Photocritic SLR database

A 2008 New Year’s baby, the K20D came tightly wrapped and is an upgrade of the already-popular K10D. The K20D comes with a bucket-full of megapixels (14.6, to be exact), a 2.7 inch screen and the ever-popular Live View mode, which allows you to use the LCD screen as a viewfinder. Very flash.

Talking about flash, the K20D also finally gets a PC lead socket, which means it is a lot more useful for photographing in studio. Nifty stuff.

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The Lumix L10 was a finalist for PopPhoto.com’s 2007 Camera of the Year. It may have been because of its 2.5-inch LCD that offers 270 degree rotation.

Or maybe the judges were impressed by its Intelligent ISO Control function, which detects and adapts to the movement of the subject and sets the appropriate ISO setting and the shutter speed. Maybe they were wowed by a unique Face Detection function. Of course, the L10 does offer one of the most advanced hybrid AF system in the industry, too, so that may have caused them to vote it camera of the year. What can’t be disputed is that it’s a rahter fine bit of kit.

Would we buy it though? Well… that depends… Get more »

Coming from a rich history of high-tech cameras coming in cut-price packages, the 450D takes on the competition with much gusto, sporting a huge 3-inch LCD display, a whopping 12.2 mpx sensor, and a blisteringly fast DIGIC III image processing chip.

With this much goodness in such a tidy-looking package, why would you even bother with its bigger brethren? Well, the plastic enclosure of the 450D is solid, but not nearly as sturdy as the magnesium alloy body protecting the innards of the likes of the 40D. In addition, Canon decided to use arrow switches instead of a thumb wheel on the back of the camera: Great for navigating menu systems, not so great if you’re used to having your aperture control underneath your thumb.

Minor niggles aside: If you don’t mind having to search a little to select your aperture, and if you treat your camera carefully, the 450D is truly a magnificent piece of kit. Get more »

If the 20D and 200D were pandas, they’d be fraternal twins - both made their debut in January 2008. The K200 is the K100’s replacement, and it has already made quite a splash in the DSLR marketplace.

Aimed at the entry-level market, the K200D has a few cool tricks up its sleeve, including dust- and some weather proofing (i.e. don’t stand in the rain for hours, but it can take a splash here and there).

The 10 megapixel sensor is petty decent, and the camera has image stabilisation built into the sensor-level, which means that all lenses become IS lenses as soon as you attach them to the camera. Get more »

Nikon’s D80 has impressed more than a few experts, who seem to agree that it’s a whole lotta camera for not-a-lotta money, making it a good choice for DSLR newbies and the serious amateurs alike.

The D80 features a fast new high-resolution image processing engine and a host of image functions that draw on the latest advances in digital technology to extend your creative freedom. It inherits advanced autofocus and auto exposure performance from Nikon’s award winning D-SLRs, the D200 and the D2Xs and it all comes packed into a lightweight body that is easy to use and comfortable to handle.

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Freshly launched on this side of the 2007/2008 barrier, the Nikon D60 is still wet behind the ears.

So far, the reviews are underwhelming, mostly because the D40x it is supposed to be replacing is still available - and many reviewers are pointing out that while you can buy a D40x for less cash dolla than the D60, spending your hard-earned on the latter makes very little sense indeed.

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The E510 is like its little sister, the E410, except that it has CCD-shift image stabilization. The slightly larger and heavier E510 is still amazingly light, and is the replacement for the highly regarded E-500. Compared to its predecessor it is considerably more sophisticated, with some important extra features, including the Live MOS sensor.

On the other hand, at least one reviewer accuses it of having “button clutter” - a grievance that has become quite common for Olympus cameras in general. Get more »

The Sigma SD14 has a new body design that is smaller than its predecessors, the SD10 and SD9. Like the previous models, it uses a Foveon X3 direct image sensor. It has a Sigma SA lens mount, which means you can use the whole range of Sigma’s rather awesome lenses - all at a much lower price than Canon or Nikon’s lenses, but at roughly the same quality.

The SD14 may not be for everybody, but if you can live with its flaws, you might be able to get a proper bargain… Get more »

The 10mp successor to the 350D, the 400D is considered an excellent yet still-affordable choice for photographers ready to graduate to a ‘proper’ DSLR. Now that it has been replaced by the Canon EOS 450D, you can still find a phenomenal bargain for the 400D.

It’s brandishing a proper, big screen on the back, is light-weight and a hell of a camera indeed - for now, this might very well be the best way to get started in the world of Digital SLR!

Here’s what the pros have to say about this spiffed-up Rebel baby… Get more »

According to the NPD Group, the entry-level D40 was second only to the Canon XTi in sales in January 2008, and it was PopPhoto.com’s Editor’s Choice for 2007 - and all for excellent reason: for the longest time, it was the only premium-brand entry-level camera that was worth its salt.

They had to cut some corners to get the price where they needed it, but that doesn’t mean that it’s a bad camera: in fact, it’s a mighty fine picture-taking machine, at a truly compelling price.

The D40 gets high marks in most categories from the professional reviewers, yet pro-level photographers remain resistant to its charms. For beginners, however, it is a serious contender! Get more »