SLRs Offer Innovative Features, Bigger LCDs
Canon's EOS 30D and Nikon's D200 join the ranks of the best single-lens reflex digital cameras.Eric Butterfield
The Canon EOS 30D has intuitive controls, a spot meter, and a durable shutter. And the ISO can be set in one-third-stop increments.
Tagged with an attractively low price, the Olympus EVolt E-500 is our top single-lens reflex model this month, beating out a long-time favorite, Canon's EOS Digital Rebel XT, which drops to second place. The EVolt E-500 feels sturdier than the Rebel, and it has a larger, 2.5-inch LCD. The 8-megapixel Olympus also handles considerable in-camera processing (such as black-and-white filters), has a dust-removal feature, and provides two levels of noise reduction. The E-500 offers 15 scene modes; most digital SLRs we've tested have less than half as many. The exposure lock and autofocus lock functions are highly customizable. On the down side, the camera responds to its control wheel slowly. The kit that we tested includes a 14\0x201345mm lens (28-90mm film equivalent); a two-lens kit that comes with an additional 40-150mm lens sells for about $829.
Meanwhile, Canon's EOS 30D debuts at number three, with the same 8.2-megapixel CMOS sensor as the EOS 20D, but packing some additional features. Most important, the 30D adds a spot meter function, which uses a smaller area of the viewfinder (about 3.5 percent) than partial metering mode (roughly 9 percent) to determine exposure. The 30D also allows you to save more custom shooting settings than the 20D does, as long as you are taking JPEG-format shots, and it has a more durable shutter. The menu system is simple and intuitive; you can use the control wheel on the back of the camera to navigate the settings quickly. The 30D has a big LCD, too--with a 2.5-inch diagonal, compared to the 1.8-inch screens on both the 20D and the Rebel XT.
The 10.2-megapixel Nikon D200 ($1700 for just the body) clearly targets experienced photographers: Beefy and sturdy, this powerful camera offers a wealth of focusing options, and it dispenses with scene modes. The controls are more intuitive than those on previous Nikon models, and the D200 also provides GPS connectivity, a unique feature that allows you to add location information to your photos.
Live-View LCD
The ability to preview shots on a camera's LCD, a common point-and-shoot feature, has arrived on a digital SLR--the $1100 Olympus EVolt E-330. But novelty aside, the E-330's low overall design score contributed to the camera's missing the chart.
To see reviews of all of the digital SLR cameras we have evaluated, click here.
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Top Digital Cameras From the June 2006 Issue of PC World Magazine
