This website is supported by its audience. When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.
Digital SLR cameras
Tired of taking photos in your camera’s fully automatic mode? Want to get closer to your subjects, tweak every aspect of your photos, and be able to switch from super-zoom to ultra-wide lenses depending on the scene in front of you? To take the very best photos, you need a digital SLR camera.
Digital SLR cameras comparison chart for 2023
| Rank | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | ||||||||||
--- |
--- |
--- |
--- |
--- |
--- |
--- |
--- |
--- |
--- |
|||||||||||
|
Excellent
 Very good  Good  Average  Poor  |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
||||||||||
| i | i | |||||||||||||||||||
| Ratings | ||||||||||||||||||||
|
Overall
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
||||||||||
|
Photo quality
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
||||||||||
|
Features
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
||||||||||
|
Ease of use
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
||||||||||
|
Help & support
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
||||||||||
| Specification | ||||||||||||||||||||
|
Resolution (megapixels)
|
14.2 | 12.2 | 12.10 | 14.6 | 10.1 | 12.3 | 15.1 | 12.4 | 12.3 | 12.3 | ||||||||||
|
Digital zoom
|
||||||||||||||||||||
|
Optical zoom
|
3x | 3x | 3x | 3x | 3x | 3x | 3x | 3x | 3x | 3x | ||||||||||
|
LCD Display (inches)
|
3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 2.5 | 2.7 | 3 | 3 | 2.7 | 3 | ||||||||||
|
Size (inches)
|
4.9 x 3.8 x 2.9 | 5.1 x 3.8 x 2.4 in. | 4.9 x 3.3 x 2.9 in | 4.9 x 3.6 x 3.3 in | 5.0 x 3.8 x 2.4 in | 5.0 x 4.1 x 3.1 in. | 5.1 x 3.8 x 2.4 in. | 5.2 x 3.8 x 2.9 in. | 5.1 x 3.7 x 2.4 in. | 4.7 x 2.8 x 1.4 in. | ||||||||||
|
Weight (ounces)
|
27.4 oz | 19.0 oz | 21.8 oz | 25.6 oz | 25.0 oz | 20.7 oz | 18.6 oz | 26.4 oz | 16.8 oz | 19.0 oz | ||||||||||
|
Sensor
|
23.1 mm × 15.4 mm Nikon DX format RGB CMOS sensor | 22.2 x 14.8mm | 17.3 × 13 mm | 25.6 oz | 22.2 x 14.8 mm | 23.6 x 15.8mm | CMOS APS-C 22.3 x 14.9 mm (1.6x conversion factor) | 23.6mm x 15.8mm | 13.0 x 17.3mm | Four Thirds System 18.00 × 13.50 mm Live MOS | ||||||||||
|
Exposure
|
Full Auto, Program AE, Manual, Aperture Priority, and Shutter Priority modes | Auto, PASM, A-Dep, 6 scene | Manual, Program, Automatic, Shutter Priority, Aperture Priority | Program AE • Aperture priority AE • Shutter priority AE • Manual • Auto • Auto + • High-speed mode • Sweep Panorama (2D/3D) • SCN (see below) • Flash off | Full Auto, Program AE, Portrait, Landscape, Close-up, Sports, Night Portrait, Flash Off, Shutter-priority AE, Aperture-priority AE, Depth-of-field AE, and Manual exposure, E-TTL II autoflash | Advanced Scene Modes Aperture-Priority Auto (A) Auto Auto (flash off) Manual (M) Programmed Auto with flexible Program (P) Shutter-Priority Auto (S) | Full Auto, Portrait, Landscape, Close-up, Sports, Night Portrait, No Flash, Program AE, Shutter-priority, Aperture-priority, Manual, Auto Depth-of-field | Green (fully automatic), Manual, Bulb, Shutter- and Aperture-priority, and a Hyper Program mode | Auto, Program AE with shift), Aperture Priority AE, Shutter Priority AE, Manual, Scene Program, Scene Select (Scene Modes: Portrait, Landscape, Macro, Sport, Night + Portrait, Children, High Key, Low Key, DIS Mode, Nature Macro, Candle, Sunset, Fireworks, Documents) | Program, shutter-priority, aperture-priority, manual | ||||||||||
|
ISO range
|
100 - 3,200; expandable to 12800 | 100 to 1600 | ISO 100–3200 | Auto: 100 - 1600; Selectable: 100 - 12800; Multi Frame NR (up to ISO 25600) | 100-1600 | ISO 200 - 3200 Lo-1 (ISO 100) Hi-1 (ISO 6400) | 100-12800 | 80-51200 | ISO 100-3200, ISO auto (200-3200) | 100-6400 | ||||||||||
|
Shutter speed (seconds)
|
30 - 1/4000 | 1/4000 to 30 sec | 60–1/4000 sec | 60 -1/4000 sec. | 1/4000 to 30 s and Bulb, 1/200 s X-sync | 30 s to 1/4000 s in 1/2 or 1/3 | 30-1/4000 | 30-1/8000 | 60–1/4000 seconds | 60-1/4000 | ||||||||||
|
Aperture
|
f/3.5 - 22 (W), f/5.6 - 38 (T) | F1.0 - F91 (0.3 EV steps) | F/3.5-5.6 | f/3.5 - 22 (W), f/5.6 - ?? (T) | f4/f5.6 (w/t) | f/3.5 -22 (W), f/5.6 -36 (T) | F1.0 - F91 (0.3 EV steps) Actual aperture range depends on lens used | f/3.5 - 22 (W), f/5.6 - 38 (T) | F/3.5-5.6 | 17mm f5.6 | ||||||||||
|
Macro
|
||||||||||||||||||||
| Features | ||||||||||||||||||||
|
Viewfinder
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
||||||||||
|
Touchscreen
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
||||||||||
|
Video
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
||||||||||
|
Self timer
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
||||||||||
|
Image stabilizer
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
||||||||||
| Media formats | ||||||||||||||||||||
|
JPG
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
||||||||||
|
RAW
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
||||||||||
|
HD720p
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
||||||||||
| Connectivity | ||||||||||||||||||||
|
Bluetooth
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
||||||||||
|
Firewire
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
||||||||||
|
HDMI
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
||||||||||
|
USB
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
||||||||||
|
Wi-Fi
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
||||||||||
| Battery | ||||||||||||||||||||
|
Battery life
|
550 frames on a single charge | 500 shots (according to CIPA standards, with supplied LP-E5 battery pack | Approx. 360 images (LCD), Approx. 390 images (LVF | approx. 270 images with viewfinder and approx. 340 images in live view mode | 500 shots | 510 shots (CIPA) | Approx. 400 (at 23°C, AE 50%, FE 50%) ¹ Approx. 380 (at 0°C, AE 50%, FE 50%) | otential capacity of up to 560 images without flash, or 470 with 50% flash usage. This equates to 300 minutes of viewing on the LCD screen. | CIPA rated at 500 shots | 300 images (100% with Live View) with BLS-1 and Toshiba Class 6 SDHC 4GB card under CIPA testing standard | ||||||||||
|
Supplied battery
|
Proprietary EN-EL14 | LP-E5 battery pack | D-Security Li-ion Battery Pack | Proprietary NP-FW50 | LP-E5 Battery Pack | EN-EL9a Lithium-ion Battery | LP-E5 Lithium-Ion rechargeable battery (7.4 V, 1050 mAh) | Rechargeable Li-Ion battery D-LI109, AA Battery Holder D-BH109 (optional) for 4× AA batteries | BLS-1 Li-ion battery pack | Olympus BLS-1 Lithium-ion battery | ||||||||||
|
Battery charger
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
||||||||||
| Warranty | ||||||||||||||||||||
|
Period
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
||||||||||
| Help & support | ||||||||||||||||||||
|
Telephone support
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
||||||||||
|
Email support
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
||||||||||
|
User manual
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Digital SLR cameras explained
Grab your bag – you’ll need it for your digital SLR camera. With the camera itself, an extra lens, plus a separate flash, spare batteries and memory cards, you can’t just slip a digital SLR in your pocket.
But then what did you expect? Digital SLR cameras are what the professionals use. If you want to snap at super high resolutions, through the best lenses, with the most reliable equipment, you’re going to have to put up with a camera that takes up a bit of extra room.
Digital SLR cameras are all about putting you in control. Although most have some automatic modes, these cameras only perform at their best when you fully take the controls. You have to be willing to learn and experiment. And assuming you are, you’ll take far better photos than you’d ever manage with a compact camera.
Flexibility and control
Digital SLR cameras are versatile. Not only can you change the settings when you take a photo, but you can also switch lenses and connect an array of extra equipment, like external flashguns and remote controls. In short, the number of ways you can use a digital SLR camera dwarfs other types of camera.
They’re also usually designed with screens that show more realistic colors, and have a viewfinder to help you frame shots accurately. However, with so many settings, the controls can seem overwhelming – so if you’re new to digital SLRs, it’s a good idea to choose a camera that lets you automate some settings while you play with others – at least to start with.
Having said that, don’t let the steep learning curve put you off. Digital SLR cameras are fun to use, and let you explore your photographic abilities more than any other type of camera.