Christmas 2009 Buying Guide: top 10 D-SLRs for beginners

Sony Alpha a230 plus 18-55mm kit lens

Guide price: £340 • 10.2MP • 2.5fps continuous shooting • Live view: no • Movie mode: no

The cheap and cheerful Sony a230 delivers good quality images at a bargain basement price. There are few frills, but it works very well

The a230 is Sony’s cheapest digital SLR and shares a lot in common with the old a200 which went before it. It’s a solid, good-value package based around a 10-megapixel sensor and an 18-55mm kit lens. This lens replaces the 18-70mm kit lens that Sony used to provide with its SLRs, which had a longer reach but below-average optical quality - this one is much better. There’s no image stabilisation in this lens, but that’s because the a230 has it built into the body. It’s a sensor-shift system similar to those used by Pentax and Olympus and goes by the name of ‘SteadyShot Inside’. The picture quality produced by the a230 is pretty good, but the camera itself does feel a little cheap and crude in places. There’s no live view mode and no movie mode either, but then this is the cheapest digital SLR on the market, so you have to make some allowances. On the plus side, the controls are straightforward and the information display on the LCD is very clear.

Get it because... It's a good basic digital SLR at a bargain price - and the picture quality is decent
But bear in mind... It feels crude in places and little different to the (cheaper) a200 which went before it
Buy the Sony Alpha a230 digital camera plus 18-55mm kit lens here: Jessops | Amazon UK | Simply Electronics

Canon EOS 1000D plus 18-55mm IS kit lens

Guide price: £370 • 10.1MP • 3fps continuous shooting • Live view: yes • Movie mode: no

Cheap, basic and effective, the 10-megapixel EOS 1000D nevertheless comes with live view and an image-stabilised kit lens

The EOS 1000D is Canon’s cheapest digital SLR, but although it’s aimed at cost-conscious first-timers, it performs very well and has the capacity to grow with you as you learn more about photography. The 10-megapixel sensor delivers pictures which are clear, sharp and well-saturated, and it’s not far away from 12-megapixel SLRs in performance, though the 18-55mm kit lens isn’t the best, and edge detail can sometimes look a little soft. The camera’s controls are straightforward, though, and aren’t as simplistic as some, which means you won’t become frustrated later on. The plasticky build quality is slightly disappointing, as is the poor continuous shooting rate if you swap from JPEGs to RAW files. This seems a bit of an artificial restriction given that the older 10-megapixel EOS 400D was faster. The 2.5-inch LCD display is smaller than most, but not by much, and you do get an effective live view mode. On balance, the EOS 1000D is a thoroughly competent SLR to get started with given that you get an image-stabilised kit lens too.

Get it because... It has straightforward and efficient controls, plus clear, vivid pictures and reliable auto-exposure
But bear in mind... It only has 1.5fps continuous shooting for RAW files and feels a little plasticky
Buy the Canon EOS 1000D digital camera plus 18-55mm IS kit lens here: Jessops | Amazon UK | Simply Electronics

Nikon D3000 plus 18-55mm VR kit lens

Guide price: £390 • 10.2MP • 3fps continuous shooting • Live view: no • Movie mode: no

The D3000’s 10-megapixel sensor delivers good results and the camera’s ideal for beginners, but its simplistic interface could prove annoying

The D3000 is Nikon’s entry-level digital SLR and the company has gone to some lengths to make it as beginner-friendly as possible. It includes a special Guide mode (on the main mode dial) which asks you what kind of picture you’re taking and then suggests the settings you should use. The outside of the camera has the bare minimum of controls, which should make it less daunting for novices, and most adjustments are made using the interactive interface displayed on the good-sized 3-inch LCD on the back. You highlight the setting you want to change and then alter the value using the directional controller. It’s very clear and logical to start with, but it does mean lots of button-pressing, and this could prove frustrating later on when you’ve mastered the basics. The 10-megapixel sensor is basic, delivering good, crisp pictures, and it’s helped by the Nikkor 18-55mm VR lens, which is one of the best kit lenses around right now. There’s no live view, though, and some may find the D3000’s body a little small for comfort. Nevertheless, it’s a great starter SLR.

Get it because... Nikon's 18-55mm VR kit lens is very good and the 11-point autofocus is sophisticated
But bear in mind... The interactive interface can be quite long-winded and there's no live view mode
Buy the Nikon D3000 digital camera plus 18-55mm VR kit lens here: Jessops | Amazon UK | Simply Electronics

Olympus E-450 plus 14-42mm kit lens

Guide price: £440 • 10.0MP • 3.5fps continuous shooting • Live view: yes • Movie mode: no

The E-450’s 10MP sensor is perhaps no longer up to the standard of the rest, but it’s a neat, really well-specified camera with a great little kit lens

The E-450 is the ‘baby’ of the Olympus digital SLR range, but while this and its price might make it seem as if it’s aimed at beginners, it’s actually rather more advanced than that. You can shoot in full auto mode if you want the camera to take care of everything, but it’s also very easy to take over and change the settings yourself, thanks largely to Olympus’s excellent interactive interface. In principle, this is the same as the system used by Nikon on the D3000 and D5000, but in practice it’s a lot faster. Amongst other things you can use it to set the E-450’s ‘shadow’ and ‘highlight’ exposure modes, which offer a new level of exposure control compared to regular exposure systems. The E-450’s also very compact, and this is the only digital SLR with a ‘classic’ rectangular design rather than having a fat battery grip on the right-hand end. The 10-megapixel sensor is showing its age, though. It’s not as sharp as the 12-megapixel sensor used in Olympus’s other models, and not that good at high ISOs, either.

Get it because... It's compact, has a very good 14-42mm kit lens and advanced options for a budget camera
But bear in mind... The 10-megapixel sensor is starting to look dated
Buy the Olympus E-450 digital camera plus 14-42mm kit lens here: Jessops | Amazon UK | Simply Electronics (twin lens kit)

Panasonic Lumix G1 plus 14-45mm kit lens

Guide price: £450 • 12.1MP • 3fps continuous shooting • Live view: yes • Movie mode: no

The Micro Four Thirds format really shows its potential in the Lumix G1. The 12-megapixel sensor delivers great images, too

The G1 was the first camera to use the new Micro Four Thirds format and, technically, it’s not a digital SLR at all because it doesn’t use a mirror and it doesn’t have an optical viewing system. Instead, the sensor feeds the image either to the LCD on the back or the electronic viewfinder. This has a resolution of 1.4 megapixels, which is more than 4x the resolution of most EVFs, and the image is much clearer and sharper as a result. It’s still not as easy to make out as an optical viewfinder in difficult lighting though. The 12-megapixel Micro Four Thirds sensor produces very sharp, vivid images as good as those you’d expect from a regular digital SLR. It also focuses much faster in its own ‘live view’ mode than digital SLRs do, since the sensor and autofocus system are designed from the ground up with this in mind. The controls are well laid out, though the dials on the top plate could prove confusing for beginners. The LCD on the rear folds out for close-ups and waist-level shots, but there’s no movie mode on this camera – for that you need the more expensive GH1.

Get it because... It comes with a very good 14-45mm kit lens, an articulating LCD and fast autofocus in ‘live view’
But bear in mind... There's no movie mode and the EVF is not as good as a true D-SLR’s optical viewfinder
Buy the Panasonic Lumix G1 digital camera plus 14-45mm kit lens here: Jessops | Amazon UK