If you're looking to buy your first dSLR, you're spoilt for choice — or possibly overwhelmed by the options.
An SLR is more responsive than a compact, allowing you to take photos more quickly; it gives you more control, so you can be more creative; and it's more flexible, allowing you to change the lens or use accessories such as flashguns and remote controls. We've rounded up four of the best entry-level and beginner-friendly models.
Because these entry-level SLRs are designed for people who are used to pocket-friendly compacts, the manufacturers have kept them small and light. Experienced photographers may scoff, telling you that larger and heavier cameras are easier to handle and hold, but if you're used to a compact, you won't want anything too big. If size is absolutely everything, the Olympus E-420 is the smallest and lightest of the cameras featured here.
The most marked trend in the digital SLR world in recent days has been the adoption of live view. The ability to compose a photograph on the screen has been one of the fundamental aspects of digital photography on every compact camera for years now, but didn't find its way into SLR systems until last year. Now most new SLRs feature live view, a sign that manufacturers are cross-pollinating SLRs and compacts with new features.
Some cameras, like those made by Panasonic, go a step further with a camcorder-style flip-out LCD. Sony's Alpha range boasts a tilting, folding screen. The Sony A350 and Olympus E-420 boast 69mm (2.7-inch) LCDs, while the Canon EOS 450D has a giant 76mm (3-inch) screen.
The Pentax K100D also includes a handy second LCD status screen as well as the screen at the back. This is rare on cheaper SLRs, and in fact it's the only camera here to boast this feature. The Pentax runs off AA batteries and records to SD and SDHC cards, while the others record to pricier CompactFlash.
An important factor to bear in mind is that the purchase of an SLR is that it's only the first step in creating a photographic system. You may be content to stick with the kit lens supplied, but if your horizons stretch wider you will at some point want to consider other lenses and accessories. Olympus has the benefit of the cross-company Four Thirds standard, but Canon has the advantage of being able to use older lenses, while Sony dSLRs are compatible with some old Konica Minolta glass. This means there are plenty of second-hand bargains to be had.
If you can imagine buying additional lenses in the future — for example, if you might want a telephoto lens for photographing wildlife — go for the Canon EOS 450D. It's compatible with a wide range of lenses, flash guns, remote releases and so on.
The Sony A350 has built-in image stabilisation for taking pictures in low light. Canon offers image stabilisation via special lenses, but the slightly more advanced Olympus E-520, the step up from the E-420, offers in-built image stabilisation as well.
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