While most dSLRs use CMOS sensors in order to provide live view, Sony's DSLR-A300 doesn't: It offers instant live view via a tilting LCD screen. Now that's pretty cool. Another bonus is that Sony's built-in Super SteadyShot anti-shake...

Straightforward live view; tilting LCD; great colour rendition

Plasticky feel; noisy AF; weak kit lens

The A300 is not the only budget dSLR with live view, and its 10-megapixel resolution is pretty ordinary too. It feels crude and plasticky and the live view 'solution' is hardly elegant. But it is very practical, and in fact the whole camera has...

Will Pentax's newest attempt at challenging its rivals, Canon and Nikon, work? Rod Lawton introduces us to the 10-megapixel K-m, a digital camera designed specifically with beginners in mind. The K-m proves to be a sturdy, practical, straightforward...

SR anti-shake, dynamic range, image quality, AA batteries

Kit lens performance, noisy AF

The instant reaction to K-m is that it's like all the rest but a fraction cruder. It's true that the kit lens isn't up to much, but look at the rest of it -- a stainless steel chassis, expanded dynamic range, the best anti-shake system on t...

The 12-megapixel Panasonic Lumix G1 is described as the 'world's first full-time live view digital interchangeable lens camera', and is a big step towards entirely digital photography. You will love it for its speed, photo quality and flexibility, but you...

Interchangeable lenses; fast performance; excellent photo quality; flip-and-twist LCD

Accident-prone jog dial; some restrictive feature implementations; no movie capture

The Panasonic Lumix DMC-G1 is a camera that people will either love for its speed, photo quality, and interchangeable-lens flexibility or hate for its large-ish size, electronic viewfinder and occasionally frustrating design

The Nikon D700, featured here with a 24-120mm lens, is a sound choice for those seeking professional-calibre photos for a slightly less daunting price. As long as you don't need pro-sports-speed continuous-shooting performance, the D700 is quite fast, del...

Excellent photo quality as high as ISO 6,400; fast focus and shooting, even in low light; first-rate build quality and control layout

Relatively heavy; low resolution for its class; viewfinder only provides 95 per cent coverage and lacks interchangeable focusing screens; occasional issues with automatic white balance under artificial light

As long as you don't need seriously high-resolution photos, video capture, or machine-gun-fast sports shooting, the Nikon D700 has everything you need in a pro full-frame camera for a reasonable price

The EOS 50D offers class-leading resolution, an amazing 6.3fps continuous shooting mode, a tough, magnesium alloy body and compatibility with all Canon EF-S and EF lenses. Though its 15-megapixel sensor has the highest resolution of any of its rivals, tho...

Rugged build; excellent design; 6.3fps shooting; high-res LCD

Unexceptional definition; disappointing 17-85mm kit lens

The EOS 50D is an excellent semi-pro camera with slick controls, rugged build and a terrific continuous shooting rate of 6.3fps. But while the camera's great, the pictures are pretty average, despite that 15-megapixel sensor. The fine detail in JPEGs...

The Nikon D90 is the first digital SLR camera with video recording, which is great, especially since it's shot in 1,280x720-pixel motion JPEG at 24fps, giving it a cinematic, high-definition look. You can also shoot video with any lens, which yields...

First-rate performance; solid, well-constructed body with good viewfinder; video capture capability; great photo quality

Middling kit lens; poor HDMI output implementation

Like the D80 before it, the Nikon D90 delivers an excellent dSLR for the money. It's the first digital SLR camera with video recording, which is great, especially since it's shot in 1,280x720-pixel motion JPEG at 24fps, giving it a cinematic, hi...

Nikon has finally delivered its full-frame sensor, 12-megapixel D3 camera. It reaches new heights in imaging with extremely low noise at astronomical ISO sensitivities, while maintaining the pro-level control and body design Nikonians have come to expect...

Full-frame sensor; pro-level weather-sealed body; low noise; speed

Resolution lags far behind the Canon EOS-1Ds Mark III and Sony's forthcoming 24-megapixel dSLR

Nikon's flagship dSLR packs a full-frame 12-megapixel sensor and is a highly versatile imaging powerhouse that lets photographers create images previously impossible to capture. As long as you can get used to this camera's solid weight, it'...

This top-end digital SLR is not for beginners, that much is for sure. It's solid and produces accurate exposures with deeply colourful pictures, but there's also a crude side to its design. And, since it's essentially the same camera as the...

The 14 million pixels; rich and vivid results; effective anti-shake

Coarse autofocus; poor kit lens; some awkward controls

It's hard to understand why anyone who knows a little about camera history would choose a Samsung-branded camera over a Pentax. It wouldn't be so bad if the GX-20 was actually better in some ways than the K20D, but it's actually the other w...

The Canon EOS 1000D reflects the narrowing gap between compacts and digital SLRs. With its lightweight build and 10.1-megapixel CMOS sensor, the dSLR is an unintimidating camera. Will its compact-style features pack enough punch to sway buyers from other...

Live view; bright display; stabilised kit lens

Budget feel; average performance; unadventurous specs

The 1000D feels like what it is: a cheap, basic dSLR. It's perfectly competent, produces good quality pictures and has all the controls that keen photographers will want as they gain experience. But while Canon's used the opportunity to improve...

Olympus' entry-level dSLR is the world's smallest and lightest digital SLR. An upgrade of the E-410, the E-420 boasts a larger, better, 69mm LCD, improved autofocus in live view mode, face detection and slightly faster continuous shooting

Size; controls and interface; classy feel

Slow live view AF; smaller sensor than rivals

The E-420 is beautiful but flawed. The controls, the design and the more advanced photographic features are excellent, but it relies on its above-average lens rather than its below-average sensor to keep up with its rivals. Despite the gripes, though, its...