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Buyer's Guide 2024: Digital SLRs

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  • Regardless of your budget or skill level, there’s a D-SLR that’s right for you

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    Sigma SD14. Featuring a unique Foveon X3 image sensor that records all three primary colors at every pixel site, the SD14 will shoot both RAW and JPEG images at a variety of resolutions (up to 2640 x 1760 RAW, 4608 x 3072 interpolated JPEG), offers very easy operation and accepts more than 45 Sigma lenses from 8mm fisheye to 800mm super-telephoto. There’s a unique sensor-dust protector that can be removed for infrared photography and a PC terminal for studio flash. Focal-length factor is 1.7x. Estimated Street Price: $1,200.

     

    Sony Alpha A700. Sony’s new A700 features a 12.2-megapixel CMOS image sensor with on-board A/D conversion for reduced noise, a weather-resistant cast magnesium body, a five-level dynamic-range optimizer, a three-inch 922,000-pixel LCD monitor, built-in sensor-shift image stabilizer that works with all lenses, built-in sensor dust remover and 5 fps shooting. The A700 is compatible with a host of lenses, including Sony F, Carl Zeiss and Konica-Minolta Alpha (Maxxum) optics and more. A built-in HDMI terminal provides quality playback on HDTV sets (optimized for Sony Bravia sets). Focal-length factor is 1.5x. Estimated Street Price: $1,400.

    PRO MODELS 

    Canon EOS-1D Mark III. This pro model offers 10.1 megapixels, 10 shots per second, sensor dust remover, superb image quality even at higher ISOs, three-inch Live-View LCD monitor, 300,000-cycle shutter, 2,200-shot battery, 57 custom and personal functions, quick writing to CompactFlash and SecureDigital cards, wireless file transmission (with optional accessory), dual DIGIC III processors, 14-bit A/D conversion—and it’s nearly half a pound lighter than its predecessor, yet even more rugged. This is a working pro’s dream machine. Focal-length factor is 1.3x. Estimated Street Price: $5,500.

    Canon EOS-1Ds Mark III. Upgrading the resolution king of the “35mm SLR” form-factor D-SLRs, the new 21.1-megapixel EOS-1Ds Mark III takes users into the realm of fashion and commercial studio photography with a camera that’s lighter, more rugged and more versatile afield than the medium-format D-SLRs. Features include a full-frame image sensor, rugged pro construction, up to 5 fps shooting, a three-inch LCD monitor with Live-View capability, dual DIGIC III image processors, 14-bit A/D conversion, the improved AF system of the EOS-1D Mark III action camera, EOS Integrated Cleaning System to remove dust from the image sensor, a 300,000-cycle shutter and lots more. Focal-length factor is 1x (lenses will frame the same as they do on a 35mm SLR). Estimated Street Price: $7,999.

    Fujifilm FinePix S5 Pro. A favorite of wedding and portrait photographers, the FinePix S5 Pro is based on rugged Nikon D200 components with a Fujifilm Super CCD SR Pro image sensor and Fujifilm RP (Real Photo) Pro processor. The sensor contains 6.17 million, high-sensitivity S-pixels and 6.17 million R-pixels for extended dynamic range, and dynamic range can be expanded manually in six steps. Film Simulation mode mimics the “look” of negative and slide films, Face Zoom mode zooms in on faces during playback so you can easily check focus and expressions, and Live View mode lets you preview the image for up to 30 seconds on the LCD monitor or a PC monitor. Focal-length factor is 1.5x. Estimated Street Price: $1,900.



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