Wedding photography kit: camera lens and equipment

Photographing wedding professionally may be a big challenge new photographers. Thorough preparation is the key. If we miss something in location, there is no way to go back and grab tools that we need.

Cameras
2 Digital SLR Cameras, one with standard zoom, the other with telephoto zoom or fast prime.

Camera suggestions:
Small sensor: Canon 40D or 50D, Nikon D90 or D300, Olympus E-520 or E-3.
Full frame cameras: Canon 5D, 5D Mark II, Nikon D700 or D3.

Wedding often happen indoor, especially in church where the light is very dim. Camera with Image stabilization option and ability to handle high ISO is essential. Camera should be responsive and auto focus must be fast and accurate. However, in outdoor wedding, you don't have to worry about that.

Lenses selection
The most important lens is wide zoom lens, because there are many group pictures, and tight indoor shoots such as inside the church.

For small sensor 17-55mm will be great, for full frame, 24-70mm. The bigger the aperture is the best. Big aperture will help in low light condition and also isolate the background better.

For telephoto lens, 50-200mm range is adequate.

Prime lens or macro lens will be great in low light condition and also for artistic photography because it can create a beautiful bokeh (depth of field) try 30mm, 50mm, 60mm, 85mm or 100mm

Other equipments:

• Flash, essential in indoor low light condition.
• Flash diffusers popular brand includes: Stofen omnibounce, Lumiquest Promax, Joe Demb Diffuser and Gary Fong Lightsphere
  

Very important!

• Memory Cards - usually we need 800-1000 pics/day, if you shoot RAW, you might want to have 10-15 GB or more.
  
• Extra batteries for cameras and external flash
• Charger for batteries

Other:

• Tripod = for group shots
• Light stand and strobes
• Reflector for outdoor
• Comfortable camera bag
  

Sigma Lenses vs Canon Lenses

Many people believe that Sigma, a third party photography manufacturer merely produce lenses that are inferior to brand name such as Canon or Nikon lenses. While some of them are true, but there some Sigma lenses are better in term of built quality, optical quality and zoom focal length.

Some Sigma lenses are engineered to fill the gap that Canon or Nikon lenses does not have. In this post, I try to categorized the lenses based on similarity on specification:

Sigma wide prime and standard prime lens
Click to enlarge

In wide angle prime category, Sigma has 8mm circular fish eye that Canon does not have, while Nikon has 10mm. In standard prime category, new Sigma lens 50mm f/1.4 is regarded the best standard prime in the market. The build construction is excellent but the trade off is the lens is a heavier and bulkier. (Related article: Sigma 50mm mini review).

Sigma also has quality 30mm f/1.4 lens, which is better than Canon old 28mm f/1.8 and 35mm f/2. Canon has 35mm f/1.4, but the price is way above the reach of prosumer.

Sigma telephoto and standard prime lens
Click to enlarge

In Telephoto prime category, Sigma only has 3 lenses, however, they are a lot more affordable than Canon or Nikon collection.

Sigma standard zoom lens
Click to enlarge

In Standard wide to telephoto zoom lens, Sigma compromises image quality to affordability. Many of Sigma lenses in this category tend to be significantly cheaper. For example the Sigma 24-70mm f/2.8, a popular general zoom lens, is $700 cheaper than Canon's counterpart. The problem is, the Sigma rarely supply standard zoom lens with optical stabilization or image stabilization. But if you have camera with built-in stabilization (Sony, Pentax, Olympus), then you don't have to worry about it and get a bargain deal.

Sigma telephoto zoom and macro lenses
Click to enlarge

In telephoto zoom, Sigma strategy is to put out long zoom lenses and recently equipped with OS (optical stabilization) to combat hand shake. Massive focal length offered by Sigma is unmatched by Canon or Nikon.

Some Sigma telephoto zoom focal length that you might not find in Canon or Nikon: Sigma 50-150mm f/2.8, Sigma 120-400mm, Sigma 100-300mm f/4, Sigma 150-500mm OS, 80-400mm OS and the BIGMA, 300-800mm.

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In the macro lenses, price and focal length are about the same for both manufacturer, so my recommendation is go for Canon's or Nikon's.

In conclusion: Sigma offers many cheaper alternatives, but it does not translate on lower build and image quality. Sometime it is worth the money to get Sigma, especially Sigma with the label EX. These EX lenses tend to have a great built and image quality. Sigma is also well known in manufacturing standard prime such as 30mm and 50mm. In some focal length such as 100-500mm range, Sigma has great collection with affordable price and mechanic that you won't find in Canon and Nikon's lens collection.

Related articles
Canon vs Nikon lenses
Sony vs Olympus vs Pentax lenses
Sigma telephoto zoom lenses

Photokina 2008 and some thoughts

Photokina is one of the biggest trade show for imaging and photography. In this event, manufacturer has chance to showcase their new gadgets.

Canon stand
Canon stands out by introducing Canon 5D mark ii and Canon 50D. A 21 megapixel full frame camera that able to record HD movies. Canon also introduce two new lens, 24mm f/1.4 L lens and general purpose 18-200mm f/3.5-5.6 IS lens. Other notable advanced camera include Canon G10 and Powershot SX1 IS.

By releasing two advanced cameras in Photokina shows Canon still can keep up with newest technology. Throughout 2008, Nikon has been leading in advanced dslr camera by launching full frame Nikon D700. Nikon D300 and Nikon D3, a 2007 camera, are leading Canon in technology especially on iso level and image resolution.

Related Articles
Canon 5D mark II vs Canon 5D and Nikon D700
Canon 50D vs Canon 40D

Nikon stand
Nikon displays its new Nikon D90, an semi-advance camera which is able to record a movie. as a successor of popular Nikon D80, D90 has higher iso, higher image resolution and faster continuous speed. Along with D90, Nikon introduces Nikkor 18-105 VR a new versatile kit lens and also a bridge camera, Nikon P6000.

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D90 is the first announced dslr camera with movie recording capabilities, but in a few weeks, it was eclipsed by announcement of Canon 5D mark ii which can shoot HD movie. But D90 is still very attractive for budget-minded photographers who are looking for upgrade from Nikon D80, D60 or D40.

Related articles
Nikon D90 vs Canon 40D
Canon G10 vs G9 and Nikon P6000

Pentax stand
Pentax launched new entry level camera which is more compact than Pentax k200d. In term of features, this camera does not have significant change from k200d.

Other than that, Pentax introduces several lenses. Some lenses are an upgrade from previous lens, some are new. They are: 50-200mm F4.-5.6 DA-L, 60-250mm F4 SDM, 15mm F4 Limited and a new kit lens 18-55m F3.5-5.6 DA-L.

From all lenses above, we can expect faster operation and image quality from 60-250mm f4 SDM. This lens will be ideal sport lens.

Pentax. 15mm f/4 Limited lens is also an interesting lens. It is equiv. to 22mm close to photojournalist favorite focal length. It is also very small and compact lens.

Related articles:
Pentax k2000 vs Pentax k200d and competitors

Sigma stands
Sigma introduces 2 new camera prototypes, a mid-range slr camera (SD15) and a bridge camera DP2, the upgrade from DP1, a compact camera that has a SLR image sensor. Sigma's selling point of the cameras are the 3 layer sensors and new processing that promise to deliver live 3 dimensional like image.

Sigma also introduces new EX (High quality) lens 50mm f/1.4 for Four Thirds system and 24-70mm f/2.8. Famous as a producer of heavy, big size lenses on telephoto range, the 24-70mm surprisingly compact compared to other brand 24-70mm lens. This lens is considered general purpose lens especially useful for full frame camera users. Unfortunately, Sigma does not offer optical stabilization on this lens.

Sigma has been aggressive this year especially in telephoto zoom lenses with optical stabilization.

Related articles:
Sigma 50mm f/1.4 mini review
Sigma telephoto zoom lenses

Pentax K2000 / k-m vs Pentax k200 and other competitors

Pentax just announced new entry level camera (Pentax k2000 or Pentax k-m)

From the specification, this camera is not significantly better than the previous Pentax k200d model. In fact, some of the features experience downgrade, such as the auto focus point from 11 points to 5 points (Pentax claims the new AF works faster in low light condition), no top lcd screen for setting information and no weather seal. K2000 also has better ISO sensitivities (up to 3200 compare to 1600).

However, this camera is optimized for its lightweight, and smaller size. To support consumers who is upgrading from compact camera, K2000 features many scene modes and intelligent scene recognition in its auto mode.

Most other features are the same as Pentax k200:

• Shake Reduction (Image Stabilizing technology on camera body)
• 10 megapixel image resolution
  
• Dust Removal
  
• Continuous shooting burst : 3.5 fps
• 2.7 inch lcd screen (compare to 2.5 inch)

This camera will be sold as a cheaper price point than Pentax k200 (compared camera body to body) and will be bundled with external flash unit and 18-55mm lenses.

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Along with this camera, Pentax will also launches some lenses and accessories. It includes dual lightweight kit lens DA 18-55mm, DA 50-200mm, high quality 60-250mm f/4 telephoto zoom lens and 55mm f/1.4 medium telephoto lens.

Other competitors: Canon XS, Sony A200, Nikon D60, Olympus E420

Engineered for compact and lightweight, Pentax k2000 will face directly with Olympus E-420 which is the smallest and lightest digital slr up to date. When equipped with Pentax pancake lens, K2000 will be at advantage over E-420 because Pentax k2000 has built-in body stabilization and still remain very lightweight and compact.

Related articles
Best 2008 Digital SLR Cameras
Pentax k200 vs Sony A200

For complete features please visit Pentax news release

Canon G10 vs G9 and Nikon P6000

Canon recently updates its Powershot G series along with announcement of its 5D full frame camera mark ii. Canon G10 has been improved on:

1. Faster and better processor (DIGIC IV vs DIGIC III)
2. Higher image resolution = 14.7 megapixel vs 13.5 megapixel
3. Two times better resolution on its lcd screens.
4. Lens changes from standard-tele to wide angle coverage (same with Nikon P9000).
5. User friendly features such as face detection, intelligent motion detection (to avoid blur) etc.
6. Subjectively, better grip.

Price of G10 will remain the same as G9, $500 although G9 might decrease in price.

We can expect G10 more responsive and produce better image quality than G9. Compared with Nikon P9000, these camera share almost identical feature, price and size (thanks for the nature of competitive market. But G10 is more user friendly. Good for point of shoot users who demands ultimate portability.

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Unfortunately, Canon's ISO is still stuck at 1600 (means that this camera is not a very good in low light or night scene). Also the range of G10 is shorten on the tele range. It is unfortunate for sport or action shooter but it is good for indoor or close-wide shots.

For people that uses G9 now, I do not suggest to upgrade, unless you need wide angle lens at the expense of zoom length.

Compare to Nikon P6000, G10 has almost the same specification, from image resolution, ability to capture movie, price, optical stabilization and so on. But P6000 is better in iso level (3200 up to 6400), GPS and subjectively a better grip (try it yourself).

Read about Nikon P6000 vs Canon G9

Canon 5D Mark II vs Nikon D700 vs Canon 50D

Canon revealed the new successor to Canon 5D, which called Canon EOS 5D Mark II. This camera is definitely a worthy successor of award winning Canon 5D. It features improvement on all sectors.

Some improvement from Canon 5D
1. Image resolution 12 megapixel to 21 megapixel
2. ISO level up to 25600 from 3200
3. DIGIC IV processor from DIGIC II (much faster in processing and storing image and better image rendition).
4. Ability to record Hi Definition (HD movies) with microphone jack : click here for sample hd movie
5. Hi Quality 3 inch LCD Screen from 2.5 inch screen
6. faster continuous burst from 3 fps to 3.9 fps

The last one is a little bit disappointing, but if we consider the image resolution size, 3.9 fps is considered fast. The new Canon 5D Mark II will be approx. $1000 more expensive.

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Compared to Nikon D700, Canon can capture HD movies, D700 can't not. D700 has only 12 megapixel but D700 has more sophisticated 51 Auto Focus points and has greater continuous burst per second (5 fps and 8 fps with battery grip attached).

Compared to Canon 50D, 5D Mark II has a full frame sensor, and 50D has cropped sensor. Because of that, 5D Mark II will have better noise handling and one stop higher maximum iso (12800 vs 25600). If equipped with the same lens, 5D will capture wider scene than 50D (which has 1.6 crop factor) and Canon 50D has faster continuous burst (6.3 fps vs 3.9 fps).

Because of those, Canon 5D Mark II will be most suited for wide angle scene shot (landscape), artistic shot and might be a good video recorder. Canon 5D also has reputation of great color rendering and saturation. Other than that, 5D is great for wedding photography, street photography and other general purposes.

Canon 50D and Nikon D700 are more engineered for action photography. Their fast continuous burst will be very helpful. 50D especially has 1.6 crop factor which make a telephoto lense 1.6 longer reach than full frame camera such as 5D or D700.

At $2699, Canon 5D ultimately a staunch competitor of Nikon D700 which costs $300 more expensive. On the same time, it might compete with other Canon new camera 50D which is almost half the price and has the benefit of 1.6 crop factor and faster continuous burst.

Update: 12/16/2008
Due to the good press of Canon 5D mark ii especially its aggresive promotional HD movie recording capabitilites, this camera is sold more than the retail price in many places. On the other hand, the Nikon D700's price is declining sharply to $2300 this holiday season.

Related articles
Canon 50D vs Canon 40D
Sony A900 vs Nikon D700

Sports Photography tips

There are no magic formula about taking sports photography but there are some important tips that I would like to share from my experience taking pictures of sports events in college.

Equipment & Preparation
Proper preparation is a must, depending on location and type of sports, you might choose your equipments carefully. When I mean equipments, they consists of camera, lenses and accessories. You certainly don't want to carry more than you should because it will impede your mobility.

Camera suggestion:
Get cameras with fast continuous burst >3 fps. 5 fps is good, more than that is excellent. Camera and lenses with fast auto focus operation is very important. Good ISO handling and range will help tremendously in low light situation such as early evening games.

Lenses
Zoom lenses are preferable to fixed lens, but fixed focal length has advantage, they are usually very sharp at its focal length, fast (big aperture) and also longer than zoom (they are 600mm or more) but unfortunately they are heavy (require monopod) and also expensive.

To cover a big field such as football, soccer, field hockey etc, focal length between 50-400mm is desirable. I use 70-200mm and I find 200mm is not enough. 300mm will be cool for tight action shots, and 400mm or above will be good to capture the close up emotion. In addition, wide angle lens will help to take pictures of the players who is too close to you.

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Long range zooms lenses are usually very big, long and heavy. It is too long and heavy to hand held, that is why they have tripod ring around the lens and you will need a monopod to stabilized and handle the lens.

Image stabilization is not necessary or should be off (because it drains battery and might make the focusing slower) in bright sun light Max aperture is not a big priority but I recommend at least use f4 or the worse f5.6.

To cover a smaller indoor field such as volleyball, I love using Canon 85mm f/1.8 on crop body camera (I use Canon 40D). It is fast, sharp and you can set up to f.1.8 and get 3-4 times more light than regular lens.

Fast prime lens is great for this type of event if you can move around on the side, and in volleyball game, the players are usually stationary.

To cover basketball that involved a lot of movement in the field, try using 70-200mm f/2.8. This fast lens usually cost more than $1500, but it will work better than 70-200mm f4.

Accesories
I will always take a plastic cover for my camera in outdoor assignment in case the weather works against you. I won't need a flash so I usually leave it at my room along with flash diffusers. I took extra memory cards (around 4 GB) and almost always shoot in RAW so I can adjust the color, contrast later on. Also, remember to get an extra battery pack or two (fully charges).

Two camera or one?
Using two camera definitely better. One will covers telephoto range and other for wide angle in case that the players are very close to you or you want to get an overall scene of the game. Changing the lens in the middle of the game is absolutely waste of time.

What is the best shot?
According to me, the best action sport should be a photo of peak action. Photo that shows facial expression, interaction between players and player's reaction, especially after that player scored a goal.

General Tips
The reaction moment will happen very fast, sometimes, you don't have much time to think, fast, responsive camera and fast auto focus lens is very crucial in this case. Don't think, follow your instinct.

Positioning is important too because usually, when players score a goal, they will run to the bench to celebrate with their teammates. Be generous with your continuous burst, you can always select and delete the bad one later.

If you know the rule of game, you will be better off, especially you know the players behaviors. You can use this knowledge for your positioning advantages.

Related posts:

• Shooting Basketball tips and techniques

Panasonic Lumix DMC-G1 vs digital slr camera

The new Panasonic Lumix DMC-G1 is a micro four-thirds camera. A new system that is smaller in camera body size and smaller / shorter lenses. The size of the body identical to superzoom camera, but this camera has two slr capabilities which are:

1. Same size sensor as dslr cameras
2. Ability to change lenses (interchangeable), including 4/3 mount lenses (Olympus, Panasonic with adapter). Although you might lose the auto focus ability.

The advantage of this camera system comparing to digital slr camera is obviously the size. From the photo on the right, we can see that the camera is relatively smaller and thinner than other entry level cameras (Olympus E-420 with pancake 25mm lens, Olympus E-520 and Canon Rebel XSi).

Right Image from the top:
DMC-G1, Olympus E-420, E-520 and Canon Rebel XSi / 450D.

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The disadvantages include the usage of electronic viewfinder instead of real view finder (because of the absence of mirror) - Although some claims that the electronic viewfinder is as clear as the real viewfinder and better in low light situation. Lens collection that support Auto Focus operation is only two, but might be more next year.

Comparing to Olympus E-420
Lumix G1 is only slightly slimmer and smaller than E-420 but if mounted with pancake lens, Olympus E-420 is smaller and pocketable. (G1 does not have pancake prime lens yet). Currently, E-420 has more lenses selection. But Olympus E-420 almost does not have Image Stabilization option. Olympus E-520 is slightly bigger than E-420 but features Image Stabilization.

Comparing to Canon XSi / 450D
XSi is also slightly bigger but has access to more than 50 Canon lenses plus third party lenses and accessories.

Because there is not test yet on DMC-G1 camera especially in shutter responsiveness, Auto Focus operation and quality of ISO handling. We can't make any conclusion about this camera.

But if Panasonic, Olympus and other micro four third system developer is dedicated on this system by keep improving it especially in speed, movie recording, built construction, operation and lenses selection, then it might be the future of consumer dslr.

So Who is the target market of these camera? Superzoom camera or advance (bridge) camera users that want a higher quality images, and DSLR users that want a more portable camera and lenses without compromising DSLR features.

Sony A900 vs Nikon D700

Sony just launched new digital "Full Frame" SLR Camera, Sony A900. This camera is the most advanced camera in Sony DSLR line.

Sony A900 will definitely will compete directly with Nikon D700 Full frame camera which is also released this year and coincidentally has the same price tag: $3,000.

Body and Control
At a glance, A900's body is wider (1 cm), and D700's body is slightly taller. Both cameras are around 1 pound. Nikon D700 is approximately 100g heavier, Ergonomically, both camera has great design and very nice to hold on.

Image resolution megapixels
Sony A900 boasts the biggest megapixel so far in digital slr, which is 24megapixel. The closest to Sony's resolution is Canon 1ds mark III which is 21 megapixel, but Canon 1ds Mark III costs $7,999. Nikon D700 itself features half the resolution, 12 megapixels.

So in this case, Sony A900 is better, but in practice, 10 megapixel camera is good enough for large print. So 24 megapixel seems like a little bit excessive for casual picture taking and it took out storage spaces. Nevertheless, photographer can always choose lesser megapixels setting.

ISO Level
The maximum ISO Sony A900 can handle is 6400, it is worst than Nikon D700 which provide up to ISO 25600 or 2 stops higher (4X the light gathering).

Like Sony digital SLR cameras, A900 also has issue with high noise. From the sample pictures released, it shows that noise is very dominant in iso 3200 and 6400.

Other factors
Nikon D700 has 51 points auto focus system with 15 high sensitive points and Sony has only 9 dual cross type (highly sensitive) AF points. Although D700 has many points, but the A900 dual cross type should get the job well done. Sony A900 feature 100% view finder, and D700 95%.

For sport or action shooters, D700 features 5 frame / second (8 fps with battery grip) and Sony A900 feature 5 fps. A900 continuous burst is pretty impressive considering it has 2x bigger resolution than D700. This is due because the high speed image processing technology that Sony recently employs.

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Sadly, Sony A900 does not have live view mode like lower end model A300-A350 (which even let user to tilt the lcd screens).

Image Stabilization
Like previous Sony DSLR camera, Sony A900 also employs built-in body stabilization that made all of the Sony lenses or compatible lenses gain image stabilization 2-4 stops.

This feature is good, especially for telephoto zoom or prime lens (fixed focal length lenses). But unfortunately, Sony high quality pro lenses line up like recently announced 70-400mm and 16-35mm designed for this full frame camera are not cheap either, it was around $1500 each. Meanwhile, Nikon pro grade VR (Vibration Reduction) lenses are priced about the same ex. Nikon 80-400mm VR lens is $1300 (street price).

In conclusion
Sony A900 has an advantage on the huge image resolution, but lack of other things users might like such as high iso and better iso handling in high iso, and faster continuous burst, and might be live view mode for accurate manual macro focusing or still images.

What are the Sony A900 are for?
Sony A900 definitely engineered more to professional photographers or "rich enthusiasts" that need to print photos in a very big size and wide angle landscape shooters.

Nikon D700 is more engineered to sport and action photography since it will have better burst rate with grip (up to 8 fps) and extreme low light shooting due to the high iso and good iso handling.

Other camera that might be show up later this year in this category is the replacement of Canon 5D.

Using flash for sunset portraits

To get a good sunset portraits, we need to utilize flash either it is pop up flash or external flash. This is crucial to get the object well lit. But to use the flash properly, we'll need to make sure that the flash is not overpowering.

When using pop up flash, try to set down flash compensation and gradually increase it. When using external flash, you can swivel the flash at an angle for example 45 degree and use the bounce card to reflect and direct some light forward. Flash diffuser such as Stofen Omnibounce, Gary Fong Lightsphere or Demb Diffuser might help to soften the light as well.

Light in sunset is usually reddish or orangish, but flash light is daylight which is white. To effectively blend your object with the background, light orange/orange color gel or color filter put on the flash will blend the object better with the environment.

Super Telephoto Zoom Sigma 120-400mm and 150-500mm

Sigma recently launched two telephoto zoom lenses, Sigma 120-400mm f/4.5-5.6 DG OS HSM $850 and Sigma 150-500mm f/5-6.3 OS HSM $975. With the long zoom range of 300mm+, these lenses are suitable for sport in a large field such as soccer, football, field hockey, and also for wildlife and other ununobtrusive photography.

From the specification which include OS (Optical Stabilization), these lenses suppose to be for hand held use. But the enormous length and weight make me to think twice.

Comparison of size, from left: Sigma 150-500mm, Sigma 120-400mm, Canon 100-400mm and Canon kit lens 18-55mm IS. Note: This lens will be longer with lens hood attached and zoom extended.

Advantages and disadvantages:

• Available for APS-C sensor camera including Canon, Nikon, Olympus, Pentax and Sony.
• Cheaper than identical lenses produced by Canon or Nikon.
  
• Newer lenses have better mechanical quality such as quiet and fast focusing (Hypersonic motor - HSM) and image stabilization (Optical Stabilization - OS) - although it is reported slightly sluggish than IS on Canon or VR on Nikon.
  
• Big and heavy. 120-400mm has length/size of 203.5mm/1750g and 150-500mm has length/size of 252mm/1910g.

These lenses will compete with other brand lenses which has similar focal length

• Canon EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L IS USM around $1,500
• Nikon 80-400mm f/4.5-5.6D ED AF VR Nikkor around $1,400

Lenses above has slightly better built construction, lighter, shorter but more expensive.

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I suspect the massive size of these new lenses are due to the Optical Stabilization. While it is good to have OS as a feature, but the trade off is quite big. OS lenses are engineered so that photographers can hand held the lenses instead of mounting it on tripod, but because of the size and weight, it is most likely that the users of these lenses will mount it on a tripod or monopod instead.

Image stabilization is a great help in shooting still object (non moving object) but in sport, where 1/400-1/1000 is often needed, the OS is not necessary and if activated, it could slow the auto focus process. So if you are interested in getting a dedicated long lens to freeze action shot, then you can consider non-IS lens instead, such as Sigma 100-300mm f/4 or other Canon/Nikon/Sony 70-200mm f/2.8 or f/4

Nevertheless, the good thing about these lenses is it offers something new: a cheaper ultra long range, fast focusing lens with image stabilization at the expense of size and weight.

If you don't need the 300mm+ length, there are plenty other alternatives
you can check out lens table and comparison: Canon vs Nikon lenses and Olympus, Pentax and Sony lenses

Best 2008 Digital SLR Cameras

Last two years has been awesome years for Digital SLR cameras. Many new innovation in technology and gadgetry. Last year, we enjoy many digital cameras and lens that supports Image Stabilization, live view and image stabilization system. This year these features are improved and this fall, we will able to get a digital camera slr with movie recording capability (Nikon D90).

Right image: Pentax k200D weather seal

Entry level or Consumer cameras
Engineered mostly for: first time digital slr users, buyers with tight budget, students.

We have Canon XS/1000D, Nikon D60, Olympus E-420, Pentax k200D and Sony A200. It is hard to determine which is the best cameras in this class because each cameras has its unique strength.

Canon XS enjoys fast auto focus, access to more than 60 Canon lenses and live view lcd screen.

Nikon D60 is approx. $50 cheaper, has a better body and ergonomic than Canon XS and Olympus E-420 (although this is subjective), but lack of live view mode. D60 only has 3 points auto focus and its auto focus does not work on all Nikon lens collection, especially older lenses and prime lenses.

Olympus E-420 is an attempt from Olympus to create an ultra portable dSLR with the released off 25mm f/2.8 prime pancake lens. When fit in together, this camera is fittable in jacket/coat pocket. Although prime lens is usually sharper than kit lens, but user lose the versatility of zoom lens. The major downside of the camera compared to its competitors is lack of Image Stabilization option. Image stabilization is becoming more important to eliminate the need of a tripod on most occasions. Although the 14-42mm and 40-150mm kit lenses are above average kit lenses, but there are also limited lens upgrade options.

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Pentax has another strategy in developing its entry level camera. Pentax K200D is a weather sealed camera. It also has top lcd screen. This is rare in entry level camera. The other advantage is the built in body stabilization. This make every lens attached to this camera gain 2-3 stops of stabilization. The drawback of this camera is the speed of auto focus. It is twice as slow as other brands in medium and low light. Shootings fast action such as sports in cloudy or evening will be a big challenge.

Pentax k2000, a new entry level camera released this fall, shared most of k200d's features. But it is more compact than k200d, but it has no top lcd screen and weather seal. It is bundled with Pentax external basic flash and 18-55mm kit lens.

Sony A200 is the cheapest camera released in 2008. It is just $500 with 18-70mm kit lens. Even though it is cheap, but the feature does not disappoint. It sports 2.7 inch lcd screen, built in stabilization, and 18-70mm average lens which has a longer length than usual kit lens. Like Nikon D60, it does not have live view feature which entry level consumer who used digital compact camera might love.

There is no clear winner in this category, but there are some hints:
Choose Canon XS if you like an all around camera with huge option of compatible lenses and accessories. But I will strongly recommend to take a look at Canon XSi. With $50 more, you can get a much better camera (bigger screen, spot metering, rubber textured grip, 9 point Auto Focus).

Choose Nikon D60 if you like it's ergonomic and body control, willing to give up some lens selection and live view mode.

Choose Olympus E-420 only if you want the portability when attached to 25mm pancake lens. If portability is not an issue, I will recommend you to look at E-520 or E-510 instead because of the built in Image Stabilization advantage.

Choose Pentax K200D if you want a solid, compact weather seal body with extra top lcd screen. Don't choose Pentax K200D if you plan to shoot a lot of fast action sports in dim light condition.

Choose Sony A200 if your budget is tight. This camera is very economist because the price and built in stabilization on the body. It also has a twin kit lens bundle deal that save you a lot of money.

Mid range digital SLR cameras
Engineered mostly for Enthusiasts, Amateur photographer

We have Canon XSi/450D, Nikon D90 (on sale this fall), Olympus E-520, Pentax k20D and Sony A300 and A350.

Canon XSi /450D is a full-featured camera that has many features of its older brother, Canon 40D. It has almost everything except magnesium alloy body and faster continous shooting. This camera has a good noise handling up to iso 1600, fast auto focus, 12 megapixels, 3 inches lcd screen with live view mode and also priced very competitive, $700 with stabilized kit lens.

Nikon D90 is just announced and is predicted will shock and revolutionized the dslr camera. It has a solid and compact body, ability to record high quality video clip with sound with all kind of Nikkor lenses, continuous shoots 4.5 fps, and iso up to 6400. The only weakness of this camera is the price point. It is priced $1000 (above average in mid range class) but it might worth every penny.

Olympus E-520 is a slightly improved camera from it predecessor E-510. Olympus improved its live view mode with face detection technology and other small features that make taking pictures more enjoyable especially for people who used digital compact cameras before. Its built in stabilization and above average kit lens is a plus. Because the improvement is not so significant, I will suggest users to get last year model E-510 with twin kit lenses bundle (14-42mm and 40-150mm).

Pentax K20D is built like a tank, it is weather sealed, has top lcd screen, sports 14 Megapixels, Built in image stabilization and produce great image quality. But same as Pentax K200D, the auto focus system is half as fast in medium or low light condition compare to other brands, especially Canon and Nikon. Noise handling in high ISO is as good as Nikon and Canon's. This camera is priced $1100, which is above average on its class. Some people might argue that this camera belong to pro grade /advance dslr camera instead. update: Now the price fell to $750 turning this camera into a hot deal for general photography.

Sony A300 and its cousin Sony A350 are released early this year in January. These cameras are identical. A300 can shoot faster in continous mode and A350 has 4 extra megapixels. The last is slightly more expensive. This camera unique strength is the tilting lcd screen and instaneous live view mode. Users of digital compact cameras would love this. But for most of dslr users, this feature might be redundant. Sony also employs built in stabilization, that could potentially save you money when you upgrade a better lens. The disavantages of Sony cameras are the limited lens and accessories collection and also has poorer ability to handle noise especially 800 and up compared with Nikon or Canon.

Winner in this category
Nikon D90. If you have the budget, it is worth to wait.
Closely following Nikon D90 is Pentax k20d and Canon XSi which are $300 cheaper.

Related article: Nikon D90 vs Canon 40D

Pro grade cameras
Pro grade cameras has two characteristics. They are made by magnesium alloy not rugged plastic, fast continuous shooting (usually above 5 fps), and they usually weather sealed and has all or most the features that the mid range or entry level camera has in the same year.

There are two pro grade cameras released or announced so far this year. They are Canon 50D, Nikon D700 and recently announced, Sony A900.

Canon 50D is an upgrade from Canon 40D, as a respond for Nikon D300. It now has a better sensor that allow iso expansion up to 25600, diminishing Nikon D300 advantage over Canon 40D. But because there is no test yet, we won't know who is winning on ISO noise war. It also has 5 extra megapixels with 6.3fps. Update: based on the test, 50D does not outperform D300 in noise handling.

Related article:
Canon 50D vs Canon 40D - Nikon D300 vs Canon 40D

Nikon D700 is a full frame camera that has most of the features Nikon D3 (his older brother has) with half the price and shorter (without battery grip attached). Nikon D700 is designed for sport or fast action photography.

Sony A900 is a full frame camera from Sony, its strong point is in the image resolution up to 24 megapixel and 5 fps continuous burst, but it does not have live view mode and iso only up to 6400. Sony A900 has built-in stabilization 2 to 4 stops.

Canon 5D mk II is the newest full frame camera that that features up to 25600 iso (same as Nikon D700) only 3.9 fps continuous burst, can record Hi Definition (HD) movie clip up to 12 minutes (4GB).

Depend on your need, I think Nikon D700 is suitable for action especially sport photography and Canon 5D mk II is more suitable for general photography where high resolution and detail are crucial. For example: fashion, advertising, landscape, and wedding photography.

It is an amazing year and there might be even more cameras released this year.

2007 cameras that worth your attention:
Mid / entry level: Olympus E-510 with dual kit lenses
Pro grade / Advanced: Canon 40D, Olympus E-3 and Nikon D300

Some other related articles:

• Buying Digital SLR camera guide
• Canon vs Nikon Lenses
• Sony vs Pentax vs Olympus Lenses