Upgrade to a dSLR

By Mary Lojkine on 8 May 2005, 2:59pm

CNET UK recommends

Two years ago digital SLRs were only for professional photographers and wealthy amateurs. Then Canon announced the EOS 300D in August 2003. Selling for under £800, it opened up the dSLR market to a whole new group of photographers: keen amateurs who wanted the convenience of digital at the price of a half-decent film SLR. Now there are several consumer-priced dSLRs to choose from.

In return for their bulk and weight, dSLRs give you much more flexibility than compact cameras. You can change the lens to suit your subject, fitting everything from a compact do-it-all zoom lens to specialist wide-angle, telephoto, macro, fish-eye and tilt-and-shift lenses. You can also use filters, external flash guns, remote releases and other add-ons to extend your photographic options. A dSLR can be a complete camera in itself, or it can be the heart of a system that expands and adapts as your photography develops.

Editors:

4.0 stars out of 5

Users:

4.5 stars out of 5

Canon EOS 350D

The EOS 350D is an exceptionally small and lightweight camera designed for amateur dSLR owners. Despite this, it has the responsiveness and image quality you'd expect from a semi-professional model Read more

£672

Reviewed on 5 May 2005

Editors:

4.0 stars out of 5

Users:

4.25 stars out of 5

Nikon D70

The Nikon D70 is a great enthusiast dSLR Read more

£700

Reviewed on 13 April 2004

Editors:

4.0 stars out of 5

Users:

0 out of 5

Not yet rated

Olympus Evolt E-300

This beauty-challenged Olympus offers unmatched build quality, snappy performance, and top resolution for its class, but low-light shooters and metering novices may prefer alternatives Read more

£530

Reviewed on 21 March 2005