As with any digital SLR camera, experts advise handling a camera in person before buying, if at all possible -- or buy from an online retailer that has a reliable and generous refund or exchange policy. It's important that the camera feel good in your hands -- a personal, subjective judgment -- and that you be able to reach all the controls with ease. In addition, expert reviews say to look for the following features:

  • Consider the lens system. Although third-party lenses are available, Canon and Nikon each provide the large arrays of SLR lenses -- including image-stabilized lenses. Minolta lenses fit the Sony A900, which builds image stabilization into the camera body. This is judged slightly less effective but saves money on lenses.
  • How much resolution do you need? This depends not only on how large a print you may want to make (or have made) -- but also on how much sharp detail you want to show in smaller prints.
  • How fast do you need to shoot? All high-end digital SLR cameras are fast enough to capture action shots of kids running around at home, but for professional-level shots of wildlife and sports -- and for news photography -- consider a camera capable of 9 or 10 frames per second.
  • Consider the viewfinder. High-end digital SLRs have bigger and brighter viewfinders than those found on less expensive digital SLRs, but four models even provide 100 percent coverage of the image that will be shot. This makes it easier to set up the exact shot you want and minimizes cropping.
  • If you wear glasses, viewfinder eye relief is important. The 18mm eye relief on Nikon digital SLR viewfinders is considered adequate, but Canon viewfinders have even more.
  • Look for a high-resolution LCD with at least 920,000 pixels. Most experts say the viewfinder is more important than the LCD screen on an SLR camera, but if you want to use live view you'll need a great LCD.
  • A self-cleaning sensor minimizes maintenance. Canon takes the lead on this score.
  • Do you want to play with video? If so, in this price range your choice is narrowed right down to the Canon 5D Mark II. (The other current digital SLR that has a movie mode, albeit a much more limited one, is the Nikon D90, covered in our main report on digital SLR cameras.)
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