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Nikon D70
$
999 street (BODY ONLY)
$
1,299 street
(WITH 18–70MM F/3.5–4.5G DX LENS)
www.nikonusa.com
800-645-6689
DSLRs
Pentax *ist D
$
1,240 street, body only
www.pentaximaging.com
800-877-0155
“Build it smaller, and
they will come.” For
now, this 6MP Pentax
is the smallest DSLR,
but the new *ist DS
will soon take that
title (see this issue’s
“Hands On”). Big fea-
tures, though: extremely high image
quality and low noise at higher
ISOs, a tough body with stainless-
steel frame and magnesium-alloy
components, an 11-zone (nine cross-
type) AF system, and a super view-
finder. But where are the rechargeable
AA batteries?
5.4x3.8x2.9 INCHES BODY
ONLY
• 1.4 POUNDS WITH BATTERY AND
CARD • TESTED JANUARY 2004
Olympus E-1
$
1,300 street, body only
www.olympusamerica.com
888-553-4448
The 5MP E-1 makes up in pro features
what it lacks in megapixels. The
rugged magnesium-
alloy body has
splash-proof seals,
This 6MP DSLR packs features well
above what you’d expect from a sub-
grand camera. Its image quality, body
design and construction, fast AF system
and startup time, rapid 3-fps burst rate,
and custom functions are truly impres-
sive. We wish only it included Nikon’s
$99 Capture 4 RAW conversion soft-
ware, and had better backward compati-
bility with older Nikon flash units.
5.5x4.4x
3.1 INCHES BODY ONLY
• 1.5 POUNDS WITH
BATTERY AND CARD • TESTED JUNE 2004
$
and a fast FireWire connector plus USB.
Plus, it’s the first DSLR to use a Kodak
4:3 format CCD sensor with ultrasonic
dust removal. Image quality is impres-
sive, with low noise, extremely high
color accuracy, and advanced color-
space and white-balance controls. Both
Olympus’ E-1 and the upcoming Evolt
(see November 2004) use the digital-
only Zuiko lenses (with a 2X 35mm fac-
tor). Missing: a pop-up flash and strong
low-light AF.
5.5x4.1x3 INCHES BODY ONLY
•
1.7 POUNDS WITH BATTERY AND CARD •
TESTED NOVEMBER 2003
Sigma SD10
$
1,350 street, body only
www.sigmaphoto.com
800-896-6858
This improved (and lighter) version of
Sigma’s first DSLR, the SD9, is the
only DSLR to use Foveon’s X3 CMOS
imaging sensor, which captures light in
layers—similar to the way film works.
The result is resolution equivalent to a
6MP sensor, extremely accurate color,
and extremely low noise. The SD10
also has a fast FireWire connector,
and a fast AF system with good
low-light sensitivity. But it lacks mul-
tiple cross-type sensors and a pop-
up flash. Also, there’s no in-camera
JPEG storage—all RAW files
must be converted on
a computer.
5.9x4.7x3.1
INCHES BODY ONLY
•
1.9 POUNDS WITH BAT-
TERY AND CARD • SD9
TESTED FEBRUARY 2003
74 WWW.POPPHOTO.COM POPULAR PHOTOGRAPHY & IMAGING/DECEMBER 2004
GEAR GUIDE 2005
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