful with the slow kit lenses most camera makers sell with their entry cameras. In their favor, Canon includes auto sensor cleaning, but Nikon doesn't even bother with that. Nikon does provide a bit better image quality with their 18-55mm, so that makes it something of a toss-up.
It appears both Nikon and Canon are being hurt somewhat by their lack of mechanical image stabilization since they have both announced the availability of their basic kit lens with optical image stabilization. Yes, you will be seeing these IS and VR versions of the 18-55mm in future Canon and Nikon kits. There are arguments that can be made for optical IS instead of the mechanical body-integral IS that works with all lenses. However, the thought of spending more for the Canon 18-55mm with IS is difficult to stomach. What these announcements really say is Canon and Nikon are still resisting IS as a standard feature, though they are addressing this as a checklist item with IS/VR versions of their entry kit lens.
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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.