My Unofficial Camera Picks for 2010...

[benjikan]

Being in a position to play with a lot of camera gear is fun, yet can be a rather daunting experience. I thought I would share with you a few of my personal favorite newer products that have caught my eye both the left and right ones.

Now this list is only a short list and does not represent my annual camera award winners. But I have to admit that these toys could be potential winners.
They are not presented in any particular order or preference. One thing...No I was not paid by the manufactures to endorse their products on our blog.

Sony Alpha Nex 5. All I can say is Wow! What an incredible toy this is and really quite capable of outputting some very serious video and still pix content. Very clean 14 mega pixel sensor, compact and a joy to hold.

Sony Alpha DSLR-A850. One of the best bang for the buck full frame DSLR out there. Keep it at under 800 iso and get absolutely stunning images. Blow them up to A1 with no problem what so ever.

Sony SLT Alpha A55. A mind boggling great DSLR with incredible output for under $800, 10 frames per second, 16.3 mega pixels, AVCHD video and variable sweep Panorama...Nuff said.

Canon 550D (EOS Rebel T2i/Kiss X4). This Canon can keep up with the big guns at an extremely reasonable price. 18 mega pixel output, Full HD video gives this Canon my thumbs up. Really can't see the difference in output from that of the Canon 7D. Clean images up to 1600 iso.

Canon EOS 60D. The camera that the 50D could have been, but wasn't. A great semi pro quality camera at a very reasonable price. Amazingly good output up to 3200 iso all in 14 bit. Great Full HD video output in a very robust body.

Nikon D7000. One of the best Mid priced DSLR's out there. Incredibly fast and accurate auto focus, 16.3 megapixel Sony Sensor, Full HD 1080p Video with external microphone jack and up to 25,600 iso. The body is very robust indeed. Nice one Nikon...

Nikon Coolpix P7000. A great in your bag compact that wants to play pro...Nuff said.

Pentax K5. Undoubtably the best Pentax APSC DSLR ever made. In fact one of the best DSLR's out there at the moment. Noise performance exceptional. iso's up to 51,200 (still gasping for air!) A wonderfully clean 16.3 megapixel Sony sensor tweaked by Pentax. This sensor is able to outclass several FF camera's out there. Full HD video with stereo external microphone jack input, 7 fps continuous shooting wrapped in a magnesium body at street prices approaching 1100 Euros's.

Pentax K-r. Simply put...What the K-x could have been but wasn't. That is a very good thing indeed.

and finally...

Panasonic Lumix DMC-GH2. The Lumix has come of age with this powerfully compact DSLR with 16 mega pixel sensor, very clean Full HD video output and up to 12,800 iso. A very nice package for those wishing to get into the 4/3rds format.

Well there you have it. Now go out there and purchase one of these babies for me...I will never look a gift horse in the mouth.

http://www.benjaminkanarekblog.com/4ze

[Photo-John]

Good post and list, Benjamin! I hope you don't mind that I moved it to the Digital Cameras forum. I thought it was a better fit here and I'd like to stimulate some more discussion on this forum.

I don't know if you meant your list to be in any kind of order but I take note that the Sony cameras are at the top of the list. I haven't used the new Sony EVIL or DSLRs yet but I am anxious, too. I think Sony has really stepped things up. I was really impressed with their TX5 waterproof point-and-shoot I reviewed earlier this year and I've heard almost nothing but good things about the NEX 5. I'm actually thinking about buying one for myself. I also think the Sony SLT cameras look really interesting and I'm anxious to get one in my hands and to see how the auto focus performs.

The Nikon D7000 has been the number one DSLR on the site for a few weeks now (see the Top 5 list on our Home page). We got our first Nikon D7000 user reviews yesterday and I think it looks like the most significant APS-C sensor camera on the market right now.

[OldClicker]

Good list - great toys!

Being a Sony user is exciting if nothing else. It's going to be fun to see where the new technologies go (or don't).

The Canon users seem to look at the 60D as a blah???

I'm reading a lot of good things about the new Olympus (E-5, right?).

Terry

[Photo-John]

Good list - great toys!

Being a Sony user is exciting if nothing else. It's going to be fun to see where the new technologies go (or don't).

The Canon users seem to look at the 60D as a blah???

I'm reading a lot of good things about the new Olympus (E-5, right?).

Terry

I don't think the 60D is blah. I think Ben is right in saying it's what the 50D should have been, though. Sometimes I think photographers' expectations are kinda ridiculous. In the case of the 60D, it's a great upgrade for 40D, 50D and older Digital Rebel owners. If you own a 7D it's basically a simplified camera with a tilt-swivel LCD, which makes it a solid second body option. I would love to have one as a studio camera.

Since I finished my Canon SD4500 IS review I'll be getting to work on the writing my Olympus E-5 review. I think it's an impressive camera - certainly a lot more than it appears to be on the surface. However, I don't think it's a "camera of the year" competitor. For Olympus owners I think it's excellent but if you're already invested in another brand and you'd need to switch, I think it's a hard sell. That said, I quite enjoyed using it and the image quality and overall performance were a very nice surprise.

[OldClicker]

...but if you're already invested in another brand and you'd need to switch, I think it's a hard sell.

I don't think any camera is that good. Sure, you may see features that you wish you had, but you forget the features you take for granted that the other guys don't have. - Terry