Entry-level Digital SLRs

Best DSLR cameras under $700

The best entry-level DSLRs now offer high-resolution sensors, shoot terrific low-light photos and can capture HD video, just like their pricier counterparts. You can buy more basic DSLRs for less than $500 that don't include any of these features, but most experts advise spending the extra $100 or $200 if you can afford it. Testers say the following top picks are easy enough for a beginner to pick up and start shooting immediately, but capable enough to satisfy photographers as they learn and advance. All are sold with an 18-55 mm kit lens.

The Nikon D3100 (*Est. $500 with kit lens) strikes the best balance between features and value among entry-level DLSRs, experts say -- and its photos satisfy even the toughest critics.

"There's no doubt that the D3100 is one of the best entry-level SLRs available," concludes DPReview.com after an exhaustive test and 20-part review. The D3100 stars two features -- a high-resolution, 14.2-megapixel image sensor and 1080p full HD video capture -- that you can't get on other under-$700 DSLRs.

"If money matters, just get the D3100," camera critic Ken Rockwell advises. It's his top DSLR pick. In fact, far more of our sources recommend the Nikon D3100 than any other camera in this price range, including stringent camera testing authorities like Imaging-Resource.com, DCResource.com and Amateur Photographer magazine.

Experts find very few quibbles with the D3100's image quality. "Photos look stunning almost every time, straight off the camera," says TechRadar.com. The D3100 even conquers dim light: DPReview.com and Imaging-Resource.com both report good-looking photos all the way up through the camera's impressive boost-ISO 12,800 range.

What's missing? Mostly some advanced features, like exposure bracketing, that you'll find on more expensive cameras. And testers say the D3100 doesn't really do a great job shooting video. The camera makes noise while it autofocuses in movie mode -- so badly that it shows up on the audio track in Imaging-Resource.com's test footage. DCReview.com's Jim Keenan notices a Jello-like "rolling shutter" effect in his footage (caused when you pan the camera from side to side quickly and the video can't keep up) and he laments the D3100's 10-minute recording limit.

Keenan shrugs off those flaws, though. "At the risk of sounding like a broken record, I'll say it again: if video is your thing, get a video camera," he writes. But DPReview.com points out that you've got another choice now: New mirrorless cameras do a better job shooting video, largely because they don't have to deal with internal mirrors, and you still get interchangeable lenses and high-quality photos in most conditions. We discuss these compact interchangeable lens cameras in our separate report on digital cameras.

"Overall, we'd conclude that the D3100 is an excellent DSLR," DPReview.com says, "but make clear that a DSLR is no longer the only way to gain large sensor image quality at this price."

In this low price range, critics say the most credible DSLR alternative to the Nikon D3100 is the Pentax K-r (*Est. $630 with kit lens). It costs a bit less than the D3100 and actually beats it in some ways: The Pentax shoots faster (6 frames per second [fps] versus 3 fps for the Nikon) and with a quicker shutter speed, and it can shoot in even dimmer light -- although testers recommend saving the grainy maximum ISO 25,600 setting for an absolute last resort. The Pentax's photos look just about as good to the naked eye in tests, although its 12.2-megapixel image sensor isn't quite as high-res as the Nikon's. Video is the Pentax K-r's biggest shortfall -- it shoots in HD, but only 720p, and there's no continuous autofocus -- but since the Nikon's video mode doesn't wow testers either, experts say the Pentax is well worth a serious look.

Step-up DSLRs add extra features

If you're willing to spend a bit more (between $700 and $900), you can get a starter DSLR with more features and higher image quality.

For example, the Nikon D5100 (*Est. $850 with kit lens) is nearly as lightweight and easy to use as the Nikon D3100, testers say -- only the D5100 gets the same 16.2-megapixel image sensor as the impressive Nikon D7000 (*Est. $1,200 body only), critics' favorite advanced/enthusiast digital SLR.

The result: The cheaper D5100 "offers effectively the same image quality as the higher-end D7000, at a lower cost," concludes DPReview.com after thoroughly testing both cameras. "It's hard to argue that this is not a good thing."

Unlike older Nikon digital SLRs, the just-launched D5100 gets a swiveling LCD screen. Testers say it really does make it easier to shoot photos at odd angles (for example, if you're holding the camera above your head to shoot over a crowd) and you can keep the screen at a viewable angle even as you move the camera around to shoot video. Like the D7000, the D5100 can capture 20-minute video clips in full 1080p HD -- but at a 30p frame rate, which is something else other Nikon digital SLRs can't do. Reviews say the footage looks just as good as the D7000's, and better than the D3100's.

You won't get semi-pro specs at this price, though. The D7000 offers a tougher body than the D5100, better autofocus, 40 percent longer battery life, more custom settings and faster shooting (6 fps versus 4 fps).

"I'm keeping my D7000 because I know how to use all the knobs," camera expert Ken Rockwell concludes after testing the D5100. "But if price matters, get the D5100 and you'll love it."

Its fiercest rival, the Canon EOS Rebel T3i (*Est. $700 with kit lens), closely mimics the Nikon D5100 in most ways. Both digital SLR cameras are compact and light, with swiveling LCD screens and the ability to shoot 1080p full HD video -- even similar burst speeds. But the Rebel T3i crams more megapixels (18 megapixels) onto a smaller sensor, and the results don't impress experts as much as the Nikon: In more than one test, the Rebel T3i's images show narrower dynamic range and less detail in extremely low light, and the automatic white balance makes indoor shots look too orangey.

Performance-wise, "there's really little contest" between the Rebel T3i and Nikon D5100, T.J. Donegan at DigitalCameraInfo.com concludes after testing them both. "The Nikon D5100, with the same sensor of cameras that cost nearly twice as much, has the horses to win this race with ease."

Before the D5100 came along in mid-2011, though, critics thought the Rebel T3i looked pretty good, and they still recommend it nearly as often as the D5100. They do point out that the Canon EOS Rebel T2i (*Est. $700 with kit lens) costs less and is basically the same camera minus the swiveling screen. The older Canon EOS Rebel T1i (*Est. $545 with kit lens) is more basic -- for example, it drops to 15.1 megapixels and a slower shooting speed -- but it doesn't cost much less, and experts don't recommend it as often.

Another top rival technically isn't even a digital SLR. The Sony A55 (*Est. $800 with kit lens) uses a translucent mirror that doesn't have to move as you snap a photo. The result? Blisteringly fast shooting speeds (10 fps), super-quick autofocus (even while shooting 1080p HD video) and a slightly smaller, lighter body than regular digital SLRs. It shares the Nikon D5100's image sensor, so it (not surprisingly) delivers similarly striking photos in tests.

Now for the tradeoffs. The translucent mirror blocks some light, so in dimly lit situations, the Sony A55 has to pour on the noise control; testers say the Nikon D5100 preserves detail that the Sony smoothes away. Nor does the translucent mirror admit enough light to allow for an optical viewfinder. Instead, experts say you get an impressively fast live-view mode on the swiveling LCD screen, as well as an equally impressive eyepiece electronic viewfinder (EVF). But the EVF's refresh rate can't keep pace with the camera's 10 fps burst rate (so you can't always see what you're shooting), and neither can the camera's buffer. Dave Etchells reports "15 seconds of nothing but a black LCD" while the camera wrote bursts of images to the memory card in his test for Imaging-Resource.com. It got so bad that he dropped back to 6 fps. Testers at DPReview.com, TechRadar.com and DigitalCameraInfo.com report similar limitations on the burst rate: "Don't plan on shooting the Olympics with it," DPReview.com says of the Sony A55.

Still, the Sony A55 gets DPReview.com's Gold Award, and other top experts agree that it's a remarkable technological breakthrough. "For all my complaining about the difficulty of tracking sports subjects with the Sony A55 and its dead-screen issueÉ the difference between it and other consumer-level DSLRs is little short of astonishing," Etchells says. Just don't expect the same burst performance as a pro camera like the Nikon D3S (*Est. $5,200 body only). If you're set on a Sony but prefer a traditional DSLR setup, the Sony A580L (*Est. $850 with kit lens) comes with the same impeccable image sensor but with a moving mirror and optical viewfinder.