Digital Camera - Ken Gilbert

140
KITzONE
SlrgrouP teSt
hoWthe
CameraS
ComPare
T he
DigitalCamera July2010
THE DIGITALCAMERAVERDICT
nikonProVeStobe
thebiggeSt hitter
Every camera in this test packs plenty of punch,
butthe NikonD90 hits harder than its rivals
main attraction of anySLR
is itsversatility, and this is
where the Nikon D excels.
Simplyput, it’s agreat
photographer’scamerathatfeels good in
the hand, handles beautifully and delivers
great imagequality. Active D-Lighting
helpsyou makethe most of eventhe
trickiest lighting conditions and while HD
video isn’t its strongest suit, it more than
holds its own against all bar the EOS D.
We’velong been fans of the Canon EOS
50D’s sheer usability, thankstothe extra
control dials and quick access buttons, but
despiteapricedrop, it looksverymuch like
“Simplyput,the D90is
agreat photographer's
camera that feels great
and handles beautifully”
yesterday’scameraand is alittleoutclassed
by the newer EOS 550D's dazzling set of
specifications, which translate intoexcellent
imagequalityand the best HD video
performanceontest. Whatletsthe 550D
down is inferior build quality and handling.
Pentax’sK-7 delivers good images and
offers a number of sophisticated features,
although the priceisonthe high side
considering the Pentax camera system
offersanarrower rangeoflensesand
accessories than its rivals. Ultimately it’s
a good all-round camera that neither
disappoints nor excels in any one category.
Achieving great resultsisalittleharder
with the Olympus E-30 and Sony A500,
especially in trickier conditions. Both also
lack HD video functionality. The former
is the most expensive camera on test here,
while the latter is the cheapest and lacks
both the refinement and image quality of
the 50D and our winner, the D90.
I bought one!
Don't just take our
word for it…
i haven'tregretted
buying my D90. it's
solid,hasa simple
learningcurve andyet
it’s amazingly powerful.
it doesn't have weather
sealing,buti'vegot it
wet,usedit in 41˚C
temperatureswith
70%humidityand it's
still going strong!
kevin Thornhill,
PhotoRadar.com member
Have youboughtaNikon
D90? Tell us whatyou
think by visiting the
thread at http://bit.ly/
dsY6Td
Canon EOS 50D Canon EOS 550D Nikon D90 Olympus E-30 Pentax k-7 Sony Alpha A500
Contact www.canon.co.uk www.canon.co.uk www.nikon.co.uk www.olympus.co.uk www.pentax.co.uk www.sony.co.uk
Street price £689 £634 £649 £739 £725 £479
Sensor 15.1mp CmoS 18mp CmoS 12.3mp CmoS 12.3mp live moS 14.6mp CmoS 12.3mp CmoS
Focal length conversion 1.5x 1.6x 1.5x 2x 1.5x 1.5x
Memory Compactflash SD, SDhC, SDxC SD, SDhC Compactflash, xD SD, SDhC memory Stick, SD, SDhC
Viewfinder 95% coverage 95% coverage 96% coverage 98% coverage 100% coverage 95% coverage
Video resolution none 1920x1080p 1280x720p none 1536x1024p none
ISO range (expanded) 100-3200 (100-12800) 100-6400 (100-12800) 200-3200 (100-6400) 100-3200 100-3200 (100-6400) 200-12800
Autofocus points 9-point af 9-point af 11-point af 11-point af 11-point af 9-point af
Max burst rate 6.3fps 3.7fps 4fps 5fps 5.2fps 5fps
LCD screen size 3-inch fixed 3-inch fixed 3-inch fixed 2.7-inch vari-angle 3-inch fixed 3-inch vari-angle
Shutter speeds 30-1/8000 sec, bulb 30-1/4000 sec, bulb 30-1/4000 sec, bulb 60-1/8000 sec, bulb 30-1/8000 sec, bulb 30-1/4000 sec, bulb
weight 730g 530g 620g 655g 670g 597g
FEATURES
HANDLING
IMAGE QUALITY
VALUE
OVERALL