"Entry level SLR". What?

[Didache]

The term "entry level" is strictly an informal category. It basically means a camera designed for a first time DSLR buyer. The competition at the lower price point is very severe and all the manufacturers are under a lot of pressure to produce a camera which is cheaper than the opposition, or at least around the same price. Hence cameras made for this market will have a mass-produced standard lens which is adequate, but not great. It will have a cheaper body construction, the feature set will be basic, and the technology will not be cutting edge. This is how the manufacters keep the price down.

It must be said that one of the reasons this price point is so competitive is because users generally stick with the DSLR brand they start with - so Nikon, Pentax, Canon, etc know very well that if they get you to buy their entry level model, you will likely upgrade to the same company, buy better lenses from them, and so on.

In addition, some manufacturers (Nikon is a good example) will actually produce the camera to be deliberately simple for a first time user to use: the menu system will be fairly easy to navigate and the whole thing will be designed around pre-set modes, etc.

An "enthusiast" or "pro" camera, on the other hand, will have a superior body construction (weather sealing, steel chassis, etc), more cutting edge technology, and a superior feature set designed around the needs of more experienced photographers.

This does not mean they will necessarily take better pictures (although they may) - but it does mean that they will take more of a battering, and will have features likely to be of use to people who want more than a "point and shoot" approach.

In the end, you pretty well get what you pay for.

Cheers
Mike

[Franglais]

In addition, some manufacturers (Nikon is a good example) will actually produce the camera to be deliberately simple for a first time user to use: the menu system will be fairly easy to navigate and the whole thing will be designed around pre-set modes, etc.

An "enthusiast" or "pro" camera, on the other hand, will have a superior body construction (weather sealing, steel chassis, etc), more cutting edge technology, and a superior feature set designed around the needs of more experienced photographers.

Got any examples?

I'm not sure that Nikon left out many features in the D60 compared with the D200/D300. Sometimes you have to search the menus a bit to find where a particular feature is buried but so far I've found all I need.

Example: normally I would use the D200 in the studio but I needed to do some self-portraits and I don't have an infra-red remote control for the D200 wheras the little button thing I bought for the D70 works with the D60. I could set the D60 up just like the D200, even the built-in flash on manual 1/16 power to trigger the stobes. Impressive.