Kodak DCS Pro SLR/c

Successor of the Kodak DCS Pro 14n and sibling of the DCS Pro SLR/n, this professional 14-megapixel SLR combines a newly designed 35mm CMOS sensor and a Canon lens mount in a Sigma-influenced body.

Upside: Like the SLR/n, the SLR/c offers the highest resolution available from a 35mm-style model, as well as the broadest light-sensitivity range, which stretches from ISO 6--yes, 6--to ISO 1,600. The camera's 35mm sensor retains the wide-angle view of short optics, obviating lens conversion factors. Kodak also promises that the SLR/c will generate less image noise than the 14n, even with long exposures of up to 30 seconds, and deliver faster performance.

Downside: The 14n had some performance shortcomings, chief among them shooting delays caused by its automatic calibration system. Kodak claims that its latest 14-megapixel SLRs perform better--we'll find out when we test them. On the outside, the SLR/c looks like it's based on Sigma's SD9 and SD10 cameras, whose build quality and control implementation aren't as good as those of other pro SLRs using Canon lenses.

Outlook: The DCS Pro SLR/c will interest photographers who want to pair their Canon optics with a very high resolution and a broad ISO range, and don't need the speed of Canon's 8-megapixel EOS-1D Mark II. Listed at $4,995, this Kodak is also significantly less expensive than Canon's own studio- and event-oriented SLR, the 11-megapixel EOS-1Ds. The SLR/c will be available in May. Hide Review