Summer Cameras - DSLRs

Best Superzoom

Panasonic Lumix FZ38 - £280

For catching all those far-and-away shots on the distant horizon, the FZ38's 27mm wideangle 18x optical zoom lens provides serious zooming capabilities with image stabilisation in a not overbearingly large body. Full manual control allows extra creative control too.

Spec:

12.1MP  
27-486mm (18x optical zoom)  
ISO 80-1600 (6400 expandable)  
2.7in 230k-dot LCD  
rechargeable li-ion battery  
117.6 x 75.8 x 88.9 mm  
367g  
720p HD movie  
full manual modes

Perfect Family DSLR

Nikon D3000 - £360 kit

It's the D3000's Guide Mode that makes it so suitable for everyone in the family. With an Auto mode for simple point-and-shoot like shooting, more complex manual modes have visual instructional guides and explanations on screen to ease your DSLR experience.

Spec:

10.2MP APS-C (1.5x crop)
18-55mm VR kit lens (Nikon F-mount)
ISO 100-1600
3in 230k-dot LCD
rechargeable li-ion battery
126 x 97 x 64mm
485g
11-point AF system
3fps continuous shooting - Guide mode
in-camera retouching

Backpacker DSLR

Canon EOS 550D - £700 kit

Those carrying an already heavy backpack want to ensure that the best kit occupies their limited space. The 550D's large 18MP sensor produces huge images that are not only ideal for landscapes but also, with an array of Canon lenses at your disposal, a huge array of other photography too.

Spec:

18MP APS-C (1.6x crop)
18-55mm VR kit lens (Nikon F-mount)
ISO 100-6400 (expandable to 12800)
3in 1,040k-dot 3:2 LCD
rechargeable li-ion battery
128.8 x 97.3 x 62mm
530g (body only)
9-point AF system
3.7fps continuous shooting
full HD movie (with external 3.5mm stereo microphone socket)

Best Movie Maker

Canon EOS 5D MkII - £1700 (body only)

Marrying a full-frame sensor with the best bar none in movie capture, the moving images from Canon's 5D MkII are so professional that even a whole episode of House (Hugh Laurie, as seen on Sky) was shot using this set-up. Full manual control and 1080p capture excellence.

Spec:

21.1MP Full Frame (1x crop)
ISO 100-3200 (expandable to 25,600) 3in 920k-dot LCD
rechargeable li-ion battery
152 x 113.5 x 75mm
810g (body only)
9-point AF system
3.9fps continuous shooting
100% viewfinder
Full HD movie recording (with 3.5mm mic jack for stereo sound)
magnesium alloy body

Ultimate Photo Holiday DSLR

Nikon D300s - £1500 kit

Nikon's classic D300, with its rapid 7fps continuous shooting, was seen as superb for moving action or sports. Its new ‘s' release, the D300s, builds on the quality original by adding a 720p HD movie mode to diversify the variety of what you can capture.  

Spec:

12.3MP APS-C (1.5x crop)
16-85mm VR (Nikon F-mount)
ISO 200-3200 (expandable to 6400)
3in 920k-dot LCD
rechargeable li-ion battery
147 x 114 x 74mm
840g (body only)
51-point AF system
7fps continuous shooting
720p HD movie (Motion-JPEG)

Sony Alpha a850 - £2150 kit

Full-frame cameras aren't ever going to be ‘cheap', but Sony's Alpha a850 is as affordable as they come for a true enthusiast looking to benefit from the detail, images quality and shallow depth of field offered by that extra large sensor.

Spec:

24.6MP Full Frame (1x crop)
28-75mm lens (Sony a-mount)
ISO 200-3200 (expandable to 6400)
3in 921k-dot Xtra Fine LCD
rechargeable li-ion battery
156.3 x 116.9 x 81.9mm
850g (body only)
9-point AF system
3fps continuous shooting
Full Frame sensor
tough body
SteadyShot INSIDE sensor-shift image stabilisation

Canon EOS 7D - £1500 kit

Canon's recent ‘built from the ground up' DSLR is a mesh of super-fast 8fps shooting, Full HD 1080p movie capture, intelligent new iFCL metering system and high-quality, high-sensitivity ISO expandable to ISO 12,800. An ideal all-rounder whatever faces you.

Spec:

12.3MP APS-C (1.5x crop)
16-85mm VR (Nikon F-mount)
ISO 200-3200 (expandable to 6400)   3in 920k-dot LCD
rechargeable li-ion battery
147 x 114 x 74mm
840g (body only)
51-point AF system
7fps continuous shooting
720p HD movie (Motion-JPEG)