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Natalie Hitchins is news editor of What Digital Camera magazine and a former editor of Digital Photographer. Here she picks the best of the huge array of digital SLR cameras. Click to view Top 5 Digital SLRs.
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Best for Families (Olympus E-400) |
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 Packed with user-friendly features and boasting the enviable accolade of being the world's smallest digital SLR, the E-400 has everything family users could wish for and more. Its 10-megapixel sensor and twin lens kit ensure it’s a real all-rounder that’s perfect for capturing the most spontaneous of family occasions. |
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Class-leading compact dimensions and a lightweight design means the E-400 can conveniently be taken anywhere. It features a new CCD with 10-megapixels and a state-of-the-art amplifier circuit for impressive imaging performance at super fast speeds.
As the design of the E-400 is based on the open Four Thirds Standard, users have flexibility to choose from a great range of lenses from multiple manufacturers. Straight out of the box, the E-400 will get you off to a bumper start in the optical department, as its generous lens kit includes two versatile lenses that'll easily cover most everyday shooting situations. |
Creative control |
 In addition to a full range of creative manual controls, the E-400 proves that even a feature-packed DSLR needn’t be difficult to operate with over 30 automatic scene modes. These equip the camera with flexible settings for useful situations such as Underwater and Macro, while throwing in artistic must-haves such as High Key and Low Key. What’s more, users can also benefit from special colour modes and the ability to apply various Black & White filters to images. Put simply, this baby was born for hassle-free family and portrait photography. |
Great reviews |
The accuracy of the E-400’s sensor combined with Olympus’ effective anti-dust mechanism creates smooth, detailed images that have more than wowed the critics. Noise is all but non-existent, meaning that even super-sized images are extremely clean with excellent colour rendition, crisp edges and smooth colour gradiation. The result is a camera offering the full package, leading Digicamreview.com to conclude, “The Olympus E-400 is an impressive digital SLR camera, offering excellent image quality, and an excellent range of lenses with very precise manual zoom control.”
Ultimate praise, though, is reserved for the camera’s seamless ergonomics and ease of operation. “The camera is so light that holding it at any angle is no effort at all, and even without a bulky handgrip its shape fits the hand very well,” says Cliff Smith writing for Trusted Reviews. The experts at Digitalcamerainfo.com agree, concluding, “The E-400 should be an easy transition for point and shooters – it's well-automated, compact, and not too heavy." |
Double the lens power |
 The icing on the cake is the not one but two lenses included in the E-400's twin lens kit. These optics cover two versatile focal lengths - a standard 14-42mm zoom and a 40-150mm telephoto lens – perfect for getting up close and personal with shooting subjects. Like the camera itself, the lenses are compact, lightweight and extremely well-crafted. Summing up their contribution, Paul Monckton for Personal Computer World writes, “The supplied kit lenses too produce very sharp pictures that certainly didn’t suffer from their significant size reduction.”
According to CameraLabs.com, “The E-400 will equally appeal to first-time DSLR buyers and experienced photographers who want a compact body with decent creative control.” Amber Maitland for Pocket-Lint, meanwhile, concentrates her praise on the E-400’s overall feature set, enthusing: “In a camera replete with so much clever stuff, you’d be forgiven for expecting a much bigger device … I can heartily recommend this camera to all those who might consider it.”
Such wide-ranging admiration reflects the E-400’s versatile proposition. Despite offering a more limited range of compatible lenses than some of its rivals and a small handgrip, the E-400 delivers the convenience, style and picture quality demanded by everyday users who want superb results, fast. |
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For an explanation of technical photographic terms click here
TYPICAL PRICES: Body only: £430-£680 ($850-$1350); Lens kit: £495-£820 ($980-$1625)
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