A bit better than budget: dSLRs for $700 to $900
Lori Grunin,
Senior Editor
August 13, 2009
You can get an entry-level dSLR for a couple of hundred dollars less, but do you want to? These models generally deliver better performance and photo quality then their slightly cheaper counterparts, and don't cost much more, even equipped with a kit lens. However, you might still opt to go for the cheaper models, especially in their sub-$1,000 dual-lens kit configurations.
- For the best overall value for the money, my pick is the Nikon D5000. It's got a wealth of features, including an articulated LCD and video capture capability, in addition to great performance and photo quality.
- For the best photo quality, the T1i and the D5000 are tied. The T1i delivers better video, however, so for overall image quality it takes a slight lead.
- For one of the least expensive weather-sealed bodies available, last year's Pentax K20D is your only choice.
| Product name | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Price | $699.00 to $749.99 | $719.88 to $899.99 | $1,249.95 | $549.00 to $699.99 | $699.00 to $799.99 |
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| Review date | May 08, 2009 | May 01, 2009 | May 28, 2008 | May 28, 2009 | August 12, 2009 |
| The Bottom Line | Though it falls short in its design, the Nikon D5000 delivers a nice feature set, speedy performance, and great photo quality for the money. | A solid, slightly better-than-basic dSLR, the Canon EOS Rebel T1i delivers photo quality and performance that adequately compensates for most of its annoyances. | Pentax's 14MP K20D is a great choice for a midlevel SLR and offers a lot of bang for the buck. | 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. | 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. |
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| Features | |||||
| Lens aperture | F/3.5-5.6 | F/3.5-5.6 | F/3.5-5.6 | F/3.5-5.6 | F/3.5-5.6 |
| Optical zoom | 3 x | 3 x | 3 x | 3 x | 3 x |
| Light sensitivity | ISO 200-3200 | ISO 6400 ISO 12800 ISO 100-3200 ISO auto (100-3200) | ISO 6400 ISO auto ISO 100-3200 | ISO 100-3200 ISO auto (200-3200) | ISO 100 ISO 200 ISO 400 ISO 800 ISO 1600 ISO 3200 ISO auto |
| Display (projector) technology | TFT active matrix | TFT active matrix | TFT active matrix | TFT active matrix | TFT active matrix |
| Video input type | Digital camera | Digital camera | Digital camera | Digital camera | Digital camera |
| Weight | 1.2 lbs | 16.9 oz | 1.6 lbs | 16.8 oz | 17.2 oz |
| Effective sensor resolution | 12,300,000 pixels | 15,100,000 pixels | 14,600,000 pixels | 12,300,000 pixels | 14,200,000 pixels |
| Still image format | JPEG NEF (RAW) | RAW JPEG RAW + JPEG | JPEG DNG (RAW) PEF (RAW) RAW + JPEG | RAW JPEG RAW + JPEG | RAW JPEG RAW + JPEG |
| Display (projector) diagonal size | 2.7 in | 3 in | 2.7 in | 2.7 in | 2.7 in |
| Manual focus | Manual Automatic | Manual Automatic | Manual Automatic | Manual Automatic | Manual Automatic |
| Full specifications | Full specifications | Full specifications | Full specifications | Full specifications | Full specifications |
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