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Last Updated:
November 16, 2009
~ Updated for the holidays ~
Since you found this page you're probably
trying to find the right digital camera. To help you
with your shopping, I've put a list of my favorite
cameras on this page. Keep in mind these are only cameras
I've reviewed, so it's not a complete list. This is
as close as you're going to get to a specific recommendation
from me, so enjoy!
Those of you who follow this page
may notice that cameras "fall off the list".
This isn't because they suddenly became bad cameras.
Rather, it's usually because the camera is no longer
available in stores. To see a list of those cameras,
check out our Hall
of Fame.
For more help in choosing a
camera, please visit our forums.
Please do not e-mail me asking for a recommendation!
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| Best Cameras: Under $400 |
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Canon PowerShot SX10
IS
Specs | Review | Check
Prices
When a 12X zoom lens just isn't enough,
there's the PowerShot SX10 IS. It packs
a whopping 20X, 28 - 560 mm lens, which
covers virtually any shooting situation
that may come up. Other features include
a 10 Megapixel CCD, image stabilization,
a rotating LCD, full manual controls,
and a nice VGA movie mode. Battery life
is excellent when the camera is equipped
with NiMH rechargeables, as well. Images
do suffer from noise reduction artifacting
as the ISO climbs, especially in low
light. The SX10 also could do better in the
low light focusing department, and the lack
of an HD movie mode and RAW image format is
disappointing.
Note: This camera has since been replaced
by the PowerShot
SX20 IS. |
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Fuji FinePix F200EXR
Specs | Review | Check
Prices
The FinePix F200EXR is a compact camera
that performs better in low light than
any of its peers. It offers a 5X zoom lens
(with a useful 28 - 140 mm range), image
stabilization, a 3-inch LCD, some manual controls,
and generally snappy performance. While
photos are on the soft side, they'll have
less noise at high ISO settings than other
compact cameras. The camera removes redeye
automatically, so you don't have to deal
with it later. Downsides include the need
to lower the resolution for best high ISO
performance, the lack of IS in movie mode,
and sub-par battery life. |
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Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ35
Specs | Review | Check
Prices
The DMC-FZ35 is the long-awaited replacement
to Panasonic's popular FZ28 super zoom
camera. The FZ35 is what I call a "hybrid"
product, capable of taking high quality
stills as well as HD videos. It has the
usual Panasonic suite of point-and-shoot
features, including image stabilization,
Intelligent Auto mode, responsive performance,
and very good battery life. The FZ35 also
has a nice set of manual controls, and
it supports the RAW image format. The camera
also supports HD movie recording, though
the AVCHD Lite codec isn't easy to work
with (though M-JPEG is available too). You
can use the zoom lens and image stabilization
while recording a video, and sound is recorded
in stereo. The FZ35 isn't perfect, though:
images are a bit noisy, the LCD and EVF are neither
large nor sharp, and the AF-assist lamp is
easy to block -- to name a few things. |
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Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS3
Specs | Review | Check
Prices
The Lumix DMC-ZS3 is the follow-up to
the excellent DMC-TZ5. Panasonic has taken
that camera and improved upon it in many
ways. The lens is now even wider, covering
a range of 25 - 300 mm (12X). The HD movie
mode now uses the AVCHD Lite codec which,
while great for viewing on a HDTV, is a bit
of a pain to edit (though M-JPEG is still
available). Other features on this point-and-shoot
camera include a large, high resolution (and
easy to see) 3-inch LCD, automatic redeye
removal, HDMI output, and good battery life.
The main downsides are a lack of a manual
controls and occasional noise (even at low
ISOs). |
| Best Cameras: $400 - $650 |
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Olympus E-520
Specs | Review | Check
Prices
The E-520 is an inexpensive but full-featured
digital SLR. It features a 10 Megapixel
CCD, sensor-shift image stabilization,
a 2.7" LCD with live view, and plenty
of manual controls. There are also some
nice features for beginners, including
numerous scene modes and a handy Perfect
Shot Preview option. Downsides include
soft photos, banding at the highest sensitivities,
slow focusing in live view mode, and a
small optical viewfinder. The camera doesn't
support an AC adapter or battery grip,
either. Despite that, it's a great value
for the money. |
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Olympus E-620
Specs | Review | Check
Prices
The E-620 takes nearly all of the features
from the more expensive Olympus E-30,
and puts them into a compact body. Those
features include a 12.3 Megapixel Live
MOS sensor, image stabilization (for
all lenses), a rotating 2.7" LCD
display, live view (with lots of bells
and whistles), art filters, and support
for a battery grip. The E-620 has plenty
of manual controls, including four types
of bracketing, RAW support, and the ability
to fine-tune things like white balance,
metering, and focus. The E-620 is also
the only D-SLR to feature backlit buttons. Downsides
include the tendency to underexpose
and clip highlights, a bit more noisy
than the best D-SLRs in this class, sluggish
contrast detect AF in live view mode,
and a small optical viewfinder. |
| Best Cameras: $650 - $1000 |
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Canon EOS Rebel
T1i
Specs | Review | Check
Prices
The EOS Rebel T1i is the latest entry
level digital SLR from Canon. It may
be fairly inexpensive, but it packs quite
a feature set into its compact (perhaps
too compact) body. Those features include
a 15 Megapixel CMOS sensor, high resolution
3-inch LCD (with live view), full manual
controls, full HD movie recording, and
an impressive software bundle. Photo
quality is generally very good, though
images are a bit soft straight out of
the camera, and highlight clipping can
be an issue at times. Redeye is also
an issue, which is uncommon on digital
SLRs. Battery life is below average,
and some many not be fans of the hard to
hold, plasticky body, either. |
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Nikon D5000
Specs | Review | Check
Prices
The D5000 is the baby brother to the stellar
Nikon D90. The two cameras share the same
12 Megapixel CMOS sensor, and both have
first-rate high ISO performance. The D5000
supports all Nikkor lenses, though only
AF-S and AF-I lenses will support autofocus.
Other features include a rotating (but
low res) 2.7" LCD display, full manual
controls, and a plethora of easy to use
point-and-shoot features. The camera supports
live view, but the autofocus performance
in that mode is poor. While the D5000 can
record movies at 720p,
the quality isn't wonderful. |
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Nikon D90
Specs | Review | Check
Prices
The D90 is an excellent camera that bridges
the gap between entry-level and midrange
D-SLRs. It features a 12.1 Megapixel CMOS
sensor with top-notch high ISO performance,
a beautiful 3-inch LCD with live view,
plenty of manual controls, and a high definition
(720p) movie mode. Other niceties include
HDMI output, support for an optional GPS
receiver, and best-in-class battery life.
The only real downsides are slow autofocus
in live view mode and a poor bundled RAW
editor. |
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Panasonic Lumix DMC-G1
Specs | Review | Check
Prices
The Panasonic Lumix DMC-G1 is a compact
interchangeable lens camera. Since it lacks
a mirror, it's not a digital SLR. Still,
it offers all the benefits of a D-SLR (great
image quality, fast performance, expandability)
with a live view experience that's second-to-none.
Downsides include a rather high price,
limited lens selection, sluggish burst
mode, and a few ergonomic annoyances.
Note: If you like the G1 but want
a movie mode, check out the Lumix
DMC-GH1. |
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Panasonic Lumix DMC-GF1
Specs | Review | Check
Prices
The Lumix DMC-GF1 is a lot like the
DMC-G1, but in a much more compact body.
Top features include an Intelligent Auto
mode, full manual controls, a large, ultra-sharp
LCD, and an HD Movie mode. Like the G1,
the live view experience is second-to-none,
with super-fast autofocus, face detection,
and good visibility. Photo quality is
very good as well, with the main complaints
being occasional highlight clipping and
redeye. A few other negatives include
the GF1's fairly weak built-in flash,
video
codec that is difficult to work with,
and a few ergonomic annoyances. |
| Best Cameras: Over $1000 |
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Canon EOS-50D
Specs | Review | Check
Prices
The EOS-50D is a fairly minor update to
the very popular EOS-40D. Highlights include
a 15.1 Megapixel CMOS sensor, support for
EF and EF-S lenses, a super high resolution
3-inch LCD display, full manual controls,
three different RAW sites, and very good
performance. The 50D's noise
performance is top-notch, as are its continuous
shooting abilities. Downsides include the
50D's occasional highlight clipping, and
overall soft look to its images. |
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Canon EOS-5D Mark
II
Specs | Review | Check
Prices
The 5D Mark II isn't just a full-frame
digital SLR -- it's also capable of recording
Full HD video, as well. Since its full
frame, you can use any Canon EF-mount lens
that you want, with no focal length conversion
ratio to deal with. The camera isn't made
for beginners -- you won't find any scene
modes here. What you will find are full
manual controls for every possible camera
function. The 5D's movie feature lets your
record 1080p video with full manual control (via
a recent firmware update). As you'd expect
from a camera in this price range, both photo
and video quality are stellar. |
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Nikon D300
Specs | Review |
Check Prices
The D300 is a phenomenal digital SLR,
and perhaps the best one in its class.
It features a 12 Megapixel CMOS sensor,
live view on a stunning 3-inch LCD display,
a dust reduction system, impressive performance
and build quality, and much more. Being
a D-SLR, the D300 can be expanded to
your heart's content, with a wireless
transmitter and battery grip being the
notable accessories. The only real weak
spots are soft, occasionally overexposed
images, a few missing live view features,
and its hefty price.
Note: This camera has been replaced
by the D300s. |
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Nikon D700
Specs | Review | Check
Prices
The D700 is Nikon's "budget" full frame
camera. Featuring a 12 Megapixel FX-format
CMOS sensor, the D700 produces photos of
stunning quality. With most Nikon lenses,
you have no focal length conversion to worry
about. With DX-format lenses, there's a
1.5X conversion ratio, and the camera shoots
at a lower resolution, as well. As you'd
expect, the D700 is packed with manual
controls, and it's a pretty complex camera,
too. Other nice features on it include
an ultra-sharp 3-inch LCD, a built-in flash,
HDMI output, and a handy virtual horizon
feature. |
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Olympus E-30
Specs | Review | Check
Prices
The Olympus E-30 is a solid and
very capable midrange D-SLR. It features
a 12 Megapixel Live MOS sensor, image stabilization,
a rotating 2.7" LCD display, and snappy
performance. Other nice features include
live view, a pitch/level meter, nine different
aspect ratios, and the ability to take
multiple exposures. The E-30 also has built-in
support for wireless flash control, and
excellent battery life. |
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Pentax K-7
Specs | Review | Check
Prices
The Pentax K-7 is a midrange D-SLR offering
build quality and features that you'd expect
to find on a camera costing hundreds more. It's
built like a tank, with a metal body, and
full weather sealing. Image quality is
very good, it provides image stabilization
for nearly every Pentax lens, the LCD is
large and very sharp, performance is snappy,
and battery life is strong. Some
of its unique features include TAv and
Sv exposure modes, composition adjustment, numerous
types of bracketing, and an electronic
level. The K-7 can also record HD movie clips (though
this feature could use some work). Downsides
include the tendency to underexpose, sluggish
autofocus performance in live view, and
an ancient-looking menu system. |
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