Digital Camera - Ken Gilbert

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KITZONE
SLR BUYERS’ GUIDE
Money
to burn?
Tripods
Got £150 to spend on a
three-legged friend? What
should you consider?
GiottosMTL9271B
+MH5001head
Price:£120
Contact:www.giottos-tripods.
co.uk,01902864646
Reviewed:Issue99
Our verdict:Hasamaxheight
of 1.92mandismadefrom
aluminium.Thethree-position
multi-anglelegscansupport
10kg,givingsolidperformance
onanyterrain.Thethree-way
headisslightlylessimpressive.
Manfrotto190XPROB
+496RC2head
Price:£150
Contact:www.manfrotto.co.
uk,01293583300
Reviewed:Issue99
Our verdict:Combines
silky-smoothoperationand
sturdinesswithsomecunning
features,likethewayitscentre
columncanpivot through90°.
The496RC2ballheadisone
of thebestonthemarket.
KenroLargePro HT1730
Price:£136
Reviewed:Issue99
Contact:www.kenro.co.uk,
01793615836
Our verdict:ThemightyKenro
weighs-inatawhopping3.9kg,
nearly doublethe weight of the
Manfrotto190XPROB.Butit’s
amazinglyrigidinuseandthe
three-wayheadthatcomesas
partofthiskithasasolidfeel
andbattleshipbuild quality.
DigitalCamera July2010
SLRBuyers’Guide
Every SLR and interchangeable lens camera on the market reviewed by Digital
Camera, plus our verdicts. Use it to decide which camera kit is best for you...
D-SLRS
Product Price Sensor type Contact Reviewed
CANON
Canon EOS 450D £507 APS-C, CMOS, 12.2Mp www.canon.co.uk, 01737 220000 Issue 7
Our verdict: The 450D’s features and handling areexcellent, but its picturequality is variable. As with other EOS cameras, youneed to shoot RAWfiles forthe best
definition. It’s quick to blow highlight details, too, so it’s important to keep a close eye on the exposure.
Canon EOS 500D £520 APS-C, CMOS, 15.1Mp www.canon.co.uk, 01737 220000 Issue 87
Our verdict: Though the specification (and price) might be a bit excessive for the first-time SLR user, if you want a compact Canon with HD video and ample room
to grow into, consider the 500D. Advanced beginners who can live without the HD may as well step up to the similarly priced Canon EOS 50D.
Canon EOS 550D £634 APS-C, CMOS, 18Mp www.canon.co.uk, 01737 220000 Issue 98
Our verdict: Don’t buy the 550D solely for its resolution, because this doesn’t necessarily translate into extra real-world definition. Canon’s 18-55mm kit lens
is a little weak too. However, the design and handling, high ISO performance and full HD Movie mode really are exceptional.
Canon EOS 50D, £689 APS-C, CMOS, 15.1Mp www.canon.co.uk, 01737 220000 Issue 79
Our verdict: Canon seems to have thrown everything but the kitchen sink at the EOS 50D in abid to re-assertitself in the semi-promarket.Indoing so it’s
produced a great camera, and while it might not convert existing Nikon and Sony owners, it’s the ideal upgrade for any Canon user.
Canon EOS 7D £1,225 APS-C, CMOS, 18Mp www.canon.co.uk, 01737 220000 Issue 93
Our verdict: The 7D is incredible. Picture quality is excellent and the focus is sharp and speedy, although that’s no guarantee that all your action shots will be
sharp.The technology is great, but formanynon-prousers the package mayoffer toomanychoices and be just abit over-engineered to be an essential buy.
Canon EOS 5D Mark II £1,690 Full-frame, CMOS, 21.1Mp www.canon.co.uk, 01737 220000 Issue 82
Our verdict: If looks, build, design and handling werethe only criteria, the EOS 5D Mark II would perhaps be the most desirable full-frame SLR of all. But the
D700 and the Sony a900 are both so good for picture quality that, despite its 21 million pixels, the Canon has a real fight on its hands.
Canon EOS-1Ds Mark IV £3,724 APS-H, CMOS, 16.1Mp www.canon.co.uk, 01737 220000 Issue 98
Our verdict: This is an outstanding camerawith excellentperformance and quality of images. Images shot at impressively high ISOs deliver well,
and metering and colour rendition is accuraterightout of the box. Unlikely to disappoint.
Canon EOS-1Ds Mark III £5,249 Full-frame, CMOS, 21.1Mp www.canon.co.uk, 01737 220000 Issue 69
Our verdict: There’s no doubt about it,Canon’s EOS-1Ds was, at the time of its release, the Rolls-Royceofdigital SLRs. The build quality is beyond reproach and
the degree of customisation is awesome.
NIKON
Nikon D3000 £299 APS-C, CCD, 10.2Mp www.nikon.co.uk, 0800 230 220 Issue 91
Our verdict: While Nikon’s D3000 is certainly beginner-friendly,it’s by no means perfect in thatrespect.Nonetheless, the cameraiscompetitively priced,
performs capably and the GUIDE mode works well.
Nikon D5000 £468 APS-C, CMOS, 12.3Mp www.nikon.co.uk, 0800 230 220 Issue 87
Our verdict: The D5000 is awell thought-out SLR with something foreveryone. Its 720p video recording mode is not as versatile as thatofCanon’s 500D,
but the addition of extra features, like the innovative Scene Recognition System and articulated LCD, are enough to make this a very desirable camera.
Nikon D90 £649 APS-C, CMOS, 12.3Mp www.nikon.co.uk, 0800 230 220 Issue 79
Our verdict: For this kind of moneyyou can get cameras with prolevels of build quality,features and resolution. But while it’s not the best in every respect,
the D90 blitzes the rest overall, partly because of its huge list of features and partly because it’s so consistently good at everything it does.
Nikon D300s £1,138 APS-C, CMOS, 12.3Mp www.nikon.co.uk, 0800 230 220 Issue 92
Our verdict: Stills performance is outstanding –it’s quitehardtotakeabad picturewith this camera. The cameraisfast,smartand built to last,with impressive
performance at higher ISOs. It’s a shame the video performance is lagging behind, but if you mainly want to shoot stills, this is a great buy.
Nikon D700 £1,764 Full-frame, CMOS, 12.1Mp www.nikon.co.uk, 0800 230 220 Issue 77
Our verdict: The D700 is a superb professional camera, which is capable of producing some amazingly crisp, artefact-free images and has a high-ISO
performance that continues to amaze. Hardcore full-frame fans might hope for a cheaper entry-point, though.
Nikon D3s £3,588 Full-frame, CMOS, 12.1Mp www.nikon.co.uk, 0800 230 220 Issue 95
Our verdict: Nikon’s made some important enhancements to the original D3, making it even better at high ISOs, incorporating a D-Movie mode, adding the
dust-removal system, in-camera RAW processing and more. It’s a refresh rather than a new camera, though, and it’s been paid for with a major price hike.
Nikon D3x £4,834 Full-frame, CMOS, 24.5Mp www.nikon.co.uk, 0800 230 220 Issue 83
Our verdict: This camera is designed for one purpose – high resolution at low ISO settings, and it does its job very well, but the problem with the D3x is that
all of its systems areinherited fromthe D3.Asuperb camera, no doubt,but one thatisalready ageing.
OLYMPUS
Olympus E-450 £373 Four Thirds, Live MOS, 10Mp www.olympus.co.uk, 0800 111 4777 Issue 87
Our verdict: If you want to only look at pixels, you might decide the E-450 lags behind other 10Mp D-SLRs, but that’s only part of the story. This is a compact,
well-featured camera with a decent kit lens, which goes well towards off-setting the smaller sensor.
Olympus E-520 £500* Four Thirds, Live MOS, 10Mp www.olympus.co.uk, 0800 111 4777 Issue 75
Our verdict: It’s probably not going to attract arush of existing E-510 owners into an upgrade, but the wealth of functions, the greatimage quality and keen
pricing will surely attract plenty of first-time buyers. This is probably the best mini hatchback of the D-SLR world, producing great colour and vibrant images.
Olympus E-620 £499 Four Thirds, Live MOS, 12.3Mp www.olympus.co.uk, 0800 111 4777 Issue 86
Our verdict: It’s tempting to focus on aspecific area when reviewing cameras and overlook the rest.Ifthe E-620 has adisadvantage compared with APS-C
cameras, it’s a slight one, and outweighed by its handling, controls and flexible viewing system.
Olympus E-30 £739 Four Thirds, Live MOS, 12.3Mp www.olympus.co.uk, 0800 111 4777 Issue 83
Our verdict: This is agreat upgrade forexisting Olympus E-series users. Those who aremoreinterested in pixel peeping and cheap lenses maynot likeit, but if
you enjoy creative photography then the Olympus E-30 is a great camera that deserves a closer inspection.