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Product name Price Company and contact details Platform Reviewed <strong>Digit</strong> rating<br />
DCS Pro SLR/c £2,495 Kodak, www.kodak.co.uk, 01442 261122 M | W Jan 05 3.5<br />
It has a 13.9mp sensor, but this SLR is let down by a poor frame rate – only 1.7fps. A fine camera if you’re not in a hurry, no good for sports or news<br />
DX7630 £298 Kodak, www.kodak.co.uk, 01442 261122 M | W Jul <strong>04</strong> 4.0<br />
A high-resolution camera at a low price, the DX7630 has a good screen and full manual controls. Some of the controls are a little fiddly, though<br />
EasyShare CX7430 £170 Kodak, www.kodak.co.uk, 0870 243 0270 M | W Jun <strong>04</strong> 3.5<br />
If simplicity is a virtue, the Kodak EasyShare CX7430 is perfect. It’s good value for 4mp, but includes controls suitable only for point-&-shooters<br />
E-1 £850 Olympus, www.olympus-pro.co.uk, 0800 072 0070 M | W Jan 05 3.0<br />
The first camera built to the new Four Thirds lens mount standard, this SLR can’t quite match the performance of more expensive models<br />
E-300 £595 Olympus, www.olympus.co.uk, 0800 072 0070 M | W Feb 05 4.0<br />
<strong>Digit</strong>al SLR with 8mp and Four Thirds lens and flashgun <strong>com</strong>patibility. Great output for a good price, but the menu system is slightly fiddly<br />
EOS 20D £925 Canon, www.canon.co.uk, 0800 616 417 M | W Jan 05 4.0<br />
This 8.2mp digital SLR offers fantastic image quality, great detail, a quick autofocus system, and a DIGIC II processor, all in a small and light body<br />
EOS-1D Mark II £2,562 Canon, www.canon.co.uk, 0800 616 417 M | W Jan 05 4.5<br />
A digital SLR built for performance. Canon’s DIGIC II processor, top notch exposure and autofocus technology, and 8.2 megapixels<br />
EOS-300D £765 Canon, www.canon.co.uk, 0800 616 417 M | W Dec 03 4.5<br />
The lowest priced digital SLR on the market. All the important functions, such as user-definable white balance and sensor cleaning, are included<br />
Exilim Pro £425 Casio, www.exilim.co.uk, 020 8208 2838 M | W Aug <strong>04</strong> 4.5<br />
Fast and quiet with good image quality, plenty of advanced features, and bracketing options. The Exilim Pro is <strong>com</strong>pact and solid, and a top model<br />
FinePix F810 £298 Fujifilm, www.fujifilm.co.uk, 020 7586 5900 M | W Mar 05 4.0<br />
An update to the FinePix F710, the main difference is the F810’s 7.3mp resolution – twice that of the old model. A decent, well-built <strong>com</strong>pact<br />
FinePix E550 £281 Fujifilm, www.fujifilm.co.uk, 020 7586 5900 M | W Mar 05 3.5<br />
Compact camera with 6.3mp resolution, 4x zoom, and a 2-inch screen. Unless you use RAW capture, it’s prone to purple fringing at ISO 100<br />
FinePix S2 Pro £1,150 Fujifilm, www.fujifilm.co.uk, 020 7586 5900 M | W Dec 03 4.5<br />
A top digital SLR model. Good on detail and easy to use, the FinePix S2 Pro has two memory card slots and supports both FireWire and USB<br />
FinePix S5500 £1,150 Fujifilm, www.fujifilm.co.uk, 020 7586 5900 M | W Mar 05 3.5<br />
It looks-&-feels like a digital SLR, but isn’t. Boasts 4mp resolution, a massive 10x zoom, and good output, but sufffers from a small screen and<br />
FinePix S7000 £470 Fujifilm, www.fujifilm.co.uk, 020 7586 5900 M | W Jul <strong>04</strong> 4.0<br />
Top-end prosumer digital camera with long zoom, fast responses, good control set and excellent 6mp or 12mp resolutions<br />
*istD £1,200 Pentax, www.pentax.co.uk, 01753 792 792 M | W Jan 05 3.5<br />
The smallest, lightest digital SLR on the market, the *istD doesn’t offer as good value as some on the market, but still offers decent images<br />
FinePix F610 Zoom £399 Fujifilm, www.fujifilm.co.uk, 020 7586 1477 M | W Jun <strong>04</strong> 4.0<br />
Stylish design, good controls, and great output make this 6.3mp camera a decent buy. However, it only ships with 16MB of storage<br />
Lumix FZ10 £385 Panasonic, www.panasonic.co.uk, 08705 357 357 M | W Sep <strong>04</strong> 4.0<br />
The 12x Leica zoom lens is powerful, and boasts built-in image stabilization. Image quality is great, but the supplied 16MB card is rather stingy<br />
PhotoPC-L400 £200 Epson, www.epson.co.uk, 01442 261 144 M | W Jul <strong>04</strong> 3.0<br />
A basic, budget-priced 4mp camera. The L400 boasts a good user interface, but it doesn’t offer <strong>com</strong>prehensive control over shutter speed or aperture<br />
Photosmart 945 £255 HP, www.hp.<strong>com</strong>, 0870 241 1485 M | W Jul <strong>04</strong> 3.5<br />
The HP Photosmart 945 is simple to use, but its image quality doesn’t <strong>com</strong>pare favourably to the <strong>com</strong>petition. A decent budget option nonetheless<br />
PowerShot G6 £510 Canon, www.canon.co.uk, 0800 616 417 M | W Nov <strong>04</strong> 4.5<br />
This 7.1mp upgrade to the well regarded G-series offers faster processing and excellent images. Sadly purple fringing on contrasting edges is still there<br />
PowerShot Pro1 £725 Canon, www.canon.co.uk, 08705 143 723 M | W Jul <strong>04</strong> 4.5<br />
Canon’s top prosumer camera, and the <strong>com</strong>pany’s first long-zoom <strong>com</strong>pact. An 8mp CCD, 7x zoom, and well-designed controls make the Pro1 a top buy<br />
SD10 £936 Sigma, www.sigma-imaging-uk.<strong>com</strong>, 01707 329 999 M | W Jan 05 3.0<br />
Improved version of low-cost digital SLR produces extremely sharp images despite low resolution. Unusual Sigma-only lens mount is only drawback<br />
<strong>Digit</strong>al video cameras<br />
AG-DVC30 £1,650 Panasonic, panasonic-broadcast.<strong>com</strong>, 08700 100 464 M | W Dec <strong>04</strong> 3.5<br />
A decent secondary pro camcorder but overpriced <strong>com</strong>pared to Sony’s PDX10. Features include IR-based B&W night-vision mode<br />
AG-DVX100A £2,450 Panasonic, panasonic-broadcast.<strong>com</strong>, 08705 357357 M | W Dec <strong>04</strong> 4.0<br />
The DVX100A has ruled the roost for years, but has been usurped by Canon’s XL2. However this is still a great camera and has a lot to offer filmmakers<br />
DCR-HC40 £446 Sony, www.sony.co.uk, 08705 111 999 M | W Aug <strong>04</strong> 3.0<br />
The auto mode on this prosumer camcorder is seriously lacking – it really struggles with bright sunlight. Spot metering can fix the problem, though<br />
DCR-HC1000 £850 Sony, www.sony.co.uk, 020 7365 2947 M | W Dec <strong>04</strong> 2.5<br />
Good looking but ultimately disappointing DV camera lacking controls and let down by poor footage. Small, but not perfectly formed<br />
DCR-PC109E £489 Sony, www.sony.co.uk, 08705 111 999 M | W Aug <strong>04</strong> 4.5<br />
Sony’s upright palmcorder has a touch-sensitive LCD screen – focus can be set by pressing a spot on the LCD. Boasts decent image quality, too<br />
DVC-30 £2,000 Panasonic, panasonicbroadcast.<strong>com</strong>, 08700 100 464 M | W Apr <strong>04</strong> 4.0<br />
The DVC-30 is a flexible DV camcorder that captures great footage. It offers manual functions and unique features, but lacks Sony’s innovations<br />
DIGIT BEST BUY RECOMMENDATIONS: PROFESSIONAL PICTURES<br />
PROFESSIONAL DV CAMCORDERS<br />
Canon XL2<br />
For three grand you get a <strong>com</strong>ponent-based<br />
system that is without doubt the best in the<br />
market. Footage is crisp and detailed<br />
JVC Professional GY-DV5000E<br />
A stalwart of the pro DV world for years time has<br />
seen a price drop from £5,000 to £2,900. Intuitive<br />
to use the full auto mode is ideal for news<br />
Panasonic Broadcast AG-DVX100A<br />
Once top of the heap the DVX100A still has a lot<br />
to offer indie filmmakers. It’s light and is good<br />
close up, but is outdone by the XL2<br />
Sony Broadcast PDX10P<br />
At only £1,400 this attempt at <strong>com</strong>bining<br />
professional and consumer features makes<br />
the PDX10P best in its class<br />
Sony Broadcast DSR-PD170P<br />
Sony’s workhorse could do with a larger LCD<br />
screen, better CCDs and more features to bring it<br />
up to date – watch out for the FX1 and Z1<br />
RECOMMENDED:<br />
Canon PowerShot G6<br />
The ever-popular G series<br />
of digital cameras from<br />
Canon gets another<br />
upgrade. It’s a 7.1mp<br />
model, and the quality<br />
makes it suitable for a pro<br />
SLR CAMERAS<br />
Canon EOS-1D Mark II<br />
Based on Canon’s top professional film<br />
camera, the EOS-1, this digital SLR is<br />
built for the ultimate performance<br />
Canon EOS-300D<br />
Identical to the 10D in terms of image quality,<br />
the 300D is aimed more at the prosumer, with<br />
emphasis on automation and bargain pricing<br />
Fujifilm FinePix S2 Pro<br />
The S2 Pro offers flexible connectivity, bags of<br />
storage options, and a <strong>com</strong>petitive price. Great<br />
on detail thanks to Fuji’s Super CCD sensor<br />
Nikon D70<br />
The D70 is a great value digital SLR that packs<br />
in some excellent professional-level features.<br />
Thankfully, the images look great too<br />
Nikon D2H<br />
An updated D1H, this offers improvements<br />
to the imaging technology and is incredibly<br />
quick. Excels out in the field<br />
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