As you can see, the D5000 is essentially a D90 that's been stripped down just a little. One important difference between the two is that the D5000 only supports autofocus on AF-S and AF-I lenses, just like the D60.

As you can see, the D5000 is essentially a D90 that's been stripped down just a little. One important difference between the two is that the D5000 only supports autofocus on AF-S and AF-I lenses, just like the D60

The D700 ($2999, body only) is Nikon's midrange, full-frame digital SLR. It takes everything that's great about the $4500 D3, and puts it into a midsize body that's not much larger than the D300. The D700's main competitors include the new Canon EOS ...

Excellent photo quality with a quality lens ; Out of this world high ISO performance ; Full frame sensor means no crop factor to deal with (unless you're using a DX-format lens) ; Dust reduction system ; Built like a brick ; Large, super high ...

Tendency to slightly overexpose ; Corner blurriness a big problem with kit lens ; Considerable drop in resolution with DX-format lenses ; Poor RAW image editing software included ; better RAW editor and remote capture software cost extra ; Slow ...

Like all D-SLRs, there's no memory card in the D700's box, so you'll need to pick one up (if you don't have one already). The D700 uses CompactFlash cards (Type I only), and I'd recommend a 2GB card to start with. The camera supports UDMA cards, so if ...

The Nikon D300 is the LONG awaited successor to the D200, which was introduced way back in 2005. This upgrade isn't evolutionary by any stretch of the imagination -- it's a totally new camera. Here are the most significant new features:

Excellent photo quality (after some setting tweaks) ; Better high ISO performance than the 40D, A700 ; Built like a brick (though see issue below) ; Live view on a stunning, ultra-sharp 3-inch LCD display ; Dust reduction system ; Dedicated AF-assist ...

Images are soft at default settings ; camera tends to overexpose ; Battery grip (and proper battery configuration) required for 8 fps continuous shooting ; No exposure preview, live histogram, or self-timer in live view mode ; Sluggish contrast detect ...

If you buy either of the lens kits, then you're ready to go right away. If you didn't, then you should know that you can attach nearly any F-mount Nikkor lens in existence. There is a 1.5X focal length conversion ratio here, so a 50 mm lens will have ...

The Canon EOS-50D ($1399, body only) is a midrange digital SLR that "complements" the popular EOS-40D, rather than replacing it. It's no secret that I'm a fan of this line of Canon D-SLRs -- I've used three generations of them for the product shots on ...

Very good photo quality (with a good lens) ; Low noise levels through ISO 1600 in low light, and ISO 3200 in good light ; Sturdy, well-designed body ; easy to hold ; resistant against dust and moisture ; Ultra-sharp 3-inch LCD display ; Live view ...

Images on the soft side, especially with "average" lenses ; Slight tendency to clip highlights and overexpose ; Battery life is below average, and 20% worse than on the 40D ; Very slow contrast detect AF in live view mode ; Live view not available in ...

If you bought either of the lens kits then you're ready to start shooting (well, almost -- see the next paragraph) with the 50D. The two available kit lenses include the 28 - 135 mm, a generally popular lens that I personally have never tried. This ...

The K20D ($1199, body only) is the flagship model in Pentax's digital SLR lineup. While it has the features of a midrange SLR (most notably its 14.6 Megapixel sensor and weatherproof body), the K20D costs several hundred dollars less than the ...

Very good photo quality ; Good value for the money ; Very well built, weatherproof body ; Image stabilization system works with all Pentax lenses ; Full manual controls, and then some ; Unique sensitivity (Sv) and shutter/aperture priority (TAv) modes ...

Consistently underexposes ; A little noisy in low light ; Live view lags behind the competition ; LCD smaller as well ; Below average battery life ; Burst rate not as fast as other D-SLRs (even cheaper ones) ; Outdated, clunky user interface ; ...

. The cameras aren't 100% identical, with the GX20 having different menus and, reportedly, different image processing

The E-30 ($1299, body only) is a midrange digital SLR that fits between the E-520 and the flagship E-3 in Olympus' line-up. The easiest way to describe the E-30 is this: take the E-3, subtract the weather-sealing, then add a higher resolution sensor, ...

Very good photo quality (though see below) ; Well built, easy to hold body ; Sensor-shift image stabilization ; Live view on a flip-out, rotating 2.7" LCD display ; screen easy to see outdoors ; Full manual controls, and then some ; RAW format ...

A little too expensive ; Camera clips highlights more often than it should ; images are a bit noisier than the best cameras in this class ; Viewfinder smaller than most of competition ; Contrast detect AF in live view is very slow, and only supports a ...

If you're like me, you might be thinking "gee, why buy the E-3 when you can get the nearly equivalent E-30 for a few hundred less?". Unless you need the more durable body and larger viewfinder of the E-3, it seems to be that you could do quite well ...

The Olympus E-420 is a compact digital SLR that offers a host of nice features, despite being priced at just $599. This camera is the follow-up to the venerable EVOLT E-410, offering these new features:

Very good photo quality ; Good value -- starts at $500, body only ; World's smallest D-SLR ; excellent build quality ; Dust reduction system ; Live view with contrast detect AF and face detection (with some lenses) on a 2.7" LCD display ; Full manual ...

Photos are slightly soft ; noise reduction a bit heavy at ISO 1600 (shoot RAW to avoid) ; Slow contrast detect AF, unimpressive face detection in live view mode ; both features only available with a select few lenses ; Low light focusing could be ...

There are two lenses that you can get along with the E-420. The first is the F3.5-5.6, 14 - 42 mm lens, which has a field-of-view of 28 - 84 mm. By kit lens standards, this one is pretty good -- it's well built, and photos are sharp. The other ...

Our review of the Olympus E-520 has been completed using a production-level camera. Thank you for your patience!

Very good photo quality (though see issues below) ; Good value for the money ; doesn't feel "cheap ; Sensor-shift image stabilization ; Dust reduction system ; Live view with contrast detect AF and face detection (with some lenses) on a 2.7" LCD ...

Photos on the soft side, especially at high ISOs ; Images are noisy when noise filter is lowered ; banding at highest sensitivities ; Tends to clip highlights easily ; occasional overexposure ; Small optical viewfinder ; Slow contrast detect AF, ...

If you purchase the E-520 lens kit, then you'll get Olympus' fairly new 14 - 42 mm lens. On the E-520 (and all other FourThirds cameras), that's equivalent to 28 - 84 mm. This is a pretty nice lens, as kit lenses go, with good sharpness and decent ...

The D60 is an updated version of Nikon's popular D40x entry-level D-SLR. The D60 ($749) retains most of the features that made the D40x a great camera. Those features include a 10 Megapixel CCD, super-fast performance, a 2.5" LCD display, an easy-to ...

Photos have accurate exposure, low noise levels, and minimal purple fringing ; Solid construction ; feels better in the hand than the competition ; Dust reduction system ; Large, bright, and sharp 2.5" LCD ; shooting data well presented on the main ...

Images are oversaturated, and on the soft side ; Limited selection of AF-S lenses means that many Nikkor lenses (mostly primes) will not support autofocus ; Missing some features offered by competitive cameras: bracketing, DOF preview, live view, more ...

There are "officially" two D60 kits available, though a third one may be available in select locations. The first kit includes the new 18 - 55 mm VR lens ($699), while the second has that lens plus a 55 - 200 mm VR lens ($899). I've spotted a third ...

The EOS Rebel XSi ($799) is one of two entry-level cameras in Canon's lineup (the other being the recently announced Rebel XS -- a stripped down version of the XSi). The Rebel XSi (also known as the EOS-450D) is the replacement to the extremely ...

Very good photo quality (though not at default settings) ; Remarkably little noise ; Compact body by D-SLR standards (though it's not for everyone) ; Much improved kit lens features image stabilization ; Large 3-inch LCD with live view feature ; ...

JPEGs are very soft at default settings (adjust in-camera sharpening or shoot RAW for best results) ; Small right hand grip ; plasticky" body ; Redeye ; Seemed to produce an abnormal number of out-of-focus shots ; Very slow contrast detect AF in live ...

As you can see, there's a dramatic improvement in battery life from the Rebel XTi to the Rebel XSi. In the group as a whole, the XSi's numbers are a bit below average, due to the extraordinary battery life on the Sony A300