DSLR Reviews

The Canon EOS Rebel T5 (a.k.a. the Canon EOS 1200D) is the newest model of Canon’s entry-level digital SLRs. The T5 features a new sensor with significantly higher resolution than the previous model (18 instead of 12MP) and minimal differences in the sensor dimensions. It also has a large LCD screen with higher resolution: it’s a 3-inch, rear display with 460,000 RGB dots. Compared to the higher resolution LCD screens on some rival DSLRs, the Canon Rebel T5’s new screen is only average. It’s also a fixed, mounted monitor instead of a swiveling/tilting display. The T5’s optical SLR viewfinder has a magnification of 0.8x and a field of view of 95 percent.

Technically speaking, the Nikon D750 is the follow-up to the Nikon D700, which was released six years ago. That’s a lifetime between digital camera models, and to say that the D750 is not nearly as groundbreaking as its predecessor from way back in 2008 is not a put-down of this new full-framer from Nikon. It just shows how far imaging technology has come and how much the D700 was ahead of its time.

Yesterday we shared a video demonstrating how well the new Canon 7D Mark II’s autofocus tracks plummeting skydivers. Now here’s another clip that shows what the DSLR’s AF does for locking in on dancers.

During a Canon event today before the start of the photokina show in Cologne, Germany tomorrow, we got some hands-on time with the long awaited Canon EOS 7D Mark II. Even though our time with the 7D II was brief — we were pretty much loaned the camera and allowed to shoot for a few minutes — we got a pretty good sense of how this APS-C-based digital SLR performs. In short, it’s feels like a mini machine gun.

The Nikon D4S is a professional SLR system for sports and action photography. It has a full-frame sensor (36x23.9mm) that Nikon calls the “FX” format. In combination with the new EXPEED 4 image processing system, the new sensor offers an extended ISO speed range: the “native” range is between ISO 100 and 25,600, with an additional high mode equivalent of ISO 409,600 (!). The noise results are impressive in the native ISO range, while images with ISO 102,400 and ISO 204,800 show nearly the same noise artifacts as APS-C cameras in the ISO 12,800 to ISO 25,600 range.

Even though the new Pentax K-3 offers a very robust and massive body, it is quite compact; it’s only slightly larger than the ultra-compact Canon EOS Rebel SL1, although it’s almost double the weight. Using 92 O-rings and seals, the camera is splashproof and the covers that protect the card slots, interfaces, and battery look very robust and inspire confidence. The sealing doesn’t allow for use of the Pentax as an underwater camera, but it is certainly well protected for use even in a very hard rain.

The Canon EOS 70D is a 20MP APS-C-sized sensor camera that has a massive body with a large grip on its right-hand side that makes for very comfortable handling. It has a classic SLR design with an optical viewfinder with numerous function buttons, and a fully articulated large, touch-sensitive LCD screen on its back (it can be flipped up- and downward and turned to the side) that is very handy, especially in video recording mode.