5 Great Entry Level Dslr Cameras That Won't Break The Bank

5 Great Entry Level Dslr Cameras That Won't Break The Bank

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Digital photography is everywhere these days, and the major camera manufacturers have flooded the market with a wide variety of dSLRs that range from the cheap-o entry model, to the Canon 1Ds Mark III, the reference standard for digital cameras; and with a price tag of 6500 plus it had better be!

When you are looking to take the plunge from a digital point-n-shoot to a dSLR, you obviously want a camera with a strong feature set and outstanding image quality. While price can easily spiral out of control, you can find a more than respectable entry-level camera in the 300 to 650 price range - including a kit lens!

All of the cameras reviewed below have the standard features - Exposure Control (Bulb, Manual, Shutter-priority, Aperture-priority, Auto, Depth of Field), Shooting Modes (Close-up, Landscape, Sports, Portrait and Night), Metering Modes (Spot, Partial, Evaluative, Center-weighted), shoot in RAW, RAW+JPEG and JPEG, White Balance Control and Exposure Compensation. Most come with an 18-55mm, f/3.5-5.6 kit lens as standard.

Sony Alpha DSLR-A330

Sony has a camera that you'll really enjoy as you step into the SLR world; the Alpha DSLR-A330. This camera has a 10.2 megapixel image sensor, a wide ISO range (100-3200) and a fast 9-point auto-focus system that will help you get super-sharp photos under the most challenging conditions. What puts this camera high on the totem pole is that it's equipped with Live View, a feature in which its 2.7-inch LCD screen acts as the viewfinder, which is a blessing because the regular viewfinder is a little too small and cramped for truly effective framing. Some people might dismiss this feature, but people have come to expect to use the viewfinder for framing in the digital camera age, so without it you might feel like you're taking a step backward.

However what's most important with any dSLR is image quality; the A330 has strong image quality... but only after you do a little tweaking with contrast, saturation and sharpness; its default settings don't give you optimal results. This said, it does come with a Dynamic Range Optimizer feature that brings out more shadow and midtones detail, and dials back any clipped information in the highlights. At the end of the day, the lens is what determines the color accuracy and sharpness of your photos, and the Sony kit lens doesn't compete with the Canon and Nikon kit lenses... but Canon and Nikon have been the leaders in SLR lens for more than 1/3 of a century. The A330 is a top-notch camera for an entry-level dSLR and you'll be very satisfied if you decide to go for it.

Nikon D5000

Speaking of Canon and Nikon, they each have several entry-level cameras which are truly great bargains and deliver eye-popping photographs; The Nikon D5000 is fairly pricey (between 600 and 700), but it delivers the best photos in this class, hands down. The D5000 uses a 12.3 megapixel CMOS chip and the results are amazing. The kit lens is strong, delivering crisp and color accurate images.

The D5000 records video (but only 24fps at 720p, not full HD), has Live View and a decent LCD screen, but it does tend to be a little soft, so getting sharp focus means using the slightly smallish viewfinder and manually focusing as you can't completely rely on the 11-point AutoFocus system in low-light. The D5000 shoots 4fps of continuous shooting, which is the fastest in its class. And overall, this camera is super-quick in terms of its cold-start to first shot, RAW shot-to-shot speed and shutter lag. Only the Canon EOS T1i is faster - and only by a hair.

The D5000 has an impressive interactive display where you make all your setting adjustments through a combination of dial on the back and a multi-selector.

Canon EOS 500D

Nikon's direct competitor is the Canon EOS T1i (500D). Although it's a little pricey, it's an amazing piece of work that delivers higher resolution than that of any of the other entry-level cameras. It has a 15-megapixel sensor that has reduced noise thanks to the DiGiC 4 image processor, which also allows for usable images at a high ISO rating, like 3200 (up to 12,800 if you push it). It's has a fixed 3-inch LCD, while other cameras like the Nikon D5000 have an articulated LCD. The control layout is designed with practically all the buttons beneath your right hand, so no two-handed operation to change ISO, white balance, metering, shutter, etc.

While the T1i does have an effective 9-point AutoFocus mode, it lacks some common perks on the Sony, Pentax, and Olympus cameras, like in-body mechanical stabilization and a wireless flash controller. The camera has a dedicated "Movie Mode" in which you can shoot in true HD (but only at 20fps which is slow & jerky), but it works best at 720p, 30fps; the same as the Nikon D5000. As an entry-level dSLR, the high resolution, good high-ISO performance and 30fps HD movie capture makes this camera hard to beat.

Pentax K200D

Back when film cameras were where it was at, Pentax was a top player for pro and amateur photographers alike. Canon and Nikon have overshadowed Pentax in the digital realm, but Pentax still makes a good camera. Pentax's K200D is their entry-level dSLR within the price range we're talking about. It has 10.2 megapixels and competes handily with every other camera in this class (with a few exceptions).

Pentax designed the menus and feature controls to be easy to navigate, and they have the nifty "Fn Menu", where the most frequently adjusted settings are kept, such as ISO, flash, white balance and drive mode. You change the shutter and aperture with a single thumb wheel, like most dSLRs. The K200D has a Sensitivity-priority mode where you select ISO and the camera chooses the shutter and f-stop. This is useful for finding that balance of stopping action, but keeping the noise down. You can make the changes in 1/3-stop increments. There's also an Enhanced Dynamic Range mode that provides enhanced highlight detail, which you will appreciate when you manipulate and print your photographs. Sony, Nikon and Canon all have something similar, but it's usually software based whereas with the K200D it is done in-camera.

It has a wireless flash control, which has proven useful and the K200D has 60 rubber seals, making it water and dust resistant - so you can take it to the beach or skiing and not worry. Just don't dunk it underwater.

These are all good things, so what's the bad? The K200D delivers slightly inaccurate color. The color is vibrant and clean, but you'll notice the difference on objects that you see everyday where you are aware of a certain color. This might not be an issue with a lot of people, but it is something to bear in mind.

Overall, the images are clean, crisp and the prints are nice even at ISP 800 or 1600, but the big disappointment is no Live View or HD video capture. Not that you need these things to take spectacular pictures, plus the accessories are cheaper than Canon and Nikon.

Nikon D60

The last camera we'll look at it is the Nikon D60. Yes, another Nikon, because this is a strong entry-level camera at the right price (around 377). The D60 clocks in with 10.2 megapixels on a CCD chip (which is different to the D5000's CMOS chip), fires 2.8 fps of continuous shooting, and is faster than its competitors in terms of RAW shot-to-shot, cold start to first picture, and shutter lag time.

Nikon included a Rangefinder feature on the D60, where the viewfinder's exposure/exposure compensation meter switches to measure distance for manual focusing with older or non-AutoFocus Nikon lenses (as the D60's AutoFocus only works with Nikon AF-S and AF-I lenses). Nikon has made some outstanding lenses over the past 40 years and you can use those with this camera and circumvent the non-AF with the Rangefinder. But it low-light situations the Rangefinder feature has trouble working, just as it the main AF has trouble in low light.

That's the round-up...If you have access to one manufacturers SLR lens for a film camera, then you might want to stick with that brand, but if you're new to this whole dSLR world, hopefully this article has answered some of your questions to help you make an informed purchase that will give you hours of photographic fun.

About the Author:
Candid About Cameras is your one stop shop for finding the camera or camcorder that is right for you whatever your budget. Come visit us at http://www.candidaboutcameras.co.uk



Article Originally Published On: http://www.articlesnatch.com


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