Comparing Three Popular DSLRS in the $800 – $1800 Range

Canon T2i – $899, Body only $799 | 18MP | 1080p @ 30fps | 29min 59 sec or 4GB movie clip limits |  9 point focus | 3.7 fps| 95% Pentamirror | 3″  1,040,000 pixels LCD | 18.7 ounces

My thoughts: offers all the video capabilities of the 7D at ~$800 less, SD Card memory(cheaper than the compact flash used by 7D), smaller/lighter body (some may not like the feel).  You lose the faster FPS of the 7D, the more precise AF abilities of 7D, and D90, the wireless flash control and a highly customizable control scheme.  Bottom line – this is more than enough camera for most folks. If you are primarily looking for a video camera I see little to no reason to buy the 7D over the T2i.  Put the dollars you save buying the T2i toward a nice lens. Note: as of May 04 the T2i is out of stock on Amazon and most reputable resellers so there is a bit of price gouging happening.

DPReview says: Quite simply, taken as a whole, it is the best camera of its class that we’ve ever seen, and one of those rare cameras that won’t look out of date in a couple of years’ time. (April, 2010)

Canon 7D – Body only $1599 | 18MP | 1080p @30fps | 29min 59 sec or 4GB movie clip limits |  19 point focus | 8.0 fps | 100% Pentaprism | 3″  920,000 pixels LCD | 28.9 ounces

Offers excellent ergonomics in weatherized body and control scheme that is highly customizable, external mic port for high quality sound, wireless flash control (allows remote triggering of 430ex and 580ex flashes), bright viewfinder(absolute pleasure to look through) with 100% coverage, battery life is approx 1000 shots

My thoughts: if you are making money from photography gigs, especially ones where you plan to use off camera flashes or are shooting sports and need the faster FPS you should consider  this camera, it is a stellar camera but it is hefty and solid and most folks reading this would be better off buying T2i and putting the savings toward lenses.

DPReview says: It offers excellent image quality in all shooting situations and an impressive speed of operation, combined with very good build quality and ergonomics. Both its specification and the results of our testing make it a very easy recommendation. (November, 2009)

Nikon D90 – w/ 18-105 lens $1021, Body only $749 | 12.3MP | 720 @ 24fps | 5min clip limits | 11 point focus | 4.5FPS | 96% pentaprism | 3″  920,000 pixels LCD | 21.8 ounces

My Thoughts: The D90 is an excellent photographic camera and the body only price is an amazing value. If you already have Nikon lenses it is a no brainer of an upgrade.  The build quality and ergonomics sits between the T21 and the 7D.  Where the D90 falters is video, Video is max 720 resolution, no external mic port, clips are limited to 5 minutes (which isn’t as bad as you might think) and video suffers from the jelly effect (straight lines look wavy when the camera is in motion) more than the T2i or 7D

DPReview says: After using and testing the D90 extensively, it’s hard to think of a better enthusiast-level camera. (October, 2008)

Which one should you get?

T2i unless you have specific and justifiable reasons for the 7D. D90 if you have Nikon lenses or have friends/family with nikon lenses you can borrow.

Want cheaper options? Read my Short/Sweet DSLR Guide

Need some lens recomendations? Read My Canon Lens Guide | Nikon Lens Guide [coming soon]

Feel free to leave comments or your thoughts.

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Latest rumors regarding Canon’s newest P&S:

60D Specs

• Articulating screen
• Metal body, similar To 50D
• Upgraded 15.1mp APS-C Sensor
• 720p/1080p Video at 30fps
• Electronic Level
• New battery & battery grip
• Price about $1190

550D/600D Specs

• Articulating screen
• Body smaller than 500D
• Upgraded 15.1mp APS-C Sensor
• 720p Video at 30fps
• Price about $799

What do you all think of Articulating screens?  Love em, hate em?   Are these cameras worth waiting for?  Rumored release date in late spring/early summer

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Short & sweet overview of the popular DSLRS and which might be best for you . Some of these recommendations are based on prices that fluctuate daily, check in with me @camerarec to get my absolute latest recommendations. All prices in US dollars.

The very short & sweet guide-

My Recs [Budget = Canon XS,  $700-$1000 = Canon T2i,  $1000-$1500 = D90,  Above $1500 = 7D] Updated 2/10/09

Slightly longer short & sweet guide-

Budget (< $500)

Best of the bunch: Canon XS (1000D)

Buy a D40 – Solid camera but the tech is getting outdated and does not perform as well as the next two in low-light situations (~$460) D60 has been discontinued, replaced with the D3000 below. Go for a used model.

Buy an XS – few more megapixels & features for few more dollars, live view is one (~$450)

A benefit to buying the XS- you can autofocus with a cheap but good lens like the 50mm f/1.8 (~$90)which gives you nice lower light performance and depth of field control. If you buy the D3000 the cheapest lens that will give you the same ability/control is several hundred dollars more. It might not ever matter to you, you may be happy using the lens that camera comes with, and there are plenty of other lenses that will work with the D3000, but you should be aware. Feel free to ask me follow up questions on this, it is confusing and intimidating trying to figure out what lens will do what for you.

Buy a D3000 – Most user friendly DSLR to date, no live view but has a guide mode that teaches as you use and decent low-light performance, very similar in image quality to the XS  (~$450)

NOTE: if you buy a D40/D60/D3000/D5000 you need to look at my list of compatible(will auto-focus) lenses Some of the cheaper lenses will not autofocus on this camera and for some that is a reason to buy the XS.

$700 – $1000

Best of the bunch: On paper Canon’s T2i Reviews are very good, noise levels are low and the video quality is excellent, on par with the significantly more expensive 7D.

Canon T1i – Solid 15MP camera with nice HD Video, Hi-res LCD screen, excellent button placement and control scheme (~$720)

Canon T2i, shipping in March will offer excellent HD video, high resolution screen, 18MP (more about its features) (~$899)

Alternate choice the Nikon D5000 – Better in low-light, HD video not as smooth as T1i but does have articulating LCD screen, I just wish it was higher resolution, the LCD is a 1/3 of the resolution of the T1i. (~$650) See my note above about compatible autofocusing lenses.

$1000 – $1500

Best of the bunch:  If interested in Video step back to the T2i | If you plan to only shoot stills or primarily stills the D90 is still an excellent value.

Buy a D90 excellent low-light performance, HD video(limited to 5 min clips), gorgeous LCD & viewfinder along with built in wireless flash capabilities at just about $1000 – This is best camera you can buy under $1500. More about why I love the D90 The D90 body only is now $779, this is an excellent price and up until the announcement of the T2i was the best value DSLR under $1500.  Now the T2i shoots MUCH better video, Better LCD, 18MP vs 12MP in the D90.  D90 advantages are in build, viewfinder is bigger/brighter,  built-in wireless flash control and a kit lens with more range 18-105 vs 18-55 with T2i.

50D Solid 15MP gives you access to all of Canon’s lenses but no HDvideo and no built in wireless flash (~$1130) I see very little reason to buy the 50D at this point.  The T2i beats it in almost all features except build and and possibly ergonomics but that depends on how it feels to you.  There are rumors of a 60D but at this point it is hard to figure out how that will sit between the T2i and the 7D.

> $1500

Canon’s 7D 18MP, 100% viewfinder, Dual DIGIC 4 and new AutoFocus are great.  Stellar HDvideo. Reviews have been very positive. Not Full Frame but not everyone needs that. More here (~$1899)

Buy a D300s12MP w/ 18-200mm VR II Lens – Not full frame but excellent quality, low-light performance and video in a much more affordable package (~$2500 w/ very nice 18-200 lens) (~$1800 body only)

Alternate Buy a 5D Mark II 21.1MP Full Frame 24-105mm f/4 L IS USM Lens – Gorgeous giant images and jaw dropping HD video (~$3000)

If you buy a Canon take a moment to look at my recommended lens list and if you have any questions please find me on twitter @camerarec

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• 12.3 MP
• Body only; lenses sold separately
• Movie Mode; Cinematic 24fps HD with sound
• 3" 920,000-dot LCD monitor

Picking a mid-priced DSLR has become very difficult. In the range of $800-$1100 you now have three excellent cameras to choose from: Nikon D90, T1i , or the Canon 50D . The truth is you will be very happy with any of these cameras. They all produce excellent quality images and have similar feature sets with the exception of the D90 and T1i both have a HD movie mode. Ranking the three The D90 is currently on top because of image quality, LCD quality(and having a top LCD), and the beautiful pentaprism viewfinder. Both the T1i and the 50D have more megapixels but most pixel peepers are in agreement that Canon has crammed a few too many pixels (15MP for both Canon Cameras) onto the sensor and as a result noise levels do increase at the higher ISO. And final point that many seem to agree on; ergonomically the D90 is comfortable with smart button placement.

The D90 is an excellent camera with just the right combination of megapixels and features to set it slightly above the rest.

buy the Nikon D90 12.3MP (Body Only)

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