Digital SLR Review

Digital SLR cameras keep getting better

Digital SLR (single-lens reflex) cameras offer quite a few advantages over fixed-lens digital cameras. Digital SLRs offer fast startup, imperceptible shutter lag and continuous bursts of action shots. The best digital SLR cameras take sharp photos even in low light (ideal for sunsets), and for close-up shots, macro lenses and ring lights can fill a frame with a single flower. DSLR cameras also make it easy to put the subject in sharp focus while blurring the background. You don't need a pro camera to get these features; this report covers digital SLR cameras costing $2,000 or less. We also have a report on high-end DSLRs ($2,000 and up) that covers cameras with full-frame sensors and other enhancements.

Last year, the Nikon D90 (*Est. $1,300 with kit lens) was the only digital SLR camera in this price range to shoot video clips. This year, five newer DSLR cameras boast HD video -- two with significant improvements over the D90. Reviewers say you still can't expect a digital SLR camera to take the same quality movies as a dedicated camcorder. Audio recording quality, especially, lags behind, and to get a digital SLR with a jack for an external microphone requires stepping up to the semi-pro Canon EOS 7D (*Est. $1,900 with kit lens). Using a DSLR to shoot video does provide the chance to use different lenses, however, for a range of artistic effects not available on a regular camcorder. Video buffs are also excited about using DSLRs to vary depth of field -- blurring or sharpening the background as desired.

With so much innovation in higher-end digital SLR cameras, slightly older DSLR cameras are dropping in price to become entry-level models. For example, the well-reviewed Canon EOS Rebel XSi (*Est. $600 with kit lens) was considered a good, midpriced digital SLR camera just a year ago. Now that spot goes to the newer Canon EOS Rebel T1i (*Est. $750 with kit lens), so the Canon XSi -- still earning excellent reviews and with a decreased price -- is now a top-ranked entry-level camera. It doesn't shoot video, but reviews say its image quality for still photos rivals that of the more expensive T1i. Both cameras come in kits that include an image-stabilized lens for sharper photos in dim light without a tripod.

The best digital SLR camera reviews are based on a combination of objective lab tests with expert judgments of image quality and ease of use. Both PopPhoto.com and its U.K. equivalent, Amateur Photographer, report on lab tests as well as hands-on use, with apt comparisons among competing cameras. For even more detail, several sites publish well-illustrated single-product reviews that are so vivid it's almost like visiting a camera shop in person -- with the added bonus of objective testing and sample images. These sources include ImagingResource.com, DPReview.com and more. DXOMark.com compares camera sensors based on rigorous lab tests, often with surprising results.

ConsumerReports.org has updated and refined its comparison tests and ratings of digital SLR cameras (for example, testing for dynamic range -- how well a camera can capture both shadows and highlights). However, ConsumerReports.org lags behind in covering the latest cameras. This is also a problem at other sites that provide otherwise excellent reviews of digital SLR cameras. Many such sites are nonetheless very useful, drawing on unique viewpoints and expertise of photography experts like Ken Rockwell, Philip Greenspun and, at Luminous-Landscape.com, Michael H. Reichmann (whose reviews are unabashedly subjective).

Reviewers agree that it's a mistake to rely solely on pixel counts in judging digital SLR cameras. Most users will be happy with prints no larger than 8 inches by 10 inches, which a six-megapixel camera can readily supply. As sensor resolution increases, in fact, image "noise" (pattern artifacts that show up especially in solid colors) also tends to increase. Many other factors -- lens quality, sensor size and image processing, for example -- affect image quality. The best reviews include plenty of sample photos so you can choose a digital SLR that provides images that appeal to your own tastes.

Some digital SLR cameras do consistently rank lower than others, however, in expert reviews of image quality and ease of use. Canon and Nikon compete closely for top ranking on both factors, and both brands offer the widest range of lens choices. Digital SLR cameras by Olympus, Pentax and Sony rank lower but sometimes provide compensating features; all three companies build image-stabilization into the camera body rather than into separate expensive lenses. Several Olympus digital SLR cameras also offer swiveling LCD screens that make it easier to compose photos.

Reviews usually rank digital SLRs from Fuji, Sigma and Panasonic at the bottom. However, the 12.1-megapixel Panasonic Lumix DMC-G1 (*Est. $640) earns top ranking in quite a few reviews. It's not a true SLR camera, but offers similar advantages, including interchangeable lenses and HD video.

Expert reviews say the most important thing to keep in mind when choosing a digital SLR camera is the brand more than the specific model -- that is, the entire system of camera bodies, lenses and accessories. A digital SLR body may be obsolete within two years, but the lens can perform well for decades. You can use most SLR lenses on both digital SLR and film SLR camera bodies of the same brand. And you're almost sure to find one brand more comfortable in your hands than another -- a factor emphasized in expert reviews. If a camera isn't comfortable to you personally, you're apt to leave it at home.