Tag: Cameras

If the first few months of 2008 are any indication, this will be another big year for D-SLRs. Nine D-SLR models have been introduced so far, adding many new choices in the entry-level and midrange categories. All offer 10 megapixels or more, and seven of them sell for $800 or less, including a 14-megapixel model. There’s also a new 10-megapixel D-SLR with live-view capability for under $500. Interested? Let’s check them out.

We all know that top-of-the-line pro digital SLRs cost a lot more than entry-level models. There often are huge differences in quality and performance between the two, but not always. Entry-level models are becoming increasingly sophisticated and capable of image quality that’s even better than pro cameras produced just a few years ago. Some entry-level cameras even share some of the same components and features as the latest pro models within the same brand.

“Sweet-spot” D-SLRs are those between the entry-level models and the often much pricier, larger and heavier pro models. They’re in the sweet spot because, though they’re much closer to the entry-level models in price, they share a lot of features with pro models. That makes them great choices for many photographers, including pros on a budget and enthusiasts alike.

The best camera is the one you actually take with you. It’s true that for ultimate image quality and control, compact cameras can’t beat digital SLRs, but advances in technology have made pocketable models a terrific alternative for many situations. We’re not suggesting that you replace your D-SLR, but rather that you give yourself the option of a smaller system when size and weight matter. With sensor sizes hitting the 12-megapixel range, compacts are a great solution for occasions when a D-SLR and its various accessories would be a burden.

Sigma is best known for its wide line of lenses, but the company has also produced a series of film and digital SLRs. Now, it has taken the big sensor from its latest D-SLR and put it into a compact digital camera body with a lens designed specifically for the sensor. The compact size and D-SLR image quality make this a great camera when you want to travel very light.

Buying a D-SLR is a little different than buying most other high-tech devices. You’re also selecting a complete photo system, from lenses and flash to accessories and software. The “right” camera for your needs, present and future, depends a lot on what you expect from your system.

Panasonic’s first D-SLR, the Lumix DMC-L1, was a 7.5-megapixel model similar in form and function to the Olympus EVOLT E-330, the first D-SLR to offer a live-view LCD monitor. Now Panasonic has introduced its second D-SLR, the 10.1-megapixel Lumix DMC-L10, with a more conventional appearance and a live-view monitor that tilts and rotates. The new camera is geared toward the compact digital camera user who wants such SLR advantages as interchangeable lenses and better image quality and autofocusing performance.

Before Sony and Konica Minolta announced a partnership to develop Sony’s first D-SLR in July 2005, Sony’s previous contribution to the digital camera market had been limited to compacts and super-zoom advanced compacts. Then in March 2006, Konica Minolta announced it was leaving the photography business and transferring its camera technologies to Sony.

Olympus has released the successor to its E-1 flagship D-SLR model, the 10.1-megapixel E-3. Designed to be the fastest autofocus D-SLR in the world, the E-3 has an articulated Live View LCD, internal image stabilization, TruePic III image processing, ISO sensitivity up to 3200 and a wide selection of other advanced features.

Q) On my camera, I have the option of erasing my images, formatting my memory card and doing a low-level format of my memory card. Which should I be doing?

Q) Red-eye has been a problem that I thought might go away with my new camera. I talked to someone and they were talking about red-eye reduction and red-eye correction. When I took a picture, they said that my camera didn’t have red-eye reduction because the flash only fired once, but my manual says it does. What’s going on?

One lens, big zoom—that’s the number-one benefit of advanced compact cameras compared to D-SLRs. You don’t have to own multiple lenses to go from macro to wide-angle, then zoom out to well over 300mm—which also means you don’t have to carry multiple lenses around when you travel.

While there are advantages to truly compact digital cameras, the compacts are no match for digital SLRs in terms of image quality and performance. D-SLRs have larger image sensors, better autofocusing and metering systems and will accept a wide range of interchangeable lenses and accessories.

All digital SLR cameras offer the traditional exposure modes: program AE, shutter-priority AE, aperture-priority AE and metered manual exposure control. These are the mainstays of “serious” photographers because they provide control over important aspects of each shot.

You expect the costly pro D-SLRs to be weather- and dust-resistant, but it’s rare to find that in a lower-priced model. Yet the rugged, 10.2-megapixel K10D from Pentax features a dust- and weather-resistant body (including 72 seals) and a price under $1,000. You can’t actually submerge it, but our test camera got drizzled on for several hours (unforecasted phenomenon) during a hike with no ill effects.

Designed with sports photographers and photojournalists in mind, the Nikon D3 introduces an astounding list of brand new features and technologies that make it the most sophisticated and advanced Nikon digital SLR to date. In addition to the new FX-format CMOS sensor, the D3 incorporates Nikon’s new EXPEED Image Processing System that is central to the blazing speed and processing power needed for many of the D3’s new features.

Click on an image below to view the details of these new cameras:

Canon	Nikon
EOS 40D	D300
EOS 1-Ds Mark III	D3
Olympus
E3
Sony	Panasonic
Sony A700	Lumix DMC-L10

Every 18 months or so, Canon has unveiled a new model in its midrange D-SLR line. It’s that time again, and the new EOS 40D features a truly remarkable array of improvements over its predecessor – which was an excellent camera in its own right. And all for just $1299!

The latest EVOLT offering from Olympus updates familiar features and adds a few new ones, like sensor-shift image stabilization. Also noteworthy is affordable kit pricing—pick up a two-lens bundle for about $100 more than the basic one-lens kit. An ergonomic design combined with high-end functionality makes this a great entry into the world of D-SLR cameras. 

Digital SLRs are the most versatile cameras, and for many photographers, the best choices. There are three basic categories of D-SLRs: entry-level, midrange and pro. These aren’t exclusive categories—there are working pros who use midrange models, advanced amateurs who use models from all three categories and even well-heeled novices who buy top pro models (which, in program mode, are as easy to use as any entry-level model, albeit somewhat bulkier). But most models fall into one of the three categories.