- Average user rating: 4.0 stars out of 77 reviews Back to product review
- My rating: 0 stars
Full user review
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29 out of 33 people found this review helpful
4.0 stars
"Factual error"
Pros: Small, lightweight, easy to understand menus
Cons: No autofocus with older, non-AF-S lenses
Summary: As usual, CNET makes factual errors in their DSLR reviews.
If I understand the review correctly, according to the reviewer, certain settings are only accessible by going through the menus and using the four-way button set. This is certainly true enough, BUT in the next sentence, she gives an example:
"For instance, in aperture-priority mode, you can change the aperture only via the command dial; to change the shutter speed, you must go through the aforementioned process."
I take the "aforementioned process" to mean going through the menus.
Alright. There are several things wrong with the example:
1) The point of aperture-priority mode is to allow the user to change only the aperture and leave the camera to choose the shutter speed for you. No camera on the market (not even professional DSLRs) allows you to change shutter speeds in Aperture Priority mode. If you want to change shutter speeds, then you will need to go into Shutter priority mode, or Manual mode. There is an EXCEPTION, however:
2) If the user nevertheless wants to change shutter speeds in Aperture Priority mode (for example to second guess the camera's metering) then there is an Exposure Compensation button (labelled "+/-") just behind the shutter button which allows you to do so. Holding down this button and rotating the command dial in A.Priority mode will indeed vary the shutter speeds. There is no need to go into the menus to do so. In fact, when in Shutter Priority mode, the same Exposure Compensation button will allow the user to vary aperture settings.
3) In fact, the points above are the same for any camera, even a Canon 400D (Rebel XTi) or a Nikon D200.
- 4 replies to this review
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It is incredble to find such a basic flaw in a test at CNET.
See;
http://forums.dpreview.com/forums/read.asp?forum=1034&message=21415381
and
http://forums.dpreview.com/forums/readflat.asp?forum=1034&thread=21373803
The tester on this site should become educated in cameras before posting such a poorly researched test. Check the camera professional testers at:
www.dpreview.com
www.imaging-resource.com
www.dcresource.com
They ALL disagree with a number of the statements made in the CNET review.
This truly makes me doubt how much value to put into CNET's 'testing'. The test needs to be done by someone else here and corrected if credability at CNET is to be restored. -
It seems to me that the reviewer is a techie with little to no knowledge of photography, since I can't imagine why anyone would use aperture priority mode and then want to change the shutter speed.
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I sounded strange when I read it. Is there a dial on top that puts you into "Shutter Priority" mode, and allow thumb dial selection?
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You're right about CNet's poor camera reviews.
Where to buy
Nikon D40 (with 18-55mm lens):
$459.00 - $549.99
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$459.00 | Yes |
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$461.89 | Yes |
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$469.95 | Yes |
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$469.00 | Yes |
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Office Depot
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$549.99 | Yes |
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