Below I have listed the pros and cons of €200 DSLR's (Ebay price) that are important to me personally. Each pro gets a point, each con gets a minus. I used the spec sheet and feature set, and the best camera reviews on the net (dpreview.com) to identify what the pros and cons for me might be.
I chose one camera from each manufacturer. This camera had to have an average minimum get-me price of around €200 or less (a darren-price, not necessarily the average price)...which makes it realistic for me to get one at some point.
Anything not listed in the Pros or Cons just isn't deemed important enough for me to consider. For example: poor white balance performance, moire artifacts, selectable high ISO ratings, rugged body, pixel-count etc. - these things are not worthy of a point either way.
But things like: poor high iso performance, loud shutter, no onboard flash, fast write times, dust-busters, compatibility with my current lenses etc - these things will get a plus or minus point, as they are relevant and important to me. I have also limited the superlatives to 'good' and 'poor'...for to do otherwise without actually having used the cameras myself would be innaccurate.
For anyone else reading (fancy that?), a little confirmation of what a couple of the terms might mean:
- good or poor noise management: poor means very noisy high ISO's and/or poorly-implemented noise reduction (loses too much fine detail). Good means detail is kept at high ISO's and that the noise at high ISO's is either appealing (like film grain, not coloured mottle) or is kept clean.
- good or poor resolution: good means when you zoom in on a picture, or you print big, the finer details are present and correct, and not smeared out or pixellated as poor would mean (the leaves of the tree in the background look like leaves when you zoom into them).
- long exposures poor/good: if poor, then either the camera has no dark frame subtraction (having this helps clean away hot pixels - red, green and blue - from a long exposure) or the camera software reduces the hot pixels poorly, leaving a soft image and a blotchy night sky. If the long exposure is good, it means the camera can take a clean, sharp night image without any hot pixels (effective dark frame subtraction, sometimes called noise reduction - this is not related to ISO noise).
- good or poor colour: meaning the colours are left natural and neutral, or can be vibrant enough to be appealing. If poor then the colour tones negatively do not compare well with what your eyes see.
- good or poor dynamic range: if this is listed then it means that the camera has more or less dynamic range than most other DSLR's in that price range.
- fast/slow operation: generally means how does the camera react to function settings: record review, flash power, power on/off, switching menus or shooting modes etc. Note that "fast/slow write times" to the memory card or "burst mode" pros or cons are separate entities to "fast/slow operation".
I will start with the worst performer, and work my way up.
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Samsung GX-1S (note: the only camera listed here without a dpr review, so I used the other usual suspects to gain an overview...it seems this camera is very similar or almost identical to the Pentax ist DS)
Pros:
- fast operation
Cons:
- poorly performing autofocus, especially in low light
- generally has an average image quality
Total score:
-1
Conclusion:
The quintessential average camera.
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Sigma SD-10
Pros:
- very cheap, can be had for around €100
- sensor dust protection
- fast operation
- good autofocus performance
- good resolution
Cons:
- bulb function limited to 30 seconds
- slow write times
- long exposures poor
- poor noise management
- no onboard flash
Total score:
0
Conclusion:
Might be an interesting camera to try out, an almost minus point was it only having the Sigma SA mount...
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Sony Alpha A100
Pros:
- has a "SteadyShot" function, helps stabilise the exposure with slower shutter speeds
- good resolution
- good colour
- good dynamic range
- fast write times
Cons:
- loud shutter
- poor noise management
- long exposures poor
Total score:
2
Conclusion:
Has potential - but when noise is poor, the image can really suffer.
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Pentax K100D
Pros:
- proper image stabilisation
- good resolution
- good noise management
- good autofocus performance
Cons:
- loud shutter
Total score:
3
Conclusion:
Very interesting choice, with useful plus points...and no major cons speak against it either.
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Panasonic L10
Pros:
- uses the Four-Thirds mount, for which I have the most lenses
- up to 60-second manual exposure
- live-view
- live-view further enhanced by a vari-angle LCD display
- sensor dust protection
- good resolution
- good colour
- good dynamic range
Cons:
- loud shutter
- viewfinder poor
- poor noise management
Total score:
5
Conclusion:
A good effort with lots of plusses, but viewfinder and noise are important too.
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Konica Minolta Maxxum 7D
Pros:
- has an anti-shake function which is useful for tripod and other slow shutter work
- good noise management
- good resolution
- good colour
- good viewfinder
Cons:
(no important or relevant cons)
Total score:
5
Conclusion:
An unusual and worthy choice with no major weaknesses.
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Fuji S2 Pro
Pros:
- good noise management
- good resolution
- good colour
- good autofocus performance
- fast operation
- good dynamic range
- can be had for as little as €150
Cons:
- viewfinder poor
Total score:
6
Conclusion:
An excellent camera with lots of plusses relating to the image itself.
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Nikon D70
Pros:
- onboard flash allows flash sync of 1/500
- good noise management
- good resolution
- good colour
- fast operation
- can be had for as little as €150
Cons:
(no important or relevant cons)
Total score:
6
Conclusion:
A very solid performer, literally can't go wrong with the Nikon.
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Olympus E-1
Pros:
- uses the Four-Thirds mount, for which I have the most lenses
- up to 60-second manual exposure
- good viewfinder (100% coverage, x1.1 magnification)
- sensor dust protection
- quiet shutter
- fast write times
- good colour
- can be had for as little as €130
Cons:
- poor noise management
- no onboard flash
Total score:
6
Conclusion:
It's a shame there's no flash, and that the noise is inexplicably an issue with a 5mp 18x13 sensor - but the pros this camera has are very important and useful features...the open question remains: is the image quality at least as good as the other 6-pointers?
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Canon 20D
Pros:
- manages 5 frames per second in burst mode, up to 23 frames
- fast operation (including instant power on)
- some sensor dust protection due to the nature of the CMOS sensor
- good noise management
- good resolution
- good colour
- good autofocus performance
- long exposures good
Cons:
- loud shutter
- poor sharpening algorithms (appear cheap, or fake)
Total score:
6
Conclusion:
An immense camera, the number one choice for action/sports shoot.
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And for argument's sake, let's also objectively include my own DSLR.
Olympus E-510
Pros:
- uses the Four-Thirds mount, for which I have the most lenses
- proper image stabilisation
- live-view
- sensor dust protection
- up to 60-second manual exposure
- good resolution
- long exposures good
- fast operation
- fast write times
Cons:
- poor dynamic range
- viewfinder poor
Total score:
7
Conclusion:
Ha! Mine wins!
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Overall conclusion:
I was actually surprised my own camera got the most points, but it is a mighty fine camera, and fits in this group nicely as its price is just a little over €200 (darren ebay hunting price). I do like variety tho', and will likely use one or two of the cameras listed above at some point.
As of today I have indeed effectively swapped it..for the Olympus E-1.
I think later on in 2009, I'll be tempted by the Canon.
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5 comments:
One DSLR that's interesting to me which didn't fit in with this blog because of its price point is the:
Kodak SLR/c:
Pros:
- 14 megapixel resolution (ok, this time, it's a plus)
- full-frame sensor!
- good resolution
- good colour
- good dynamic range
- fast write times (RAW only)
Cons:
- abt twice the price of the other cameras: €400 - €500
- poor noise management (surprisingly)
- slow operation
- no onboard flash
Total score:
2
Conclusion:
Full-frame! There is also a SLR/n (meaning Nikon-mount) but I'm really tempted to get the Canon-mount because then I'd get the OM-to-Canon adaptor and use Zuiko primes on a full-frame DSLR...which is a very exciting proposition.
By all accounts, this camera requires patience, expertise and patience to get the best out of it. It is apparently a very frustrating, clumsy and unergonomic performer.
But its best is going to be better than any of the cameras I listed just now.
interesting, for all of the cameras "reviewed" (you only own a couple of them...), you haven't mentioned handling. does that you don't mind how cameras operate and this is not a factor in your decision?
i found the Canon 350D to be totally different to my Nikons. but given time could learn how to use it effectively. it just didn't grab be instantly as the Nikons did.
because handling and good ergonomics can be subjective, so i've not counted a reviewer's opinion on it as a pro or con relevant to me.
what pros and cons would you list for your D70?
Update:
I had the E-1 for a month, and have now replaced it with a Nikon D50 (very similar to the D70 by all accounts).
E-1 left because it was a sound financial thing to do. I liked it tho', here's my revised pro/con:
Pros:
- uses the Four-Thirds mount, for which I have the most lenses
- up to 60-second manual exposure
- good viewfinder (100% coverage, x1.1 magnification)
- sensor dust protection
- quiet shutter
- good colour
- can be had for as little as €130
- the build, including a lovely weighted shutter release button, and handling are really worth a point in this instance, it is that good
Cons:
- poor noise management
- no onboard flash
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6 points
It lost a point when I took away "fast write times" as I didn't find them particularly fast, even with a SanDisk Extreme III CF card.
It gained a point because the ergonomics and build were really excellent.
almost a con were the poor JPG's when under-exposing. But this is really user-error plus you can always shoot RAW.
Have you ever looked through a D70 viewfinder?
The first time I compared a D70 VF to my E-300 I laughed out loud, because I had for so long been told that Oly cameras had small dim viewfinders, often by D70 owners.
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