dSLR Dad

I wrote about Popular Photography Magazine’s comparison of the top five affordable dSLR Cameras last fall after the Photokina 2008 trade show. Their article evaluated each camera on the merits of image Quality, Ease of Use, Control, and System Flexibility.  What’s interesting now, after the PMA 2009 Trade Show has concluded, all but one of these cameras (the Olympus Evolt E-520) are still the top affordable dSLRs from each manufacturer. Actually, since the Olympus Evolt E-620 will cost $100 more than the most expensive dSLR in this roundup once it is released, maybe they should just re-publish the entire article for the May 2009 issue?  The contestants are (in alphabetical order):

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This year’s Black Friday ads are beginning to pop-up around the internets.  The only question that remains for any dSLR Dad:

Will I be able to find a good deal standing in line when it’s dark and freezing cold outside, or should I just order online?

Circuit City is offering Sony DSLR-A350, Nikon D60, and Canon EOS Rebel XS dSLR camera combinations (two each) for sale.  The Olympus E-420 and Canon EOS 40D dSLR Cameras are also discounted.  For comparison, I have included both Amazon.com and B&H Photo Video prices at the time of this publication:

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Popular Photography Magazine has a comparison review for you dSLR Dads of five, sub-$900 dSLR Cameras.

Five affordable DSLRs vie for honors in the “step-up” class. If you’re a serious shooter looking to move on up to a better DSLR — with more resolution, faster firing, advanced features like in-camera image fixes and live view — but have been scared off by the $1,000 price barrier, fear no more. An entire class of DSLRs has appeared at this intermediate level, none of them more than $900, street — with a kit lens. And every one of these five comes with image stabilization right out of the box, through either a shifting image sensor or moving elements in the included lens.

Their judgment criteria included image quality, ease of use, camera controls, and system flexibility.  For those of you who want to skip ahead, here are the results:

1. 1. Canon Digital Rebel XSi 23 points
   2. Nikon D60 17 points
   3. Pentax K200D (tie) 15 points
   4. Sony Alpha A350 (tie) 15 points
   5. Olympus Evolt E520 dSLR w/ 14-42mm f/3.5-5.6 Zuiko Lens 10 points

You can read the entire article over at PopPhoto.com.