Digital SLR cameras on a shoestring
Lori Grunin, Senior Editor April 1, 2009
Remember when it was common to drop $500 to $700 on a nice digital point-and-shoot? These days, with the same money, you can pick up a digital SLR camera. These aren't professional models or the very best that current technology has to offer, but for the photo enthusiast on a budget--or even the avid family photographer--they can be a big leap forward. With larger sensors and generally faster performance than snapshot models offer, these cameras provide plenty of tools to photographers who prefer a camera with more than one button. And if you save your pennies, you can increase their flexibility and image quality in the future with additional lens and accessory purchases. But which to buy from this year's models? Here's my take.
- For the best overall value for the money, the Pentax K200D hits all the right notes with a dust- and weather-resistant body, sensor-shift image stabilization, and other premium features. It's biggest weakness is not-terribly-accurate colors and a tendency to underexpose, which can be overcome with some tweaking.
- For the best photo quality, the Canon EOS Rebel XS delivers, especially in low light, and its kit lens is the best of the group. It does have some operational annoyances, though, such as hard-to-see AF points in the viewfinder and no spot meter, and it lacks in-body image stabilization.
- Though it's not a clear winner in every race, the Nikon D60 seems to have the best overall performance of the group. However, its photo quality and feature set can't match most of the other models for the money.
- For the cheapest model that fulfills the dSLR promise--better performance, photo quality, and flexibility than a point-and-shoot--the Sony Alpha DSLR-A200 seems to have garnered its share of fans.
| Product name | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Price | $525.99 to $599.99 | $539.99 to $599.99 | $429.95 to $499.99 | $566.95 to $812.64 |
| CNET editors' rating | | | | |
| Average user rating | ||||
| Review date | March 24, 2008 | August 14, 2008 | March 11, 2008 | April 28, 2008 |
| The Bottom Line | Despite modest improvements in performance and a couple of new features, Nikon's D60 fails to impress and costs more than some competing models. | The Canon EOS Rebel XS is a good entry-level dSLR, but only its photo quality stands out among the competition. | The Sony Alpha DSLR-A200 is a solid entry-level dSLR that doesn't really stand out in its very competitive field. | Pentax's K200D entry-level SLR gives a lot of bang for the buck and has better performance than last year's model. Despite low noise and pleasingly detailed images, technically inaccurate colors keep it from capturing the gold medal for image quality. |
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| Features | ||||
| Lens aperture | F/3.5-5.6 | F/3.5-5.6 | F/3.5-5.6 | F/3.5-5.6 |
| Optical zoom | 3 x | 3 x | 3.9 x | 3 x |
| Light sensitivity | ISO 200 ISO 800 ISO 400 ISO 3200 ISO 1600 ISO 100 | ISO 200 ISO 800 ISO 400 ISO 1600 ISO 100 ISO auto (100-800) | ISO 200 ISO 800 ISO auto ISO 400 ISO 3200 ISO 1600 ISO 100 | ISO 100-1600 |
| Display (projector) technology | TFT active matrix | TFT active matrix | TFT active matrix | TFT active matrix |
| Video input type | Digital camera | Digital camera | Digital camera | Digital camera |
| Weight | 17.5 oz | 15.9 oz | 19.2 oz | 1.4 lbs |
| Effective sensor resolution | 10,200,000 pixels | 10,100,000 pixels | 10,200,000 pixels | 10,200,000 pixels |
| Still image format | RAW + JPEG JPEG NEF (RAW) | RAW + JPEG JPEG RAW | RAW + JPEG JPEG RAW | RAW + JPEG JPEG RAW |
| Display (projector) diagonal size | 2.5 in | 2.5 in | 2.7 in | 2.7 in |
| Manual focus | Automatic Manual | Automatic Manual | Automatic Manual | Automatic Manual |
| Full specifications | Full specifications | Full specifications | Full specifications | Full specifications |
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