Convergence has finally reached the high-altitude hamlets of Pro-Camera Land. This magnesium-bodied beauty summons the powers of a full-frame 21-megapixel sensor and mighty Digic 4 processor to bang out stills that often kick its much pricier brother, ...

Simple user interface. Self-cleaning sensor. Terrific high-ISO images. Peripheral-illumination correction eliminates vignetting to keep brightness consistent across the entire image. Auto lighting optimizer boosts shadow detail. Full manual control ...

Autofocus system is not as fast as, say, Nikon's

Though its awesome D90 was the first DSLR to leap into HD video, Nikon took a jump backward with this model. Freshly captured movies look like faded old film. And the inability to autofocus after recording starts nearly guarantees that the clips - ...

Swiveling screen. While video settings are minimal, aperture adjustment lets you control depth of field

Prepare to miss some great shots while you dig though multiple screens to make adjustments. Menus use ambiguous sample photos instead of words, which makes some controls indecipherable. Claustrophobic viewfinder and smallish 2.7-inch LCD

In both still and video modes, the Canon's colors are comic-book oversaturated, so it's a good thing the menus are easy to navigate: A deep settings massage will slap them into shape. No such luck with the moiré problem. Close parallel lines danced ...

Creative Auto mode provides intuitive tools for newbies. Though there's no full autofocus for video, you can refocus manually while shooting. Offers some advanced image controls for video

Pronounced orange hue in most photos, especially indoor shots. Reds look weak. Outdoor pics usually come out overexposed. 3-inch LCD doesn't swivel, so you have to hold the camera in front of your nose while filming

Olympus is taunting tigers at the zoo with its new digital "Pen" camera, the E-P1.

Mighty Four Thirds sensor dwarfs the imagers used in all other compact cameras. Interchangeable lenses give flexibility, arty possibilities. Shoots fast. Image stabilization + wide ISO range = ability to shoot in low light. Solid, comfortable feel in ...

Manual focusing is confusing and difficult without an optical viewfinder. Autofocus not entirely reliable. No included flash. Maximum aperture of f3.5 in the kit lens is disappointing. Kit lens requires a manual "press and twist" maneuver to extend it ...

Camera costs are falling faster than a bowling ball in a black hole. Case in point: The Olympus E-620, an inexpensive digital single-lens reflex camera that won't weigh your shoulder down, is easy to use and takes fine pictures in a wide variety of ...

Easy to use. Lithe and compact size for a DSLR. Spiffy swiveling LCD screen. Excellent shots in photon-rich environments. Body-based image stabilization. Easy to configure in both automatic and manual modes

Poor low-light performance. Noisy images above ISO 1000. Doesn't shoot video. Plastic body and lens construction feels like it could break if squeezed too hard

and scrutinizing each purchase, Pentax introduces a pocketbook-friendly prosumer DSLR body that's bursting with useful features, some only found on cameras costing two or more times its $1300 price tag.

Speedy 5.2 frames per second. Super sturdy construction. Lots of pro features at a prosumer price. Improved battery life and 100 percent field-of-view viewfinder. Faster, more robust processor. Live View with contrast focus and face detection. Shoots ...

User interface needs to be simpler and more unified

DSLRs take the best pictures, but you don't. No offense, but you need a camera that's smarter than its user. The 12.3-megapixel D90 is a Mensa-worthy fistful of photo fury that could pave your way to MoMA's permanent collection.

Nikon's quest for speed spawned the Usain Bolt of DSLRs, keen on showboatin' a full-frame, 12.1-megapixel image sensor that fires up to nine frames per second. Truth is, this pro-level camera's blazing speed is just a start. The 51-point focusing ...

High-ISO shooting is fantastic, with low noise, even at ISO 3200. In-camera RAW conversion. Live-view function is the best of the top-end DSLRs. Dual CF card capability.

So many functions it could take a lifetime to nail them all. No dust-busting sensor-cleaning system

's season 3 finale if you don't believe me.) And in the world of DSLR cameras, Nikon has been toiling to one day escape from the shadow of a certain photo-manufacturing giant whose name rhymes with "Danon." And with its newest shooter it looks like ...

Enormous image sensor blows open the door to some of the finest 12.3-megapixel images we've produced yet. Nikon's top-of-the-line high-res 3-inch LCD is prettier than looking at a supermodel with beer goggles. In-camera dust reduction is spot on at ...

Only manual focus in the video mode. Seriously, this is really the only problem we had with the D90 and even that was a stretch

Sony came out swinging for the fences with the introduction of its "flagship" DSLR, the A900. Billed as a prosumer digi-snapper, but packed with a panoply of pro-style features, a memory card bursting, 24-megapixel full-frame sensor, crystal clear ...

Bright, vivid and spacious viewfinder. Excellent in-camera image stabilization system. Easy no-menu adjustments with Fn button and multi-selector toggle. Killer price for the highest resolution, high functioning, easy to use DSLR.

Focus points not big and bright enough in brightly lit situations. No latch for memory card cover. Pointless postage stamp sized LCD on top of the body. No continuous ISO in viewfinder. Power switch on left side of body.