On the surface, digital SLRs seem to be constantly improving month on month, with more megapixels and features being added. In reality, these things don't necessarily mean a camera will take better pictures.
Here at Which? we’ve tested dozens of digital SLRs to root out the Best Buys from the so-so, meaning there's less chance of you regretting your purchase after your first photographic outing.
Which? covers a lot more than just digital cameras. By joining Which? you can find unbiased reviews and advice on thousands of products, from microwaves to printers, taking the risk out of any big purchase.
Finding a digitalSLR isn't an easy thing to do.Do you invest a lotof money and get a highresolution large sensor camera?Or do you go forsomething a bit more compact and a bit more affordable?But that's not where the decision ends.these days you have a lot of compact system camera's available too.
Such as Sony's [xx] model's, thePanasonic G Series orthe Olympus micro four thirdsand the price isn't always anindication of quality and that's where Witch's tests come in.
On which.com.ukyou'll find reviews of hundreds hundreds of the best cameras.We clearly list specifications andfeatures of each camera alongside easy to read starratings enable you toidentify the best and worst performers.The best performing cameras are awardedthe coveted Best Buy award.And to further ensureour independence, Weeks doesn't carryany advertising on our websitesor in our magazines, so wedon't have any manufacturers to please.
In short tell it as it is.When we're testing digital cameraswe'll put them through a labassessment which can take amatter of weeks to workout which are the best performing models and which aren't.We never look at into thecamera, we never even lookat the price of the camera, we'lleven cover that information up forus, the only thingthat matters is how well thatcamera preforms,in identical lab conditionsto every other model that we put through.
A lot of other magazines and websites will do image quality tests.Very often these assessments aredone on competer processes picture processes.We'll have an independent expert labpanel of assessors and theseassessors will actually look atthe pictures and work outwhich are the best pictures, whereare they delivering on car accuracy,wether they're delivering on sharpness, producinggrainy noise, so you actuallyget a human element aswell as a computer element, judging which is the best picture quality.
these days the video on acamera is just as important as thephoto quality, so we've actuallyadded lots and lots of videoassessments to our storedcamera tests judge howsmooth the video is whenyou are using even a compact camera or a digital slr [?}or judge the video sound quality as well .Because very often, you aregetting a camera that [xx] It's 1080p full HD video.
It all sounds very impressive.But when you pull this littlething out of your pocket and youtry and record something with it, you get terrible sound.So we are going to actually test that and tell you what you'll get.Because these are going to be your videos you're taking in day-to-day life.And our lab assessments can actuallytell you what kind ofvideo you can expect we alsohave member reviews for personal takes on each camera.
These can be really useful forletting you know what it's liketo live model for a long time.Each review is linked toa life pricing page, helpingyou find the cheapest oline andretailer when you make your purchasing decision.Our product comparison tool makesit easy to directly compare camerasand find models with the features that you need.
you can select, for example, cameraswith touch screen operation, those withview-finders, and those that are water-proof.We also have a useful memorycard capacity tool that willallow you to calculate how manyphotos you can take atthe certain resolution on a certain size memory card.At Which?
we have more than 50 years of experience of testing products.So make sure you take advantage ofthat and all the free advice we have on offer at Which.co.uk.
Digital SLR reviews you can trust
The Which? experts are continually testing digital SLRs to see which ones make the grade. We regularly review our test procedures to make sure we’re up to date with the latest digital camera technology. We've reviewed dozens of models from seven of the top brands, including Canon, Nikon, Olympus and Sony.
To make sure that all the reviews are balanced and fair, we put each camera through a series of standard technical tests to see how they perform. To test the image resolution and quality, we take pictures of a test chart using a variety of settings and light levels. We then scrutinise the shots for picture noise, vignetting and distortion.
We also understand how important it is for the camera to work well when when you're out and about. You don't want to be fiddling with menus and settings when there's a chance you'll miss the moment. So we also rate each of the models for how easy they are to use. And we test the shutter delay to make sure you're going to capture the shot you want when you press the button.
On top of all this, we also rate the lens, the bulkiness, the flash and how good each camera is at keeping out dust. We don't want anything to get in the way of a great picture.
What makes a Best Buy digital SLR?
As well as guaranteeing superb quality images, Which? Best Buy digital SLRs are reliable, speedy and easy to use – you won’t be spending precious seconds fiddling with clunky settings.
Out of the 41 digital SLRs we've tested, only 14 of them have achieved the coveted Best Buy status. And these aren't just the most expensive cameras. We award Best Buys based on high performance in our rigorous tests.
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