Your first digital SLR can be a threatening choice. It pretty much sets a precedent for your choice of manufacturer throughout your photographic life. Canon and Nikon are the obvious answers, but snapping on their heels are Olympus, Pentax and even Sony, having released an SLR to combat the big companies. So what will it be?
Group Digital SLR test Comparisons
In alphabetical order, the Canon 400D costs around £479 with the 18-55mm lens, the Nikon D40x costs £450 with an 18-55mm lens, the Olympus E-500 comes in at around £499 with a 14-45 & 40-150mm lens. The Pentax K100D Super costs around £389 with a 18-55mm lens and finally the Sony A100 costs about £429 with a 18-70mm lens. A wide range of prices with Pentax being the cheapest but only with 6Mp and Olympus being the most expensive, but giving two lenses in with the price. Compared to the other single lens kits, with the exception of the Pentax, the Olympus is better value but also older.
Group Digital SLR test Modes and Features
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Canon EOS 400D
Most noticeable differences between the the 400D and its older brother the 350D is the higher resolution, an extra 2Mp, as well as two points being added to the focus areas and the separate screens that Canon were so proud of have been removed from the 400D and replaced with one large 2.5in screen.
Switching on the 400D activates the automatic dust reduction before the screen displays the mode selected with the shutter speed and aperture when the shutter button is half depressed. The modes can be found primarily on the best shot dial atop the camera and the usual suspects are there. The green Auto square dominates the otherwise monochrome dial and rotating clockwise gives the programmed modes like Portrait, Landscape, Macro, Sports, Night portrait and Flash off auto. Turning the dial anti-clockwise from Auto mode gives the programmable modes like Program, Shutter priority, Aperture priority, Manual and an A-Dep which is a feature that takes a reading of foreground and background features in the frame before selecting the aperture for the best result. Sounds a bit like Auto to me. As usual, more features are available on the menu when the programmed modes are selected which is a whole extra page of options. The buttons on the back give options to change the Exposure compensation which doubles up as the aperture control when in Manual, the continuous shooting mode, ISO with ranges from 100 to 1600, Metering areas, AF modes and White balance options. A great little known button is located under the lens and is a depth of field preview. This stops down the aperture before the image is taken showing the depth of field available on the aperture selected. Most companies have done away with this feature regarding it obsolete due to the convenience of deleting bad images in camera, but I think it is a nice touch. Pressing the Set button whilst out of any menus brings up its own menu to change how the image is colour processed. The menu allows changes to the Resolution, Red eye, Beep and allowing the camera to shoot without the card in. In programme mode, the second menu page that opens up allows changes to things like Exposure compensation, Flash compensation, the Colour space and Custom White balance set.
The lens is an 18-55 EF-S f/3.5-5.6 which is 28.8-88mm in 35mm terms because of the 1.6x magnification from the CCD. The aperture setting is standard. Canon have been a little sneaky with the lens mount as the lens has a different mount to the usual EF lenses. Don't let this put you off as the body has a double mount to accept the mount of the kit lens and the normal EF lenses. The reason behind this is that if anyone kept old film cameras and they released the 18-55 on a standard fitting, the consumer would have a nice new wide angle lens as the magnification is not applicable to 35mm film cameras.
Nikon D40x
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Nikon D40x
The D40x is an upgrade from the D40 released in 2006 and the improved parts are the upgraded resolution from 6Mp to 10Mp bringing it in line with the 400D and the A100, faster continuous shooting but only by half a frame per second, improved ISO rating which now goes down to ISO100 from ISO200 on the D40 and a better battery life.
Physically, the two cameras are identical. A mode dial dominates the top of the body with the operations explained easier like having S for Shutter priority and not Tv. The layout of the dial is the same as Canon, Olympus and Sony with the programmable modes below Auto and the Programmed modes above. The power switch is located around the shutter release with the info button which displays the current settings of the camera and aperture operation button located just behind so they are quick to the finger. The operation dial is used by the thumb located just at the top right on the back of the camera and this is used to change the shutter speed and aperture. Four buttons adorn the left side of the screen which are used for Playback of images, Menu access, zoom in and zoom out. The delete button for deleting images in camera is on the opposite side of the screen on it's own so it cannot be pressed by accident. The Auto function, as always, removes some options from the menu. White balance adjustment and Optimise image option are what is removed from the main camera menu. The screen also changes colour from white in Auto mode to black in Program modes which is a nice feature so you know you are in the right mode.
The lens is an 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6G ED lens which is the Extra low dispersion for crisper, clearer images. Out of the cameras in the group test, only the Nikon and the Canon have the AF/MF switch on the lens whereas Pentax and Sony are on the side of the camera and Olympus is in the menu system.
Olympus E-500
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Olympus E-500
Originally released in 2005, the E-500 incorporates the four thirds system to the lenses meaning that the focal lengths have to be doubled which is a lot easier for people like me who are terrible at maths, but the problem can lie when wide angle is necessary as the lens must be wider than other companies to get the same focal length. For instance, to get 20mm from a Canon with 1.6x magnification, a 12mm lens is needed, but with an Olympus, a 10mm lens is needed. Not much difference, but could lead to barrel distortion. The four thirds system has been developed to compensate for this, so it may not be a problem depending on what type of photography it is needed for.
Again, the mode dial is situated top right of the camera with scene modes below Auto and programmable modes above. Like Nikon and Sony, Olympus have gone with using S for Shutter priority and A for Aperture priority. In manual, the shutter is prioritised on the selector dial and the aperture button located just behind the shutter release has to be depressed to alter it. Plenty of buttons are on the back to keep you busy. Down the left are five buttons which are for popping the flash up, playing back images taken, deleting them, accessing the menu and getting up info on the images. The menu navigation buttons double up to alter the White balance, ISO rating, metering areas and Auto focus selections. The menu gives lots of features to change and to give an example of how many options the menu has, just one page of the five custom pages has Card setup, Custom reset, Picture mode, Gradation, Picture quality, exposure compensation, Noise reduction, White balance, ISO rating and Metering. Luckily, the OK button has a quick access to the most frequent options like ISO, White balance, Colour reproduction, Flash modes, Flash compensation, Metering modes, AF modes and Image quality. The continuous shooting button is just above the navigation pad amidst a vast expanse of empty plastic. The two buttons nearest the thumb are the custom white balance button where you can point the camera at something white and the camera will set the white balance to the whiteness of that object and the AF zone select.
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Pentax K100D Super
Upgraded from the K100D earlier this year, the K100D Super has everything the same except the bonus of DA lens compatibility to take advantage of the SDM focus technology and a dust reduction feature. It is also the heaviest of the five cameras weighing in at a roly poly 570g and is a little back heavy, that is to say that the body is distinctly heavier than the18-55mm SMC f/3.5-5.6 lens it comes with.
In a bizarre twist, the mode dial has been put on the left of the camera with the programmed modes above the Auto button and the programmable modes below. This is not a detrimental aspect of the features, just a little unusual and can take some getting used to if this is not your first DSLR. The mode dial offers all the usual features with the addition of the good old Bulb setting for ultra long exposures. Unfortunately, even Pentax have fallen foul of the attitude to remove the cable release and now a remote switch is necessary which can be plugged in under the mode dial. Only one button is located on the top of the camera which is the aperture button for manual mode. The rest of the buttons are on the back of the body. The top left has a button to pop the in-built flash up and below that are the Menu, Delete, Info and Playback buttons. To the right of the 2.5in screen is the Image stabiliser switch, the Fn (function) button for accessing the navigation buttons second function. Pressing left gives access to the White balance, press down for manual flash options, the right button gives ISO ratings and shows that auto ISO only uses the range of ISO200 to ISO800 and the up button allows changes to the drive choosing either single shot, continuous shooting, self timers, remote switches and auto bracketing. The dial in the top right changes the shutter speed and aperture values in the programmable modes and zooms in on images when in playback and the AE-L button doubles as the image lock. Any icons that are in blue are for use in the Playback mode.
The K100D has the lowest resolution at only 6.3Mp which is pretty low by today's standards but ask yourself if you really need the high resolution. With faster cards to download onto, this can only mean that the camera is ready to take another picture quicker than a higher resolution image. This argument depends on an individual point of view and also boils down to what type of pictures are being taken and where they are going to go to.
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Sony A100
The second oldest of the herd is the Sony Alpha A100. The A100 is essentially a Minolta DSLR as all the features are there like the Minolta bayonet mount, the infuriating inverted hotshoe and most notably, Sony acquiring Minolta's assets when Minolta ended operations in 2006.
The mode dial gives all the usual options, PASM, Auto, Portrait, Landscape, Macro, Sports, and Night shot but with the addition of Beach & Snow also. The continuous shooting and self timer are located to the right of the mode dial. On the opposite side of the built-in flash, a function button allows quick access to certain options by use of a second dial followed by depressing the Fn button. Available on this are Metering options, Flash, Focusing menu, ISO ratings, White balance, D-Range and Colour menu. The D-range is a built-in optimiser to reduce problems encountered with high contrast areas. This is a good feature, but bear in mind, could also go against you depending on the images you want. The power switch is located on the back of the camera top right and is a simple switch. Below this are four buttons for access to the Menu, Display options, Delete and Playback buttons for when viewing images already taken and these are separated from the other options by colouring them blue. The opposite side of the screen has buttons for Bracketing which also doubles up as the Aperture button when in Manual, Auto exposure lock which also doubles up but this time as a slow sync option. Immediately to the right of the screen is the navigation pad for moving around in the menu. The centre button is a secondary AF button that only focuses for the dead centre of the image. The Super steady shot switch for image stabilisation is located in the bottom right of the camera.
In a brazen act of selflessness, Sony have made the A100 compatible with all automatic Sony and Minolta accessories which is great for previous Minolta users and goes against Sony's previous mindset of making everything exclusive to their brand. However, Minolta also had a tendency to do this and is why the hotshoe is still inverted to only get Minolta or Sony Digital flashguns.
Group Digital SLR test Modes and features conclusion
As far as features go, it is difficult to discern between the models as they are all built for the same market and purpose with the exception being the Olympus E-500 as it is a slightly older model and a slightly higher spec. However, that higher specifications are now commonplace features, so what you paid more for two years ago, is now available as standard on a cheaper new camera.
Group Digital SLR test Build quality
Canon EOS 400D
Nikon D40x
Another indication of the lens quality is the plastic mount as mentioned with the 400D and the standard aperture. These are not necessarily degrading to the camera as they are pretty standard features with any company.
Olympus E-500
The body is made of fibre reinforced polycarbonate which is a strong, flexible plastic that is good at absorbing knocks and shocks.
As mentioned previously, the E-500 incorporates Olympus' four thirds system which is named after the size of the chip used. It is a smaller sensor size which therefore means smaller and lighter camera bodies and benefits to the lenses are also faster and lighter. The optical path is telecentric so the image has brighter corners as light is travelling perpendicular to the sensor. However, a smaller sensor usually means more noise which may mean that in the Noise test, the Olympus may suffer more than the others at higher ISO ratings. The smaller sensor also means that depth of field is affected and is actually greater on the four thirds system which is great for landscape photographers, but not so good for portraits or macro work.
Olympus brought the old Zuiko range out of apparent retirement for the release of the digital SLR range as the name was synonymous with quality optics back in the days of manual SLR's when Olympus were top of their game in that category.
The Zuiko digital 14-45mm lens has an aperture range from f/3.5-5.6. The zoom is very smooth like fluid and when manual focus is selected, the focus ring is a separate area which also has a rubber grip. Interestingly, the lens has a metal mount which is generally unheard of in kit lenses, so it is very refreshing to see a company making the effort.
Pentax K100D Super
As said previously, the K100D Super is compatible with the DA* lenses whereas the K100D isn't. The lens that comes in the kit is the 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 SMC lens and along with the Olympus has a metal bayonet mount so is likely to last longer than the lenses offering a plastic mount. Speaking about the bayonet mount, Pentax have included the PKA mount to enable compatibility with all older bayonet Pentax lenses including the manual PK mount. This means if you have been a friend of Pentax since the old days and have a lot of the old lenses, they will fit on the K100D Super however, the camera has to be set up in the custom functions so it knows that a manual lens or extension tubes are attached. Features such as autofocus and metering will be lost so manual metering is necessary with a separate hand held meter.
The K100D is the odd one out battery wise as it is the only DSLR in the test to take AA batteries. This has its pro's and con's. Advantages are that spare batteries can be found almost anywhere when out and about, but the downside is that they will run out quicker. This point aside, the Pentax can take CR-V3 batteries and rechargeable versions of these are available. The camera doesn't come with them, though, so this is added expense.
Coming in at just over half a kilo, the Sony is the second heaviest after the Pentax K100D Super. The slightly squarer design is more reminiscent of Minolta than the usual slick curves of Sony, but feels a lot more substantial in the hand. The large grip is great to handle and once the shutter button is found, the index finger sits comfortably atop. However, it is situated just behind the selection dial and is set a little further back than other cameras which takes some getting used to. A little curve on the back lets the thumb settle and means the camera can be used one handed easily enough. The camera is available as a twin lens kit and this comes with the 18-70mm f/3.5-5.6 which is the highest range on a standard lens in this test which is good when the multiplication factor is taken into consideration. The large zoom is the 75-300mm f/4.5-5.6 and both are the DT range of lenses which are believed to be manufactured by Tamron as Sony also owns a stake in the lens company. If that is the case, then they could have done a better job. I think it may be the plastic used as the outer casing as the lens feels tacky and not well built, but the actual weight and operation contradict that thought. The zoom is smooth and the manual focusing works as well as any other DSLR.
The A100 takes Compactflash as its preferred format, but users of the Memorystick need not worry as the camera comes with a CF adapter to put your Memorystick into and use in the camera.
Group Digital SLR test Build quality conclusion
The Pentax has the sturdiest feel and wins the build test, whilst the Olympus feels very comfortable. Nikon have held up to their usual standards too and I can only really find fault with the Sony having the shutter release button so far up on the top of the camera.
The Pentax also accepts any Pentax lens which is great and also comes with a metal mount on the included lens, but has a thumbs down from me about the batteries. Canon lose out with the dual fit mount as this has always annoyed me.
Group Digital SLR test Performance
To trial the cameras in different scenarios, I put them through a Macro, Landscape and Portrait tests. The landscape test had all the cameras on a tripod in the same position with a small aperture for depth of field. the cameras were in aperture priority for this and the camera selected the ISO and shutter speed. The macro shot was taken in Manual mode as the lighting was controlled. The main point of macro was to see how close the standard lens can focus and to check colour balance in controlled lighting. The Portrait test was taken in Manual or Aperture priority modes with the ISO and White balance being handled manually. These images have not been altered or cropped in any way.
Canon EOS 400D
The Landscape shots were taken on a terrible day. It was gloriously sunny until I set off then obviously the cloud came over as I drove to my destination giving the dreary results. The Canon still gave quite flat images, the grass was a pale green and a misty finish seems to have appeared over the whole image. The shot was f/22 for good depth of field and this gave a shutter speed of 1/5 of a second, so a tripod was used to ensure as sharp an image as possible. The EOS 400D seems to thrive on controlled lighting and gave good results in the macro test. The colours are balanced and despite a relatively wide depth of field at f/13, the open door of the pocket watch is thrown out of focus. The portrait test was a fashion shoot in a local wooded area. The day was mild with spells of sunshine, but generally, the canopy of trees shielded the sun from us, so a high ISO was needed. Most of the shots in this test were taken at ISO800 or above. The Canon still gave relatively flat results with no boost in colour from the leaves or the pink dress. The ISO1600 rating has given the image a soft broken effect, so I will not slate the camera for not producing a sharp image. The Canon is probably the easiest to use of the five, however personal experience could be a key factor in this. Still, the modes are laid out easily and basic names and descriptions haven't changed in years making the transition easier.
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I expected good results from the Nikon and the Landscape shot disappointed me in the sense that I expected more colour. The image was pale and a little overexposed even at f/25 as this gave a shutter speed of 1/10 second. The image has good detail even with the ISO400 rating. The macro image gave roughly the same effects as the Canon EOS 400D with balanced light and getting approximately the same distance away. Notable differences are a slightly more yellow finish with the Nikon. The portrait shot is one of my favourites of the set. Shot at ISO800 and at the widest aperture I could get with the light and focal length, the shutter speed was 1/40 second and the image is still sharp despite a slow speed. The Nikon is also a very easy camera to use and has the bonus of the simplified PASM descriptions over Canon.
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All the way through the tests, I am continuously impressed by the results the Olympus gives me. The landscape shot is the most balanced in the colours, the f/22 aperture needed 1/4 second at ISO100 but the blue sky was still being unsurprisingly elusive. The macro is where the Olympus E-500 fails. It has a pathetic close-up, much worse than the other cameras on test. Colours are a little cool with a bluish tone, but the image is well exposed. The Portrait gave the image a green tinge. The skin tones are greener than the other results, but the exposure is balanced and at ISO800, I managed to get a shutter speed of 1/100 second at f/3.5. I enjoyed using the Olympus and despite it being a slightly higher spec to the others as it is older, the controls were easy to use.
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This is another camera that continues to surprise me in performance. The controls are easy but I think the Menu can be a little off putting at first as the features look very advanced. The Pentax is the only camera in the test to take AA batteries and this shortens the life, however, on the location shoot, I had no problems with the life. I used rechargeable Ni-Mh batteries and the Camera didn't dent the performance of them one bit. The Landscape image has a boost of colour but a lower contrast. The auto ISO setting has put the camera at ISO800 for some reason. This has produced considerable noise in low key areas which is unfortunate. The macro image is the best of the bunch getting in really close and giving lovely colour reproduction to the watch face along with plenty of detail in the edges where they have been scuffed. The portrait is well balanced and I managed to get away with a low ISO rating for a finer finish. The aperture is f/5.6 and the shutter speed 1/15 second. I was leant against a spider ridden wall to steady the shot. Yuck.
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I entered the Sony into the test dubiously as it is the first Digital SLR they have released, but I want to give them a fighting chance. The results are pleasing with a balanced exposure on the landscape although the colours seem a little pale at f/22 with a shutter speed of 1/30 second. This is a good attempt by the Sony as it has managed to reveal a little detail in the cloud to the left of the image. In the macro shot, I used daylight as my source, but everything else is the same. The image has got nicely in to a decent closeness and was shot at f/5.6 at 1/13 second and this has blurred the watch cover brilliantly and even sent the chain slightly out of focus. The portrait gives the image a slightly green tinge to the skin as the Olympus does, but this can be attributed to the reflection of the flora being picked up by the camera. The ISO had to be pushed to ISO800 with the aperture at its widest of f/3.5 and a shutter speed of 1/30 second. I would say the Sony was the least easy to use of all the cameras. It is not laid out in Sony's usual way of making everything clear. The focus points have a tendency to choose their own point to focus on which is frustrating when on a fashion shoot. The way to dedicate the focus points is not apparent in the menu although the AF button in the centre of the navigation keys does dedicate to the centre focus point.
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Group Digital SLR test Performance conclusion
The Sony gave the best results on the Landscape with it being the only camera to capture any features in the cloud. It also gave a good result in the Macro shot. It failed at the Portrait session as it gave a slight green cast, but the Nikon did very well in that category. The Olympus has a miserable Macro facility compare to the others. Canon gave a standard performance in all areas failing to impress me, but Pentax again came out of the shadows and gave good performances. The images were all well balanced and it coped well in low light. My only grievance is with the Landscape as it chose an unnecessarily high ISO rating for the image.
Group Digital SLR test Noise test
Canon EOS 400D
The Canon gives very good results on the noise test. The ISO100 image is lovely with smooth texture and no noise evident at all. The petals have lovely detail and colour. Again, a sign that the Canon works really well under controlled lighting. ISO200 gives very little difference with a slight change to the tone of the petals and minute show of noise on the low key areas whilst ISO400 shows a little more change to the petals going paler and noise now showing on the dark areas. At ISO800, the petals go a more red colour with flecks of red showing as noise in the black area and darker greys showing in the grey square. Finally, ISO1600 has definite noise all over darker areas of the image but the results are still very good.
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Once again the Nikon hasn't failed to deliver very good results. The detail and absence of noise at ISO100 is admirable. ISO200 starts to lose miniscule detail, but I'm talking specks of dust here. The petal is a little more red on ISO200 and more so at ISO400. Noise is starting to show in low key which seems to disappear in ISO800 but boosts in the grey area. ISO1600 gives excellent results with the lowest amount of noise out of the five cameras on trial. Nikon also offer an ISO1600Hi option in the ISO menu, which seems to deepen the colour of the petals but noise remains the same.
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The Olympus gave good results like the Nikon, but in its own way. The E-500 has 13 different settings for ISO and whilst a lot of these are stupidly close to each other to notice a difference, they may come in useful. On the test, I will only show the standard speeds to give an idea of the performance of the camera. ISO100 produces an image with no noise but a slightly yellowish cast whereas ISO200 has gone a little darker on the blacks and the orange of the petals has deepened. Distinct noise starts to show at ISO400 which could be down to that small sensor and the orange has gone deeper still. ISO800 is showing a lot of noise in all areas and the quality of the image is starting to degrade with ISO1600 showing a full spectrum of pixels in all areas especially low key.
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The Pentax gave lovely, if not a little soft, images. Interestingly, the minimum ISO rating with the Pentax is ISO200, but the results are still very good. At ISO200, the petals are bright with good detail and the grey and blacks are even. Noise can be seen at ISO400 though, which is only the next step up. ISO800 starts to see a mixture of odd coloured pixels in the black. ISO1600 has a distinct breakdown of pixels in the black and grey and the petals have deepened in colour. The highest ISO rating is ISO3200 and whilst the degradation of the image is apparent, detail still remains on the petals.
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The Sony produced a mixture of results. ISO80, whilst very smooth, gave a very pale image as though over exposed, but the image was perfectly exposed according to the camera as it was shot on Program mode. ISO100 gives more balanced results with decent colour in the flower and no noise which is different to ISO200 as noise is actually starting to show on the low key areas. Noise is distinct at ISO400 and is also starting to show in the shadowed areas of the grey card. Noise has typically increased at ISO800 and is actually worse than the other cameras performance at this stage. ISO1600 is horrible with a flat, dull image and way too much noise.
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The Nikon wins giving outstanding results in the noise test and seems to work very well in studio conditions. I like the boost of colour it gives which is a breath of fresh air compared to the Canon and Olympus. The Pentax also gives more boosted colours but softens the images down. Sony has given pathetic results which are flat and dull and the ISO1600 image is just awful.
Group Digital SLR test Verdict
Canon EOS 400D
Predictably, the Canon has given good results, though not the best. It is the easiest to use, which is great as an entry level model. Some of the colours are muted but it did well in the Noise test. It's fair to say the Canon EOS 400D works to acceptable standards all round. It doesn't stand and shout or sit in the shadows. It gives decent, honourable results which is no more than you can ask for in that classification. The camera comes with the Manual in both paper and CD formats, a quick start guide in pocket size which is quite handy, battery, a promotional CD on EF lenses, strap, basic promotional material, USB, AV lead, charger and drivers which includes Zoombrowser EX 5.7, Photostitch 3.1, Digital Photo Professional 2.2 and EOS utility 1.1. None of these programs will overpower suites such as Photoshop, but if this is your first SLR and software, it will be most suitable.
The Nikon gave the excellent results in the performance test. The colour rendition on the portrait was good and the macro image, whilst not the closest, gave good detail. It performed very well in the Noise test also, giving very good results at all ISO ratings. The camera is good build quality and is easy to use. One thing that did annoy me was while taking the Noise test images. To set anything in the menu, the OK button must be pressed or it ignores the path you have taken. Most cameras are happy with you hovering over the setting and pressing the shutter button to get taking pictures, but not the Nikon. This delays the picture taking process, albeit not by much, but it's there. In the box is the strap, charger, USB lead, battery, viewfinder cover, quick start guide, Manual in both booklet and CD and Picture Project 1.7 software. The distinct lack of marketing flyers is a welcome relief.
As we know, the E-500 is the oldest of the five cameras and therefore a slightly higher specification at the same price due to depreciation. The camera gives good results on the landscape but the macro is pathetic and the portrait has a slight green tinge to it. The noise results are good although when the noise does start to show is earlier than other models and the camera has 13 different ISO settings which may come in useful. The Zuiko lens is good quality and built for the four thirds system to make it completely compatible. The four thirds system is supposed to make the cameras smaller, but the E-500 is one of the largest. On a level with the Pentax and slightly smaller than the Sony. The camera comes in two boxes to separate the body and lens. The lens has the cap and hood and the body has the battery, USB lead, charger, AV cable, viewfinder cover, plug adapter, system chart to display available accessories, manual in both book and CD, list of distributors, drivers and warranty information which has to be mentioned as the camera can be registered and get an extra year of warranty.
The K100D gave really good results, in fact I would go so far as to say this camera is the best. A few things let it down though, like the batteries being AA in the box. Some of the lithium versions that it can take would have been nicer. The picture quality is very good although sometimes it would choose a random ISO for the photo. I'm a little confused as to why the ISO starts at ISO200, but the results from ISO200 are excellent. The macro facility is the best of the lot getting in really closely for a great shot with loads of detail. I am also surprised at the quality of the images as the Pentax has only 6Mp compared to the others at 8Mp and 10Mp, but it goes to show that maybe size isn't everything. Like the Olympus, the body and lens are separate and the boxes come with a USB lead, AV cable, strap, set of four batteries, a flyer for Pentax Club, an interactive DVD, the manual on CD only and software including Pentax Photo browser 3 and Pentax Photo laboratory 3.
Sony A100
As the second oldest in the test, the Sony is under the same pressure as the Olympus as it should be a higher specification than the others, but it seems that it is the same. This may be down to being released when the technology was new and so priced higher or that Sony and Minolta together means more coin for your product. I cannot help but think the latter. However, to sway the argument, the Sony comes as a twin lens kit. As an electronics company, Sony should know little about photography and it seems they have waited until they can use the expertise of Minolta before releasing a DSLR. However, the quality of the camera doesn't feel all that good. It is solid enough and the construction is adequate, but I think it's the plastic skin that feels cheap. They seem to have gone for a smooth plastic but feels shoddy. The picture quality was good, though, with the A100 bringing out the most detail in the blank sky of the landscape. The macro was good also with fine detail of the watch. The portrait shot came out a little green but well exposed but it failed miserably on the Noise test. The low ISO settings should have been colourful and smooth, but were pale and featureless. in the box, you will get a large charger with two battery slots for a spare which is very generous. Also included are the USB lead with Sony's own unique fitting, AV cable, Compactflash adapter to fit Memorystick, quick start guide, CD-ROM and Strap.
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Like a politician being questioned in a scandal, the Canon EOS 400D gave a standard response throughout. It was OK in every field, but didn't stand out. The Nikon D40x gave good results in controlled lighting and even the Portrait image had good colour, but had a tendency to get pipped at the post every time. The Sony A100, whilst a good early attempt by Sony into the world of the Digital SLR, simply cannot match to the companies who have been doing this sort of thing longer. Even with the might and experience of Minolta behind them.
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