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DSLRs compared - Canon EOS 20D, 350D, Nikon D50, D70s, D100, Pentax *ist D, *ist DS, Maxxum 7DIt would be a herculean task to do a detailed comparision of all the features of all the available cameras, and by the time I finished researching and writing it, half the cameras would probably have been replaced with newer models, so I'm not even going to try! There is a table at the end of this short article which compares the major features of the Canon EOS 20D, Canon EOS Digital Rebel XT (350D), Nikon D100, D70s and D50, Pentax *ist D and *ist DS and the Konica-Minolta Maxxum 7D How do you decide? Well, to be honest, for the avarage user, there's not a whole lot of difference in image quality or features. Sure each camera has some good points, some bad points, each has some unique features but is missing others. There's no absolutely clear winner or loser here. Probably what you should consider first is what you already have, I think it's pretty obvious that if you have a bag full of lenses that will fit one of these cameras, then that camera is the leading choice for you. Many Nikon manual focus lenses will work on their DSLRs, and many Pentax KA-mount manual focus lenses will fit the Pentax DSLRs, but Canon FD manual focus lenses will NOT fit any of the EOS bodies and Minolta MD and MC series manual focus lenses will not fit the Maxxum 7D. So if you have Nikon of Pentax manual focus lenses, that might saw you to Nikon of Pentax DSLRS, but if you have Canon or Minolta manual focus lenses, that's not going to say you to Canon or Nikon DSLRs. If you don't have a stockpile of old lenses, your best choice is less well defined. You should consider what lenses you want to use, then see if they are available in a mount compatible with the cameras you're considering. You might also want to look at available flash systems and other accessories. Often this will say you towards one or other camera. A third factor might be size and weight of the camera or the type of memory card used (to retain compatibility with other cameras and cards you own). Canon, Nikon and Pentax have lower cost, smaller and lighter DSLR options, but Minolta currently only have one DSLR and it's the largest and heaviest of all the cameras compared here. However the Konica-Minolta Maxxum 7D is unique in that it has has image stabilization (IS) built into the body. Both Canon and Nikon have IS (Nikon call it VR) stabilization systmes , but they are built into certain individual lenses. I'm heavily Canon biased since I've been shooting with EOS bodies for 10-15 years now, So I'd go for the EOS 20D if I wanted something a a little "upscale" or the Digital Rebel XT if I were looking for something smaller, lighter and cheaper, but that's just me. Canon and Nikon both have an extensive line of lenses, Pentax and Minolta a few less. However all these cameras are certainly capable of yielding excellent images in the right hands and none of them are a "bad" choice.
Notable features
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