The Panasonic Lumix DMC-L10 is the second digital SLR from the Japanese consumer electronics giant. The L10 is the follow-up to the DMC-L1, which didn't end up in the hands of that many photographers (apparently), and I think it's ~$1700 price tag had ...

Very good image quality (though see issues below) ; Well built, easy to hold camera body ; Impressive kit lens has nice range, optical image stabilization ; Flip-out, rotating 2.5" LCD display ; Live view with contrast detect AF, face detection, ...

Doesn't seem $500 better than the similar Olympus E-510 ; Sensor a little noisier than average ; too much noise reduction at high ISOs (shoot in RAW to get around that) ; Contrast detect AF and associated features only work with two lenses (at time of ...

As you can see, Panasonic threw some extras in the box with the L10, including a 1.2X magnifier eyecup, lens hood, and lens storage bag. I can't think of a digital SLR that comes with any of those as standard accessories

The Lumix DMC-L1 marks Panasonic's entry into the crowded midrange digital SLR market. Co-developed with Olympus (whose E-330 is quite similar), the DMC-L1 packs a 7.5 Megapixel LiveMOS sensor, a FourThirds lens mount, a 2.5" LCD display with live ...

Very good photo quality, especially if you shoot RAW ; Excellent Leica kit lens with optical image stabilization ; Built like a tank ; Robust performance in most areas ; Live view on sharp 2.5" LCD (but see issues below) ; Handy MF assist feature when ...

Very expensive for what you get ; Bulky, clumsy body has too many buttons and dials ; some switches very poorly placed ; Noisier than other D-SLRs at high ISOs ; JPEG image processing isn't the best ; you'll get much better results shooting RAW ; Live ...

As is the case with all digital SLRs, there's no memory card included in the box with the camera. Needless to say, you'll need to buy yourself one, unless you already have a stash of Secure Digital cards laying around. The camera supports both SD/MMC ...

The K10D is the flagship camera in Pentax's digital SLR lineup. It arguably has more bang for the buck than any other camera in its class, with a 10 Megapixel CCD, optical image stabilization, dust removal system, support for two RAW formats, and a ...

Excellent photo quality, though not at default settings ; Image stabilization system works with all Pentax lenses ; Great build quality ; easy to hold ; weatherproof seals ; Dust reduction system ; Large, bright 2.5" LCD display ; Full manual controls ...

JPEG quality at default settings leaves much to be desired ; Some vignetting with kit lens ; Battery life a bit below average

If you get the lens kit then you'll find a Pentax F3.5-5.6, 18 - 55 mm lens in the box. This lens can be purchased separately for a little over $100. The 18-55 is a decent lens that is good for everyday shooting, though it does have a bit of a problem ...

On the outside, the new Pentax K100D ($599 body only, $699 with lens) looks a lot like its predecessor, the *ist DS2. Pentax didn't just change the name, though (but I'm glad they did) -- inside the K100D is a CCD-shift image stabilization system. ...

Very good photo quality ; low noise through ISO 800 ; Great value ; Image stabilization system works with all Pentax lenses ; Solid construction ; doesn't feel "cheap" despite the low price ; Large 2.5" LCD display ; Full manual controls, as you'd ...

Buffer memory fills up way too quickly ; unimpressive continuous shooting mode as a result ; Performance not quite as good as other D-SLRs ; Some vignetting with kit lens ; Menus not terribly user friendly ; Limited white balance options (no fine ...

As is the case with all D-SLRs, Pentax does not include a memory card with the K100D, so you'll have to factor that into the total purchase price. The camera uses Secure Digital (SD) and MultiMediaCards, and if you're using firmware version 1.01 or ...

The Digimax GX-1S ($650) along with its twin, the GX-1L ($540), marks Korean electronics giant Samsung's entry into the digital SLR world. The GX-1S wasn't actually created by Samsung -- it's the now-discontinued Pentax *ist DS2 with a Samsung label ...

Very good photo quality (though see issues below) ; Solid construction ; doesn't feel "cheap" despite the low price ; Compatible with nearly all modern Pentax lenses ; Large 2.5" LCD display ; Snappy performance in most areas ; Full manual controls, ...

Focusing not as fast as competition, especially in low light ; Some vignetting with kit lens ; Photos a bit oversaturated in JPEG mode at default settings (in my opinion) ; Can't take as many shots in a row as competition in burst mode ; Limited white ...

Samsung includes a pretty standard 18 - 55 lens with the GX-1S. This lens has a field-of-view equivalent to 27 - 82.5 mm on the camera. The same lens is sold under different names by Pentax and Samsung: Pentax puts their name on it, while Samsung puts ...

Our final review of the Sony Alpha DSLR-A700 has been completed using a production-level camera. All sample and test photos were taken with this production camera running version 2.0 of the A700 firmware. Please note that the 16 - 80 mm (Zeiss) lens ...

Excellent photo quality (though see issues below) ; Well built, easy-to-hold body ; Sensor-shift image stabilization reduces blur on most legacy Minolta and all forthcoming Sony lenses ; Dust reduction system ; Stunning 3-inch LCD display ; Full ...

Noise reduction a bit heavy at high ISOs (workaround: shoot RAW) ; Tends to underexpose a bit ; No live view support (only mentioning this since everyone else has it now) ; Legacy hot shoe limits third party flash options ; Lots of buttons scattered ...

One feature you won't find on the A700 is live view. Three months ago I don't think anyone would care, but with the introduction of the Canon EOS-40D, Nikon D300, and Panasonic DMC-L10, the A700 seems a bit out-of-place

This review has been completed using a production-level DSLR-A100. All product photos have been reshot, and sample photos are from the production model.

Very good photo quality (though see issues below) ; Built-in image stabilizer means every lens you use gets the IS advantage ; Dust reduction system (which is a big deal, in my opinion) ; Large, sharp 2.5" LCD display ; Well built, easy to hold and ...

A bit noisier than the competition (especially Canon) at ISO 800 and above ; Color saturation/exposure changes when ISO goes from 800 to 1600 ; Long exposure noise reduction produces gradient effect in night scenes ; Metering system was flaky on rare ...

The DSLR-A100 is priced at $900 for the body only, and $1000 with the 18-70 lens

The Canon EOS-5D ($3299) is a full-frame, 12.8 Megapixel camera that fits in between the EOS-20D and EOS-1Ds Mk II cameras. The full-frame term means that there's no focal length conversion (often called a field-of-view crop factor) to worry about. ...

Excellent photo quality (with the right lenses) ; Very low noise, even at high ISOs ; Full-frame sensor means no more focal length conversion to worry about ; Built like a tank ; Large 2.5" LCD display ; Full manual controls ; Robust performance, ...

Expensive ; Requires nice lenses for best results ; EF-S lenses not supported ; Slower continuous shooting mode than EOS-20D ; No built-in flash ; No AF-assist lamp

well

The EOS-40D is Canon's midrange digital SLR, replacing their popular EOS-30D, which was introduced back in February of 2006. While the 30D was a relatively minor update to the 20D, the new 40D has some significant new features. They include:

Excellent photo quality (with a decent lens attached), with nearly no noise ; Rugged, well-designed body ; doors and ports are weather-sealed ; Cheaper than the competition, especially the D300 ; Huge 3-inch LCD with live view feature ; histogram and ...

Tends to underexpose a bit ; Some redeye ; Live view not available in auto/scene modes ; UDMA CompactFlash cards not supported (unlike the competition) ; LCD pales in comparison to the one on the D300 and A700

Something you definitely won't find in the box is a memory card. Thus, if you don't have a CompactFlash card laying around, you'll need to buy one. The 40D supports both Type I and II CompactFlash cards, which include things like the Microdrive (does ...

The Canon EOS-30D is one of those cameras that's evolutionary, rather than revolutionary. It updates the very popular EOS-20D (see our review), though the new features are more "I wouldn't mind having that" than "I've gotta have that!". New features ...

Excellent photo quality (with the right lenses) ; Very low noise, even at high ISOs ; Solid, well designed body ; useful playback zoom buttons ; Large 2.5" LCD display ; Full manual controls, including nice white balance controls ; Robust performance, ...

Images on the soft side straight out of the camera ; some lenses just exacerbate the problem ; LCD not as bright/sharp as the one on the Nikon D200

If you get the lens kit you'll also get Canon's second generation 18 - 55 mm EF-S lens in the box. I used this lens back when I reviewed the Digital Rebel XT, and it's not the greatest -- it tends to get soft at smaller apertures. It's a decent ...