Normally if you ask me what is the best digital SLR (slow lens reflux) camera out there I can't answer the question. However after weeks of camera comparing and looking at all the details in the last few I was deciding between, I feel as though my opinions and thoughts can be trusted and taken as good advice.
I have been wanting to purchase a digital SLR camera for years now but have only ever owned point and shoot digital cameras. I do own a classic Minolta with what I believe is a 55mm lens, the camera itself is about 30 years old and was given to my mother and father from my grandfather right before I was born. This camera was then given to me my senior year of high school during which I was taking photography classes, this was the camera I learned on and got quite good at using. I even had a photo submitted to a contest and it won several ribbons. After high school I went on to continue my photography and worked for years with Lifetouch Portrait Studio going between studios like J.C.Penney and Target. I have continued to work with my photography and have even shot a few weddings, birthday parties, as well as fun spontaneous and outdoor/ landscape and still life photos. My first digital camera was a Fuji, second was a Fuji, third was a Samsung and my current is a Kodak. Both my Fuji digital's still work great, just behind on what's available now. My Samsung's flash broke and after that happened I began having other problems like the camera would freeze up, shut down and I would get glitches. That is why I purchased my Kodak, which I am sad to say I purchased in a rush as I just wanted to have a working camera at the time with more mega pixels. My Kodak has no optical zoom like my Samsung and 2nd Fuji do, and yes I still own all my old cameras. I have been looking off and on for years at digital SLR's and have always wanted to buy one. My Samsung dying and my Kodak not being the quality I was hoping for is what gave me the inspiration to finally purchase my first digital SLR camera.
After speaking with a camera consultant I found out that all Canon cameras and Nikon cameras only have image stabilization in the camera lens themselves and not in the camera body like in other DSLR cameras. I decided that was a problem as it means all the stabilization is being relied on from the lens and not the main part of the body while you are taking photos. Have you ever tried to take a photo with the image stabilization turned off? I haven't, but I know that unless you have a tripod your photo will turn out blurry and you won't be pleased.
It turns out there are plenty of great digital SLR cameras out there to choose from. After going to two different Creve Coeur Camera stores I found that I was looking between getting a Canon, Pentax, Olympus or a Sony. Sony's 'a' series cameras are new for the market and have a new system that I just love! Sony's SLR cameras technically are not SLRs at all but instead called SLT (single lens translucent) and can do almost exactly what the traditional digital SLR camera can do but without the lenses clicking away while you take pictures; this also makes for quiet picture taking. With the SLT Sony 'a' series cameras, they can work faster and give you more fps (frames per second).
I have taken my time over the past month and compared the Nikon to Canon digital SLRs, I preferred the Canon T1i and T2i to the Nikon D90 and D5000. In the past I have also tested the Nikon D3100 camera and it is in fact a very popular Nikon model.
The Canon T1i, 15 mp (mega pixels) and T2i, 18 mp, are both very good cameras and available at most retail locations. If you are interested in either of these cameras to keep in mind that the image stabilization is in the camera lens and not in the body themselves. At 3.4 fps for the T1i and 3.7 fps for the T2i you get more than some SLR's give you, however the Sony A33 gives you 7 fps with out the lag time, the Sony A55 will give you 10 fps. Price for the Canon cameras are average. About $649.99 -$749.99 depending on the sale you can get for the Canon T1i and $999.99 average price for the Canon T2i. Some can be found in camera bundles with an extra lens, camera bag and even a memory card. Though I do like Canon I like the Sony A33 better as it gives you more fps continuous shooting, 7 fps, and only costs an average of $699.99 with 14.6 mp.
I tested the Pentax Kx, Kr, and K5. The K5 is the top of the line right now at 16.3 mp with 7 fps and comes in at about $1599.99 This is not a starter camera. I did like the perks of the K5 but decided that the Kr and Kx were more in my budget so I tested them longer than the K5. The Kx is your basic Pentax digital SLR camera. It has 12.4 mp and can shoot 4.7 fps. It has different colored camera body's that are available and it is last years model camera so the price is more affordable now at about $599.99 The Kx doesn't have a lot of features and live view takes a very long time to work on this camera so I don't recommend using it. The Kx does have several attractive features such as the ability to use AA rechargeable batteries, the Kr also is able to use AA rechargeable batteries but only if you get the adapter case for it. If you're able to find the adapter case for the Kr somewhere for sale and able to purchase it, I congratulate you for doing so. The adapter case is a little expensive, around $60-$80 dollars on websites where I've looked, but if you are able to find one you will be thankful that you have the option to switch out your batteries when needed and not just rely on the lithium ion batteries. The Kx has the most images per battery life that I have seen on a camera this price, an average of 1100 - 1900 pictures can be taken on one charge. The Kr is only able to give 500 shots captured per battery charge. The Kr will give you more features, has 12.4 mp, can shoot 5.2 fps, has a burst shooting mode, a larger LCD monitor, but comes in less color options as the Kx. The Kr comes in three colors that I have found, black, white or Pentax red. The Kx comes in olive green, beige, chocolate, pink, bright blue, green, orange, purple, black white, navy and Pentax red. The Kr is a little larger of a camera than the Kx and self timer is 2 seconds more than the Kx and can give you the option of 12 second or 2 second self timing photos. There are also many other additional features for the Kr and Kx like the 11 point focus, several shooting modes, burst mode, face detection, and special effects. The Kr comes in at about $849.99 when bundled with the 18-55 and 50-200mm lenses, best deal that I have found for it and can be purchased at Creve Coeur Camera as well as other retail locations.
While trying to decide which SLR would be best suited for me I looked at Olympus but was only able to test the Evolt E620. I wanted to test the E30 but Creve Coeur did not have that in stock at the location I was at. The Olympus E620 is a nice camera for what it has, 12.3 mp. On the 14-42mm lens you should be able to shoot pictures at 3.5-5.6 fps, and on the 40-150mm lens you should be able to shoot pictures at 4-5.6 fps. Overall I wasn't that impressed with Olympus so I didn't test it out that long. I didn't appreciate how the camera felt in my hands, the lens zoom and focus felt further away from the camera body, the focus seemed strange and I had to remind myself every time where it was on the lens as I wasn't used to the feel of the camera. Coming in at about $699.99 I feel that you can get much more camera for the price by purchasing the Sony A33, it is the same price and gives you 14.6 mp and shoots 7 fps. The camera I wasn't able to test, the Olympus E30, comes is at about $999.99 and has 12.3 mp.
From the first moment the Sony SLT cameras were in my hands up to now I have been astonished with how much fun they are to shoot, how many features they have, the price, but one thing that bothers me is that they are not your traditional SLR cameras. The single lens translucent camera technology is amazing though and this is one camera that functions just as great as a high end digital SLR camera. I have mentioned bits and pieces about this camera all through my preview camera reviews, but now I am going to devote this section to talking more about it. The Sony "a" series has two types of cameras, the SLT's like your A33 and A55, or your NEX series cameras which are basically point and shoot cameras but with a twist. NEX cameras have interchangeable lenses which means they can zoom in, focus and get better pictures than your typical point and shoot digital camera. With the same SLT technology these cameras are able to capture some pretty amazing pictures. Back to the A33 and A55. The Sony A33 has 14.6 mp, shoots 7 fps and comes in at about $699.99 The A55 has more that it can offer at 16.2 mp, shoots 10 fps and is only about 200 dollars more than the A33, and at about $849.99 the A55 has about the same features, aside from a few here and there. I have tried the panorama mode on the Sony A33 and it looks amazing! If you have a basic memory card in your Sony camera you will begin to get lag after taking continuous pictures, so if you are interested in this camera make sure to buy a HD memory card. I was able to get an idea of what the A55 would be like as the A33 and A55 camera body are about identical copies of each other, I wasn't able to test the A55 as there were no display models at the time. As well as the Sony A33 I tested the A390 and the A290 cameras. The A390 has 14.9 mp but is only able to shoot 2.5 fps with burst or continuous mode, the camera comes in at about $499.99 which is 200 dollars cheaper than the A33 but with less features. The A33 and A55 features a screen that can tilt and move around at about 180 degrees for easy camera taking. The A390 has a tilt screen. The A290 does not have a tilt screen and has even less features than the A390 but with 14.2 mp and 2.5 fps continuous mode. The A290 costs about $399.99 and I recommend either the A290 or A390 as starter/ beginner digital SLR cameras. Do remember that these two do not have movie / video mode as the A33 and A55 do. One thing that I am disappointed about is how many images you can shoot per battery charge. On the A33 you can get approx 270 images with the finder and approx 340 images with the LCD monitor. Where on the A55 you can get approx 330 images with the finder and approx 380 images with the LCD monitor. On the A390 you'll be able to shoot more images at approx 500 shots with the viewfinder, and approx 230 shots in live view mode. Not all cameras have live view mode, it's actual a neat feature and one that I don't believe I'd use that often right now but if you are taking portraits or pictures at a concert or sporting event this could come in handy. The A390 has switched live view. As far as batteries are concerned for the Sony "a" cameras you will have to get used to the idea of using only lithium ion batteries as AA rechargeable batteries are not an option with these cameras. For the price the Sony cameras are a great deal, you get a lot of bang for your buck and currently you'll find deals on the Sony website and stores like Creve Coeur Camera, saving yourself some money on extra lenses when you purchase a new camera and lens at the same time. Currently you can buy a 55-200mm lens for $99.99 or a 75-300mm lens for $149.99, both a 100 dollar savings when purchased with a Sony digital SLT camera.
Conclusion: Overall I like the Sony cameras best! If I am able to find the Sony A55 for a reasonable price then I hope to get it. Otherwise I feel that the Sony A33 is just as wonderful of a camera. At only about a 200 dollar difference in price with a few extra features for the A55, both cameras impressed me by far more than any that I have tested. I recommend any of the Sony "a" series cameras. What to remember is that camera battery life for many digital SLR cameras is not as good as others, and using video / movie mode will drain your battery more quickly than just shooting photos will. For me what came into play for me was the options I wanted the camera to be able to do, regardless if I am currently using my point and shoot for those occasions. I want to be able to take action and sport pictures, portraits, landscape, travel and outdoor photos, indoor photos, spontaneous photos, as well as have something that feels like studio quality that can take professional photos, macro and night and low light photos. I have a long list of features that I am looking for and for the price I really feel that Sony delivers. Once I have my new camera I will do a full review and show some sample photos of what I've been able to take. I hope that my preview/ review has been helpful in helping you figure out what digital SLR camera is best for you, and I wish you luck in the purchase of your SLR camera.
Thanks to all the review websites I have gone to to help me in deciding which camera is best suited for me.
http://www.stevehuffphoto.com/
http://www.imaging-resource.com/
http://www.digital-photography-school.com
http://www.digital-slr-guide.com
And thanks to Consumer Reports and Amazon.com
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