DSLR Reviews

The Nikon D5300 follows the Nikon D5200 and there is an important difference between the two. The D5300 has a new image sensor without a low-pass filter, which contributed to an excellent performance in our resolution tests.
The D5300 uses a display with a 3:2 aspect ratio, which shows the whole sensor image without black borders or frames. Compared to the Nikon D5200, the LCD screen is also larger, at 3.2”, and has a very high resolution of 1.04 million RGB dots. The monitor is fully articulated and makes for very comfortable shooting.

The Canon EOS Rebel T5i (700D) is the replacement of the EOS Rebel T4i but in many ways is quite similar to its forerunner. Just like the T4i it uses an 18MP APS-C-sized sensor, has a compact body, a swivel monitor, Full HD video recording, and numerous helpful functions for beginners.

The Nikon D7100 is the newest of Nikon’s D-SLRs with a DX sensor (APS-C size). This is a new sensor without a low-pass filter, a very unique feature in this class because nearly all compact and SLR cameras use low-pass filter systems to avoid moiré and aliasing effects. The sensor has a resolution of 24MP (6000x4000 pixels). We did our tests with the kit version of the D7100, using the AF-S DX NIKKOR 18-105mm f/3.5-5.6G ED VR, said to be optimized for DX cameras.

The D5200 follows Nikon’s D5100 and offers a new sensor with higher resolution (24MP instead of 16MP in the D5100). The new camera has an APS-C-sized CMOS sensor and uses a fast and reliable AF system with 39 focus sensors, including nine cross-type sensors. The photographer can toggle between different AF modes with nine, 21, or 39 points with dynamic-area mode and use predictive focus tracking for moving subjects.

Instead of trying to be just another me-too camera, the K-30 from Pentax Imaging is trying to be different, and that’s a good thing. First, there was the introduction of the K-01 mirrorless camera and now there’s the K-30 SLR, for when the going gets wet and not-so-wild. The rugged Pentax K-30 is designed for photographers who enjoy outdoor lifestyles and combines a weather- and dust-resistant compact body, HD video recording capabilities, and a glass prism optical finder with a 100 percent field of view, something most welcome in the small SLR category. To keep itself high and dry, the camera has 81 seals and is built to be cold resistant and function in temperatures as low as 14˚F, which is a number not all that uncommon here on Daisy Hill, Colorado, in the winter.

The new SLT-A99 is Sony’s first full-frame camera with an electronic viewfinder. While former Sony full-format cameras like the A900 or A850 offered a standard SLR system, the new A99 offers an electronic viewfinder with extremely high resolution (2.3 million RGB dots). Due to the SLT system with fixed mirror, which allows use of a classic AF system based on phase detection, the camera is very fast and can even utilize the AF system while recording videos.

Our initial report on the Canon EOS-1D X appeared in the Image Tech section of our homepage at www.shutterbug.com and was based on a preproduction model. This is our final report based on a factory-ship model.