mangiaphoto

If there were any doubt remaining that the digital SLR is the camera for photo enthusiasts, 2006’s blockbuster introductions wiped it out. Five 10MP cameras hit the U.S. market, all packed with high-end features and priced at $1,000 or less (street) — including, in four cases, a kit lens. If you’ve been waiting to make the move into a digital SLR, or you’re planning to upgrade from an older DSLR, one of these five models should nudge you off the fence. To help you decide which one’s for you, we’ve compared the models head-to-head on performance and features.

But these cameras are about more than megapixel counts or price breaks. They represent a genuine maturing of the digital SLR. High resolution no longer comes at the price of excessive digital noise at higher ISOs. Image adjustments like color saturation, contrast, and white balance can be fine-tuned in the camera. Yet, for all the tinkering you can do with their controls, you can still switch them to auto-everything mode and use them like a point-and-shoot (a very good point-and-shoot).

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