Excellent photo quality and performance for its class; comfortable, streamlined design; interchangeable lenses

EVF costs extra; can't use EVF and hot-shoe flash simultaneously

The best interchangeable-lens compact we've see thus far, the Panasonic Lumix DMC-GF1 delivers great photo quality and performance in an enthusiast-friendly shooting experience. Like competitors, however, the lack of an optical viewfinder limits its ...

Beginner-friendly Guide mode ; nicely laid out interactive control panel ; solid photo quality up through ISO 1,600

Extremely basic feature set ; annoying multiselector switch

Its feature set is basic even by entry-level standards, but the Nikon D3000 delivers the photo quality and performance you expect when stepping up to a dSLR, with an optional interface that's very newbie friendly.

Outstanding performance for its class ; excellent photo quality ; solidly built ; flexible custom settings architecture ; video capture ; onboard wireless flash controller ; dual card slots

Some annoying design and interface quirks ; no significant improvements in high ISO noise performance

The Nikon D300s is a great camera, especially if you need the burst speed or slightly improved low-light focus, but if you don't care about video you might consider looking for a really good deal on a D300 and using what you save to splurge on a good ...

Capable of shooting some very nice photos ; fast Live View AF and single-shot performance ; tiltable LCD ; dual card slots ; relatively simple, straightforward operation ; built-in wireless flash and image stabilization

Smallish grip ; middling viewfinder ; color shifts with default settings

While the Sony Alpha DSLR-A380 is a solid inexpensive dSLR with a few nice features that will probably satisfy many shooters, it doesn't deliver quite enough on any front to outshine competitors.

Fast Live View AF and single-shot performance ; tiltable LCD ; dual card slots ; relatively simple, straightforward operation ; built-in wireless flash and image stabilization ; helpful SteadyShot indicator

Smallish grip ; middling viewfinder ; default settings produce suboptimal photos

The Sony Alpha DSLR-A330 is a solid entry-level dSLR that will surely have its fans, but unless you really want Live View its cheaper sibling, the A230, is a better deal.

The Sony Alpha DSLR-A230 has fast autofocus ; high magnification viewfinder for its class ; dual card slots ; relatively simple, straightforward operation ; built-in wireless flash and image stabilization ; helpful SteadyShot indicator

Smallish grip ; default settings produce suboptimal photos

The Sony Alpha DSLR-A230 is a solid entry-level dSLR that will surely have its fans, and it's a better deal than its slightly higher-end sibling, the A330.

Striking design ; excellent build quality ; impressive photo quality ; interchangeable lens support

Sluggish autofocus ; short battery life ; low-resolution LCD ; lacks on-camera flash and viewfinder

The Olympus E-P1 is an otherwise excellent enthusiast compact camera hampered by some performance problems and the lack of a viewfinder and built-in flash.

Very fast autofocus ; relatively nice viewfinder ; wireless flash and in-body image stabilization

No Live View mode ; poor default JPEG image settings

Speedy performance lifts the Pentax K2000 above the cheap-dSLR masses, but bad default settings make it an iffy choice for newbies.

High-quality photos ; solid performance ; articulated LCD ; some nice features, including savable custom settings, in-body image stabilization, Art Filters, and a wireless flash controller

No video capture ; more complex to operate than is necessary

While it's a solid budget dSLR with good photo quality and a host of advanced features, the Olympus E-620 still falls behind the competition on most counts.

Interchangeable lenses ; comfortable to use ; well constructed ; excellent low-ISO photo quality ; very nice 720p video ; fast autofocus ; 10X zoom kit lens ; flip-and-twist LCD ; mic input

Expensive ; middling high ISO sensitivity image quality for the price ; slow kit lens ; EVF implementation makes burst shooting difficult

If you're willing to pay a premium to be on the cutting edge of digital photography and video, and as long as you don't shoot sports or in dark venues, then you'll likely love the Panasonic Lumix DMC-GH1. But if you're simply attracted by the not-to ...