Lori Grunin,
Senior Editor
March 9, 2009
Compared to high-end professional cameras and sub-$1,000 consumer SLRs, these midrange models are neither here nor there. But for many photographers--both pros and serious amateurs--they occupy exactly the right middle ground. If you don't require the durability of a war photographer's camera or the speed to shoot for Sports Illustrated, you'll probably be perfectly happy with the build quality and the performance these models offer. And with smaller, lighter bodies, they're also less likely to land you in a physical therapist's office. These SLRs won't give you quite the level of customizability and fine-tuning that pricier cameras offer, but they come with all the tools that most proficient photographers need. The bottom line? They cost a lot less than the next price class up, but you can take professional-quality photographs with them.
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| Price | $1,124.00 to $1,299.99 | $1,239.00 to $1,399.99 | $1,499.00 to $1,499.99 | $1,049.00 to $1,199.99 | $1,949.99 |
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| Review date | October 02, 2008 | October 20, 2008 | October 10, 2007 | February 25, 2009 | February 13, 2006 |
| The Bottom Line | Like the D80 before it, the Nikon D90 delivers an excellent dSLR for the money. | A very good midrange dSLR, the Canon EOS 50D is a compelling--but not necessarily a must-have--choice for Canon upgraders. | A top-of-the-line amateur digital SLR camera, the Sony Alpha DSLR-A700 will delight Konica Minolta diehards and makes a great choice if you don't already have a stake in other lens systems. | A great general-purpose dSLR, the Olympus E-30 offers an attractive alternative for advanced shooters not yet wedded to a system. | An excellent midrange digital SLR, the D200 has given way to its even better successor, the D300. However, it remains a great choice if you can find it at a good price. |
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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 | F/3.5-5.6 |
| Optical zoom | 5.8 x | 4.8 x | 6.5 x | 3 x | 11 x |
| Light sensitivity | ISO 100-6400 | ISO auto ISO 100-12800 | ISO 100 ISO 160 ISO 200 ISO 400 ISO 800 ISO 1600 ISO 3200 ISO 4000 ISO 5000 ISO auto | ISO 100-3200 ISO auto (200-800) ISO auto (200-3200) | ISO 100-1600 |
| Display (projector) technology | TFT active matrix | TFT active matrix | TFT active matrix | TFT active matrix | TFT active matrix |
| Video input type | Digital camera | Digital camera | Digital camera | Digital camera | Digital camera |
| Weight | 1.4 lbs | 1.6 lbs | 1.5 lbs | 1.5 lbs | 1.8 lbs |
| Effective sensor resolution | 12,300,000 pixels | 15,100,000 pixels | 12,246,000 pixels | 12,300,000 pixels | 10,200,000 pixels |
| Still image format | JPEG NEF (RAW) RAW + JPEG | RAW JPEG RAW + JPEG | RAW JPEG RAW + JPEG | RAW JPEG RAW + JPEG | JPEG NEF (RAW) RAW + JPEG |
| Display (projector) diagonal size | 3 in | 3 in | 3 in | 2.7 in | 2.5 in |
| Manual focus | Manual Automatic | Manual Automatic | Manual Automatic | Manual Automatic | Manual Automatic |
| Full specifications | Full specifications | Full specifications | Full specifications | Full specifications | Full specifications |
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