Railfan Technology > SLR Reviews on Consumer Reports

The current issue of Consumer Reports reviews both P&S cameras, and DLSR's. Not mentioned as an endorsement, simply as info. However I did find it interesting that with regard to DLSR's the top rated cameras were Nikon, however the Canons were close in quality and a LOT cheaper. Olympus and Pentax had some good ratings as well. They did not have time to fully test the new Nikon D5000 but seemed to suggest it would be a more price competitive Nikon alternative.

JBWX

I have never been impressed with Consumers Reports camera reviews. Go to DPreview.com instead

Every thing reviewed at Consumer reports has to price the feature / function per $$$ filter. Rarely do top line models come out on top. There may be some reasons you might prefer the higher priced version rated lower in CR. The DPR reviews are biased by a professional bias in the reviews. Everything is held up against the top of the line models these folks are used to taking out in the field. Some of the nits they pick are pretty inconsequential to the average user so do not let a list of cons at the end of the review keep you from making a purchase. So you kind of need to read through both sites and average the scores from both to get closer to what the actual value of each model is going to be. I would tend to purchase a model a bit more advanced than you think you are because you will grow a bit into more advanced photography as you learn the hardware and digital format. You can also buy what you will be comfortable with and upgrade later as you learn the craft and sell the original body or keep it around as a back up or second lens body.

Cinderpath Wrote:
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> I have never been impressed with Consumers Reports
>


That go's for most things they test.

QU25C Wrote:
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> Cinderpath Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > I have never been impressed with Consumers
> Reports
> >
>
>
> That go's for most things they test.

I think there are a couple of salt grains in any CR review and buying guide. One, their reader sample responses to their surveys may be based on a few dozen responses, or several hundred thousand. Sample size makes a difference. On things like cars, etc, I'd trust the car mags, bearing in mind they sell ads to the car makers, just like JD Power sells its research.

Two, their members, almost by definition, are actively seeking value relative to price. When I was buying new stereo speakers, I finally gave up on my musician buddies who were picking out nuances on $2,000 speakers that I couldn't notice. They were horrified when I spent "just" $600 for wonderful, perfectly good speakers.