Stu's space

Remember the days when it was common to drop $500 to $700 on a nice digital point-and-shoot? These days, with the same money, you can pick up a digital SLR camera. These aren't professional models or the very best that current technology has to offer, but for the photo enthusiast on a budget--or even the avid family photographer--they can be a big leap forward. With larger sensors and generally faster performance than snapshot models offer, these cameras provide plenty of tools to photographers who prefer a camera with more than one button. And if you save your pennies, you can increase their flexibility and image quality in the future with additional lens and accessory purchases. But which to buy from this year's models?

    * Though it's not a clear winner in every race, the Pentax K2000 seems to have the best overall performance of the group. However, its out-of-the-box photo quality and feature set can't match most of the other models for the money.

    * For the best photo quality, the Canon EOS Rebel XS delivers, especially in low light, and its kit lens is the best of the group. It does have some operational annoyances, though, such as hard-to-see AF points in the viewfinder and no spot meter, and it lacks in-body image stabilization.

    * For a cheap model that fulfills the dSLR promise--better performance, photo quality, and flexibility than a point-and-shoot--the Sony Alpha DSLR-A230 should garner its share of fans.

    * For the best overall value for the money, the Pentax K200D hits all the right notes with a dust- and weather-resistant body, sensor-shift image stabilization, and other premium features. Its biggest weakness is not-terribly-accurate colors and a tendency to underexpose, which can be overcome with some tweaking.

The recent boom in DSLR sales has seen all the major manufacturers adding bulked-up or stripped-down entry level models, repositioning their offerings to make sure that anyone willing to put up with the size and weight of a DSLR will look at one of their models. The whole thing has often left existing DSLR owners a little lost - 'why isn't there a direct replacement for my camera?' - but has undoubtedly meant there are many more attractive, accessible cameras on the market just waiting to entice first-time DSLR owners.

And its into this maelstrom of DSLR proliferation that Nikon launches its latest baby DSLR, the Nikon D5000. Nikon's recent strategy of inexpensive, simplified models caused a lot of confusion. The D40, D40X and D60 removed the autofocus motor, making them smaller and less expensive but limiting the choice of lenses that could be autofocused. Despite this oft-criticised move, the cameras sold very well, prompting the major third-party lens makers to create versions of their popular budget lenses that would focus on these baby Nikons. However, it appears Nikon has again decided that simply replacing models isn't the best way to address the market. So here we have a camera that genuinely seems to sit above the D60 (rather than continuing in parallel until the stock runs out), and below the D90. Like the baby Nikons, the D5000 doesn't have an autofocus motor built into the body but does gain a tilt-and-swivel LCD.

The idea of an upper-entry-level DSLR (for want of a better term), that sits below the 'enthusiast' grade D90 (with its twin control dials, big battery and pentaprism viewfinder), is hardly a radical one - the Canon EOS 500D and Olympus E-620 seem to cater to a similar market. So what does this new Nikon have to offer either the tech-savvy first-time DSLR buyer, or the owner of an older entry-level model wanting newer features but unwilling to slavishly follow the manufacturer's 'upgrade path'?

Nikon D5000 Review Key Features

• 12.9 megapixel DX-format CMOS sensor (effective pixels: 12.3 million)
• 2.7" tilt and swivel LCD monitor (230,000 dots)
• Movie capture at up to 1280 x 720 (720p) 24 fps with mono sound
• Live View with contrast-detect AF, face detection and subject tracking
• Image sensor cleaning (sensor shake)
• 11 AF points (with 3D tracking)
• IS0 200-3200 range (100-6400 expanded)
• 4 frames per second continuous shooting (buffer: 7 RAW, 25 JPEG fine, 100 JPEG Normal)
• Expeed image processing engine
• Extensive in-camera retouching including raw development and straightening
• Connector for optional GPS unit (fits on hot shoe)
• New battery with increased capacity
• 72 thumbnail and calendar view in playback

The D5000 could easily be seen as a D60 with a tilting screen added, and most of a D90 stuffed into it. As such it offers quite a few feature improvements over its little brother:

• More scene modes
• Faster continuous shooting
• Exposure bracketing
• Live View with contrast detect AF
• 12.3 MP CMOS sensor (D60: 10.2 MP CCD)
• Tilt/swivel screen
• Automatic correction of lateral chromatic aberration
• Choice of JPEG quality in RAW+JPEG shooting
• Extra retouching options
• Movie Mode
• Wider ISO range
• 11 point AF system with 3D tracking (D60: 3 point AF)
• Control of Active D-Lighting intensity

The cameras seem to follow a measured but steady progression of feature upgrades and improvements as technology advances, rather than opting for a dramatic "break the mold" departure from past practices such as Casio's EX-F1 and its 60fps still shooting ability. Whether by accident or design, Canon's recipe must work as the company claims to have moved over 22 million units worldwide in the first 10 years since the ELPH nameplate reached the market in May 1996.


The SD970 IS looks to continue the trend. A gently sculpted metal body housing a 5x optical zoom with optical stabilization, 3.0 inch monitor, 12.1 megapixel sensor, 1280x720 HD video capability and Canon's current generation Digic 4 processor positions the camera with all the right stuff to compete in its class. Will the SD970 IS live up to the expectations of it created by its predecessors? Come along as we find out.

Canon PowerShot SD970

Ergonomics and Controls
With a 3.0 inch monitor dominating the camera back, Canon still managed to locate four control buttons and the control dial back there as well, but the layout is well designed and spaced so conflicts are virtually nonexistent. The index finger of the right hand falls naturally to the shutter button in either horizontal or vertical shooting formats, and the other fingers of the right hand pose no problems to camera components.


The same can't be said for the left hand, depending on your hold. For me, the left index and middle fingers sitting atop the camera body feel more secure, and that tends to be my natural grip. On the SD970 IS the flash sits at the front upper left corner of the camera body, and I find my middle finger positions itself partially over the flash in most cases. A simple "left thumb on the bottom and index finger on top" hold fixes the problem, so if that happens to be your natural grip, no worries. Folks like me who tend to put a lot more fingers into the hold may need to get used to adjusting that a bit.

More and more compacts are coming out with controls that allow the user to start shooting video by means of a single button push from any shooting mode. The SD970 IS doesn't have that feature per se, but there's a handy work-around: the camera allows the user to "register" certain camera functions to the direct print button on the camera back that can be called up with a single push. If you only register video, you can start recording by pushing the direct print button no matter what shooting mode you're in. A second push of the direct print button or full push of the shutter button stops recording.


Video allows capture of movies in HD 1280x720 (30 fps) or Standard Definition: 640x480 or 320x240, both at 30 fps. Limits are 4GB or 29 minutes 59 seconds for HD and 60 minutes for SD. As I mentioned above, you can initiate video capture via the direct print button if the video option has been registered to that button.

Shooting and setup menus can be accessed via the menu button; when in a shooting mode, pressing the function button brings up a menu of any available user-modifiable settings for that particular mode. Even for someone unfamiliar with Canon compacts, a little surfing with the menu and function buttons should make things fairly clear, even in the absence of the user's manual.

Display/Viewfinder
The 3.0 inch LCD monitor boasts a 461,000 dot composition and is adjustable for five levels of brightness, but even so, it can be difficult to use for image composition in direct sunlight. Monitor coverage is 100%. There is no viewfinder.

Canon ad copy touts the SD970 IS as "the ultimate in design and feature-set." I'd consider that a bit more accurate if there were manual controls and a RAW shooting option, but the camera is clearly targeting an audience that wishes to minimize user involvement in the image capture process and does a credible job in that regard. The automatic shooting options leave little in the way of user inputs except in Program mode, where white balance, ISO sensitivity and some color choices are added to the image size and compression options.

While the SD970 IS lacks the manual controls some shooting purists might crave, its performance numbers should keep all but the pickiest compact digital users in a pleasant state of mind. Shutter lag comes in at about .03 seconds and press to capture with no pre focus at about .5 seconds. AF acquisition time in good light runs about .4 to .5 seconds, and there is a focus-assist lamp for dim conditions. AF time lengthened a bit at full telephoto, but was still quite good. The camera powers up and displays a focus icon in about 1.5 seconds and I was able to get off a shot in about two seconds after power up.

Canon announced the SD970 IS and nine other compact digitals this past February, and if our review model is any indicator of the quality and performance of the others, Canon's got a batch of winners on their hands. The SD970 IS would seem to appeal to folks primarily interested in capturing images without too much effort on their part, as the lack of manual exposure controls leaves user inputs rather limited, but shutter and AF performance are good and image quality and color fidelity are first rate. It's not too big a stretch to believe that good performance and image quality may trump the desire for manual controls (or a RAW shooting option) in the minds of many more "hands-on" types looking for a camera in this class.

Pentax will evoke fond memories for many photographers whose first SLR experience would have been with a Spotmatic, KM, K1000 or ME Super. Although the company's market position isn't as well entrenched as it was during the halcyon days of 35mm film, it continues to attract a devoted following of enthusiasts. And that following isn't just based on nostalgia - Pentax is alone in having developed a comprehensive range of prime lenses for the APS-C format that dominates modern DSLR photography, while most of its competitors concentrate on offering a selection of zooms.

Pentax's cameras have also catered well for this market in the shape of the competitively-priced K20D, a very likeable, solid upgrade to the K10D. Both cameras offered robust semi-pro build quality and a fairly advanced degree of environmental sealing, combined with a good level of customization and well worked-out handling. But it's now been over two-and-a-half years since the K10D appeared and, as it tends to, the market has moved on. The K20D's live view system was not exactly class leading, and the camera was starting to look a little long-in-the-tooth when compared to the video-shooting Canons and Nikons that have started to appear, with their VGA screens and polished interfaces.

So here we have the Pentax K-7 review, Pentax's latest enthusiast/semi-pro level DSLR. And a handsome creature it is, too - gone is the K20D's slightly pudgy utilitarianism, to be replaced by a sleek, pared-down elegance. But it's not just on the outside that things have changed: although the megapixel count remains the same, just about everything that matters has been replaced, revised or spruced-up.

Its spec isn't quite what the rumors might have suggested, but it still manages to look an awful lot like the wish-list of most enthusiast photographers (though one based in reality, rather than the increasingly surreal suggestions being churned out by the rumor mill).

• AF illumination lamp
• New dust removal system
• HDMI output
• Smaller magnesium/steel alloy body
• Revised viewfinder (less magnified but with greater coverage)
• Updated sensor with four-channel readout
• 720p/1080i HD video recording
• 77 segment exposure metering sensor
• Revised autofocus algorithms
• 3.0" VGA (920,000 dot) LCD
• New shutter mechanism with 1/8000th shutter speed
• Faster continuous shooting (up to 5.2 fps)