New York Times Highlights Affordable Nikon, Canon DSLRs

Nikon and Canon’s more affordable models were highlighted today in a New York Times article on “Digital SLRs That Won’t Break Your Budget.”

“The success of the Digital Rebel has led to a rush by every camera maker, as well as newcomers like Sony and Samsung, to introduce digital SLRs priced and designed with consumers in mind,” the Times wrote, referring to the Canon model that broke the $1,000 price barrier in 2003 and was updated this summer as the Digital Rebel XTi.

The “In Focus” column also cited the Nikon D80 and D200, praising them for their backward compatibility with older Nikon lenses but criticizing the D200 for a focusing screen “designed with the assumption that it will be used with autofocus lenses” because it sacrifices the ability to distinguish fine changes in focus in favor of improved brightness. (Other users have said this is a problem in the D70 but has been considerably improved in the D200.)

One amateur photographer quoted praised the Digital Rebel for its improved shutter lag compared with his previous point-and-shoot, but complained that it was too small for his hands and required its accessory battery grip for a good fit.

The premise of the article was largely that many serious photographers have recognized the advantages of an SLR over a point-and-shoot but couldn’t afford a digital SLR before the series of price drops that have come since the introduction of the original Digital Rebel. It called the Rebel the first DSLR “at a price that a middle-class father of two could consider.”

Click here to read the Times article. (Free registration may be required.)

Copyright 2006