Upgrade to a D-SLR Camera

If you're looking for speedy performance and total control over your shots, you need a D-SLR. These professional-level shooters give you full manual control and the option to interchange lenses. Many of today's D-SLRs also feature live-view LCDs, which offer the ability to set up and preview shots on the camera's screen in addition to the viewfinder. All but one of the models highlighted below integrate this feature. What you might not get is the ability to capture video, though the brand-new Nikon D90 and Canon EOS 5D Mark II are two of a new breed of D-SLR that integrates HD video recording. (We're putting these models through their paces now, check back for full reviews soon.)


The first thing you should know is that a D-SLR camera, unlike a compact or a superzoom, is part of a system, which includes interchangeable lenses, external flashes, and much more. Having all of these elements gives you optimum flexibility in shooting, but it also means that finding the right combo of camera, lens, and so on becomes all the more complicated. Some models, such as the Nikon D60, integrate a pop-up flash, but most have a hot shoe so that you can attach your own flash. (The D60 includes a hot shoe as well as the integrated flash.)

Canon's Editors' Choice–winning EOS Rebel XSi builds on earlier Rebels such as the Digital Rebel XTi to provide a feature-rich, low-cost D-SLR that produces top-notch images. The 12.2-megapixel XSi has a large 3-inch LCD and several new advanced features, including a range of external-flash settings and a higher-magnification viewfinder. The older XTi is also an Editors' Choice winner, and it's still widely available and nicely priced.

Another favorite of ours is the Nikon D300, which delivers outstanding image quality along with a 51-point autofocus system and two live-view modes, enabling you to preview shots on its 3-inch LCD. The display has a wide, 170-degree viewing angle, which makes it easy to capture difficult shots. Like all Nikon cameras, the D300 has an excellent, easy-to-understand menu system as well as a number of in-camera editing options. There's also an effective dust-reduction system, which keeps the lens clean and shots flawless.

The Olympus E-3 sets itself apart with its articulating LCD, so you can preview and capture shots from every imaginable angle. It also has two in-camera image-stabilization settings and excels at low-light shooting. With exceptional image quality in nearly every environment, it's a good lower-cost alternative to the Nikon D300.

The least expensive of the bunch, the Sony Alpha DSLR-A350, is also the least advanced. It does offer a number of excellent features in addition to top-notch image quality, though. You get a tilting LCD, in-camera mechanical image stabilization, and a fast autofocus. What's more, it has an innovative live-view system, something the Nikon D60 lacks.

The D60 does have a number of innovative features, though, including a stop-motion movie mode that creates video out of a series of JPEGs. Also, nearly all of the settings, including aperture and shutter speed, can be previewed before you hit the shutter button.

So if you're ready to upgrade to a D-SLR camera, be sure to check out our reviews below before you hit the stores.