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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Wesley Fink - Tuesday, November 27, 2007 - link
I'm sure the answer to a better Photo Editor would be you. We understand you are disappointed that Anand did not hire you to write for AT, but the years of criticizing the Editors he did choose to hire is getting very tiring. You really need to get over it and move on.KorruptioN - Tuesday, November 27, 2007 - link
Burn.strikeback03 - Monday, November 26, 2007 - link
The Sigma lenses for 4/3 are not designs purely for 4/3 as the Oly lenses are - they are mount adaptations of existing lenses such as the Bigma.Some notes on the different implementations of AF in Live View between the different manufacturers might have been useful, as well as noting that the best AF performance will still be obtained through use of the real viewfinder.
Finally I agree with the need to go physically try a camera before buying. For example the reviews at DPReview typically complain about the grip of the 400D/XTi, while praising the A100. However I find that the 400D is much more comfortable as my pinkie just curls up below the body, while on the A100 the grip is too long to do that, but too short for the pinkie to actually grab, so my pinkie just kinda hangs in space.
melgross - Monday, November 26, 2007 - link
[quote]The Sigma lenses for 4/3 are not designs purely for 4/3 as the Oly lenses are - they are mount adaptations of existing lenses such as the Bigma. [/quote]That's correct.
As far as I'm concerned, the 4/3 system, which I was initially excited about upon its announcement, is not worth the long term purchase of the equipment.
Olympus could have used the image circle of the APS C sensor for a larger image sensor, which could have been done, but chose not to. So, instead of having a magnification of possibly 1.4 to 1.3x, it's 2x. A poor choice. Also, if they hadn't done that, all APS C sensor lenses would have the same magnification as Olympus's lenses, and better S/N, rather than worse.
As they made no concession to size when designing the cameras and lenses for this system, there is no advantage there either.
It seems to be a bastard system to me, and conveys no advantage.
frombauer - Monday, November 26, 2007 - link
... the largest (or tiniest) problem with 4/3 cameras like the Olympus. The ridiculously small and dim viewfinder. It's like looking through a small tunnel. Simply not practical. Just looking at any Nikon or Canon VF makes a world of a difference. I'm not even talking about the 5D.Wesley Fink - Monday, November 26, 2007 - link
I generally agree, and even the Pro E-1 was pretty small and dim. However,Look throught the E-3 viewfinder with a standard 1.15x viewfinder. I suspect any doubts that a 4/3 viewfinder can be huge, bright, and very easy to use will disappear. It took a few years but the E-3 viewfinder is definitely a huge leap forward for the 4/3 system.Johnmcl7 - Saturday, November 24, 2007 - link
The Digilux 3 is the Leica branded version of the Panasonic DMC-L1 and they're both relatively hefty cameras when compared to the smaller E-410/E-510 cameras or even their Olympus sibling the E-330. Although not anywhere near as big as something like the 5D, the Digilux 3 is bigger than the E-510.The Digilux 2 was a smaller camera (Leica version of the Panasonic LC-1) which may be the one you're thinking of although this wasn't an SLR despite the similarity in design to the L1/Digilux 3.
Also, the E-3 doesn't have a lens cleaning feature:
"The E-3 is also the first Olympus pro model to feature built-in flash, and it's dust and splash sealed. Auto lens cleaning is a feature, image stabilization is built in and works with all lenses, and the latest incarnation of Live View with a fold out articulating LCD screen is featured."
I assume you're referring to the sensor cleaning feature?
This section refers to the E-510 having multiple cross type sensors:
"However, the autofocus is still a weakness in an otherwise very capable system. It uses the somewhat dated 3-point autofocus, but cross sensors provide for greater sensitivity. "
Or at least that's how I read it, of the three AF points only one of them is a cross type (the centre one) while the other two are vertical only.
John
Johnmcl7 - Saturday, November 24, 2007 - link
...turns out it was posting them despite it erroring and not showing initially...Wesley Fink - Saturday, November 24, 2007 - link
Yes I was thinking of the 2 as they long similar. Thanks for the info. I have corrected the reference.Johnmcl7 - Sunday, November 25, 2007 - link
Thanks for the correction, the other errors (E-3 lens cleaning and E-510 AF) are still there though.John