Ratings Advanced cameras: Recommended models only from 59
tested
Overview
Image-quality scores in the Ratings aren’t’
comparable with those for basic cameras. Prices include the lens listed.
Without a lens, the camera usually costs $100 less. Except for C2 lenses for
all SLR-like and SLR models have a maximum aperture of f/3.5. For more SLR
lenses, see the Ratings on the facing page.
For
features and small size
A3: Sony $650
A.
Point-and-shoot for those who want a built-in lens but advanced features
similar to an SLR
Although it doesn’t have a long zoom lens,
this Cyber-shot has very good image and video quality, a very good display and
a higher resolution than most advanced models. It’s also among the thinnest,
lightest, and smallest advanced models in our Ratings.
A3.
Sony cyber shot DSC RX100
Best
small SLR-like cameras
B4: Nikon $800
B6: Sony $1,100
B7: Sony $600 CR Best Buy
B.
SLR-Like for those who want a smaller, lighter camera with interchangeable
lenses.
Among the lightest in this class, B4 has
very good image and video quality, although the flash costs extra. B6 has
extraordinarily high resolution and very good performance across the board. B7
also has very good performance and offers unusual automated modes, such as Auto
Portrait Framing, which crops and resaves an image to potentially create a more
pleasing composition.
B4.
Nikon 1V1
For
standout SLR performance
C1: Canon $1,050
C2: Olympus $1,600
C3: Nikon $1,100
C1. Canon
EOS 60D
C1 is one of a few advanced models with
excellent image quality for low light and flash. It has a swiveling LCD and an
excellent viewfinder. C2 has a fast, f/2.8 lens. C3 captures HD-resolution
video (1080p) at up to 24 frames e second. It has stereo audio, two SD-card
slots, auto-distortion control, and an excellent viewfinder.
C.
SLR for those who want advanced features and performance, with interchangeable
lenses
Best
value for SLR flexibility
C4: Canon $700 CR Best Buy
C11: Nikon $500 CR Best Buy
C13: Pentax $850
C4.
Canon EOS Rebel T3i
C4 is excellent at minimizing camera shake
and has a very good LCD and an excellent viewfinder. C11 offers very good HD
(1080i) video quality and fast response, and excellent quality for low-light
photos. C13 has an excellent viewfinder and is more resistant to moisture and
dust than many consumer SLRs.
Going for better glass: Step-up SLR lenses
Lenses for digital SLRs have gotten lighter
and easier to use, and those with the stabilizer in the lens instead of the
camera offer better image stabilization.
The kit lenses listed in the camera Ratings
on the facing page offer many of those benefits. For routine shooting, they
might be a bargain because they often discounted from their normal retail price
to about $100 when you buy them with the camera. But to take full advantage of
your SLR’s versatility, consider the step-up lenses below, which offer two
major advantages over a kit lens:
Greater
zoom
Instead of the 3.1x zoom (18-to 55-mm) you
usually get with a kit lens, so-called telezoom lenses offer 5x to 8x, and
superzooms can offer up to 14x. Some step-ups offer wide-angle settings as low
as 15mm, handy for shooting landscapes or group portraits, or telephoto
settings as high as 250mm for close-ups of distant subjects.
Wider
apertures.
All of the standard zooms have a maximum
aperture of f/2.8, compared with f/3.5 for all but one kit lens on the facing
page. That difference lets you use faster shutter speeds and lower ISO settings
(especially in low light) and provides shallower depth of field for more
professional-looking photos.
Ratings SLR lenses: recommended models only from 15 tested
Overview
Image-quality scores for SLR lenses aren’t
comparable with those for basic or advanced cameras. Most rated lenses are very
good. Tests were conducted in partnership with International Consumer Research
& Testing, a worldwide association of 40 consumer organizations of which we
are member.
Best
Canon lenses
A2: Canon $1,000
B4: Canon $300 CR Best Buy
A.
Standard Zoom for those who need a lens for everyday use
Both offer very good image quality, are
excellent at limiting the effects of geometric distortion and have an excellent
image stabilizer. A2 is a standard zoom that is very easy to use. B4 is a
telezoom lens that allows you to get closer to your subject than a standard
zoom, although it doesn’t have wide-angle capability. But both have a greater
tendency to produce lens flare (reflected light caught between surfaces of lens
elements and the inside barrel of the lens) than the others.
A2.
Canon EF-S IS USM (17-55mm)
Best
Nikon Lenses
A1: Nikon $1400
B3: Nikon $700
B.
Telezom for those who need to get close to their subjects for sports or nature
photography
Both are excellent at limiting the effects
of geometric distortion. A1 is the only standard zoom lens in the Ratings with
excellent image quality. B3 is a telezoom that gives you more telephoto zoom
than most standard lenses. It has an excellent image stabilizer but might
produce a bit more lens flare than the others.
A1.
Nikon ED-IF AF-S DX Nikkor Zoom Lens (17-55mm)
Best
superzoom lenses for Canon
C1: Sigma $800
C2: Sigma $500
C.
Superzoom for those who need the greatest possible zoom range, from wide angel
to telephoto
Both have very good performance and image
quality and an excellent image stabilizer. Separate versions of the lenses are
available for other SLR brands, but we haven’t’ tested them yet.
C1.
Sigma DC Macro OS HSM (18-250mm)
Best
lenses for Olympus, Pentax, and Sony
The following previously tested recommended
lenses are compatible with Olympus, Pentax, and Sony lens mounts: Olympus Zuiko
Digital 14-to 54-mm/f2.8-3.5 II, $600; Olympus Zuiko Digital 14-to 42-mm
f/3.5-5.6, $220; Olympus Zuiko Digital 14-to 45-mm f/3.5-5.6, $550; Olympus
Zuiko Digital 40- to 150-mm f/4 – 5.6, $300; Olympus Zuiko Digital 18-to 180-
mm f/3.5 – 6.3, $500; Pentax smc-DA 18- to 55-mm f/3.5-5.6 AL II, $200; Sony
SAL-1870 18-to 70-mm f/3.5-5.6 DT, $200; Sony DT 55- to 200-mm f/4-5.6, $200.