Digital SLRs At this writing there are a dozen interchangeable-lens full-featured pro-level SLR digital cameras in production, ranging in price from $1100–$8000. These are the ultimate digital shooting devices for most working pros (and well-heeled amateurs), as they combine great image quality with great versatility, and are just as field-worthy as their 35mm counterparts—they're not slow, tethered-to-a-computer studio devices. All of the cameras in this category are produced by film-camera companies: Canon, Contax, Fujifilm, Kodak, Nikon, Olympus, Pentax and Sigma. Output resolutions range from 3.5–13.9 megapixels. All use CompactFlash card storage (and will accept IBM Microdrives), and one also accepts SmartMedia cards. Here's a look at what's available in digital SLRs at the moment. Canon EOS-1Ds Like Canon's top-of-the-line EOS-1v pro 35mm AF SLR (on which it is based), the EOS-1Ds offers true pro performance and features—but produces 4064x2704-pixel (11.1-megapixel) digital images, with simultaneous RAW and JPEG capture when desired, storing them on CompactFlash cards and Microdrives. Features include a top shutter speed of 1/8000, flash sync up to 1/250, access to more than 50 EOS-mount lenses from 14mm to 1200mm (with no "cropping" effect, because its CMOS image sensor is the same dimensions as a full 35mm film frame—great news for wide-angle fans), ISOs from 50–1250, a 2-inch LCD monitor, a 45-point CMOS AF sensor that provides quick and accurate autofocusing down to EV 0, 21-zone evaluative metering (plus 8.5% partial, center-weighted and 2.4% spot metering), very sturdy construction, depth-of-field preview button, mirror prelock, 100% viewfinder, E-TTL flash hot-shoe plus a PC terminal for studio flash, a host of exposure modes (shiftable program AE, shutter- and aperture-priority AE, metered manual and depth-of-field AE) and much more. Dimensions are 6.1x6.2x3.1 inches and 44.6 ounces; street price is $7999. Canon EOS-1D Canon's original top-of-the-line pro digital SLR, the EOS-1d produces 2496x1662-pixel (4.15-megapixel) digital images (with simultaneous RAW and JPEG capture when desired) stored on CompactFlash cards and Microdrives. Features include a top shutter speed of 1/10,000, flash sync up to 1/500, a 1.3X "cropping" effect due to the smaller-than-35mm-frame image sensor, ISOs from 100–3200, a 2-inch LCD monitor, a 45-point CMOS AF sensor that provides quick and accurate autofocusing down to EV 0 and can keep up with the camera's maximum 8-fps shooting rate, 21-zone evaluative metering (plus 13.5% partial, center-weighted and 3.8% spot metering), very sturdy construction, depth-of-field preview button, mirror prelock, 100% viewfinder, E-TTL flash hot-shoe plus a PC terminal for studio flash, a host of exposure modes (shiftable program AE, shutter- and aperture-priority AE, metered manual and depth-of-field AE) and much more. Dimensions are 6.1x6.2x3.1 inches and 44.1 ounces; street price is around $3999. Canon EOS 10D The $1499 (street price) EOS 10D features a 6.51-megapixel CMOS sensor, producing images with 3072x2048-pixel (6.3-megapixel) resolution, and incorporates Canon's new DIGIC processor for improved image quality, faster operation, and more shots per battery charge. You can shoot up to 9 frames at 3 fps at all quality settings, choose the size of the JPEG image that's simultaneously recorded when you shoot a RAW image, set white balance from 2800–10,000 K and ISOs from 100 to 3200, and much more. This full-featured EOS SLR provides such niceties as 35-zone evaluative metering (plus center-weighted average and 9% partial metering), wide-area AF with seven selectable AF points, shutter speeds from 30 seconds to 1/4000 plus bulb (and maximum flash sync of 1/200), built-in E-TTL autoflash plus a hot-shoe for dedicated accessory flash units and a PC socket for studio flash, and the ability to use the full line of Canon EF lenses (which, due the fact that the imaging sensor is smaller than a full-frame 35mm image, produce the cropping of a lens 1.6X longer on the 10D than when used on EOS film cameras). Images are stored on Type I and Type II CompactFlash cards (and IBM Microdrives). The 1.8-inch TFT-type color LCD monitor is much brighter than its predecessor's, and easily viewable in daylight. Dimensions are 5.9x4.2x3.0 inches and 27.9 ounces (without battery or CF card). Contax N Digital Featuring a 6.29-megapixel CCD image sensor that's the same size as a 35mm film frame so there's no "pseudo-telephoto effect," the N Digital uses the superb Carl Zeiss N-mount lenses, each of which provides the same field of view it does when used on a Contax N-series 35mm film SLR. Other assets include all the basic features of the top-of-the-line Contax N1 AF 35mm SLR (solid construction, dual focus function, five-point wide-array diagonal autofocusing, fine focus bracketing, shutter speeds up to 1/8000 with flash sync up to 1/200, three metering systems, five exposure modes, custom functions and more), plus a two-inch LCD monitor for immediate playback, high-speed digital image processing and FireWire/IEEE 1394 image transfer, three JPEG compressed formats plus TIFF and RAW with storage on CompactFlash Type I and II cards and IBM Microdrives, 3 fps shooting at maximum resolution, a menu of white-balance selections, shooting assist information and more. Street price is around $6999. Fujifilm FinePix S2 Pro Fujifilm's entry in the pro digital SLR marketplace is the second-generation FinePix S2 Pro. Featuring a high-performance 6.49-megapixel Fuji Super CCD that can produce 12.1-megapixel (interpolated) image files (4256x2848 pixels) from its 3024x2016-pixel sensor, the S2 provides two card slots, so you can store images on SmartMedia or CompactFlash cards (or Microdrives). Based on a Nikon N80 body, the S1 Pro provides 3D Matrix metering with D-type AF-Nikkor lenses (also center-weighted and spot metering), autofocusing down to EV –1, shutter speeds from 30 seconds to 1/4000, a built-in TTL autoflash plus a hot-shoe for accessory Nikon flash units, and compatibility with the full line of AF-Nikkor lenses (and some manual-focus Nikkors). Digital features include ISOs from 100 to 1600, burst shooting of up to seven frames at 2 fps, a 1.8-inch TFT color LCD monitor, FireWire and USB compatibility, and three file formats (RAW, TIFF and JPEG). Dimensions are 5.6x5.2x3.1 inches and 27 ounces without batteries. Street price is around $1999. Kodak DCS Pro 14n Kodak has reduced its digital SLR offerings to just one, but it's a dandy: The DCS Pro 14n is, at 13.89 megapixels, the highest-resolution digital SLR currently available. Its full-frame (no "cropping" effect) CMOS sensor turns out 4500x3000-pixel images (also 3000x2000- and 2250x1500-pixel RAW or JPEG files, if you don't need maximum resolution, and want to get more shots per CF or MMC card). Despite the tremendous resolution, you can shoot up to 7 images at 1.7 fps when desired. The magnesium-alloy-enhanced body incorporates a Nikon F lens mount, so you can use the full line of AF-Nikkor lenses. Other features include built-in flash plus dedicated hot-shoe and PC terminal, a full range of metering and exposure modes, a 2-inch LCD monitor plus top and back LCD panels for shooting and digital settings, and lots more. Dimensions are 5.2x6.2x3.5 inches and 32 ounces. Street price is around $4995. Nikon D1x Nikon's D1x turns out 3008x1960-pixel images (5.32 megapixels) thanks to its 5.47-megapixel CCD. This high-end pro SLR features a lightweight, durable magnesium body and such features as the 1005-pixel 3D Color Matrix metering found in the F5 (plus center-weighted and 2% spot metering), five-area Dynamic AF with automatic Focus Tracking down to EV –1, shutter speeds from 30 seconds to 1/16,000 plus B, flash sync up to 1/500, a hot-shoe for dedicated Nikon D-TTL Speedlights plus a PC terminal for studio flash, the ability to use the full line of Nikkor lenses (which crop the image as a lens 1.5X their focal length would on a full-frame 35mm camera, due to the 23.7x15.6mm CCD's smaller size), automatic exposure bracketing, interchangeable focusing screens and much more. Digital features include two color modes (sRGB and Adobe RGB), ISOs from 125–800, image storage on Type I or II CompactFlash cards or IBM Microdrives, a two-inch TFT color monitor with white LED backlighting, raw and TIFF uncompressed file format plus three compression levels, FireWire interface with Power Macintosh and Windows computers, and much more. Nikon has recently issued firmware and software upgrades that improve performance and produce 10MB files by interpolating RAW data from D1x NEF files. Power is from a rechargeable NiMH battery pack (battery and charger come with the camera) or optional AC adapter. Dimensions are 6.2x6.1x3.4 inches and 40 ounces. Street price is around $3900. Nikon D2h Nikon's second-generation digital action camera, the new D2h can do 8 frames per second at full 4.1-megapixel resolution (2484x1636 pixels), and has virtually no start-up lag time and a minimal shutter lag time of 37ms—comparable to that of the legendary F5 pro AF 35mm SLR. Offering Wi-Fi wireless transmission of images, the new camera is ideal for photojournalists and action shooters. Features include an extremely fast and accurate Multi-Cam 2000 AF system with 11 AF sensors (9 cross-type) that functions down to EV –1 (with Dynamic AF, Group Dynamic AF, Focus Tracking and Lock-On), a completely new high-performance image sensor, high-speed image transfer, compatibility with Lexar's WA technology, a new lithium-ion battery that indicates battery life in 5% increments, and lots more. A new SB-800 Speedlight provides i-TTL advanced wireless control of up to three groups of SB-800s. Dimensions and price to be announced. Nikon D100 The "economy" entry in Nikon's digital AF SLR lineup is the popular 6.1-megapixel D100. It offers basically the same wide range of shooting features as Nikon's N80 film camera, including 10-segment 3D Matrix plus center-weighted and spot metering, automatic exposure bracketing, shutter speeds from 30 seconds to 1/4000 plus bulb, single-area and five-area dynamic AF, single-shot and continuous AF plus manual focusing, on-demand viewfinder grid lines, built-in D-TTL Speedlight, depth-of-field preview button, the ability to use the wide range of excellent AF-Nikkor lenses (with 1.5X "telephoto" factor), and much more. Digital features include 3008x2000-pixel maximum resolution, a 1.8-inch LCD monitor, three color modes, high-speed image processing, USB interface, image storage on CompactFlash Type I and II cards and Microdrives, three image file formats (RAW, uncompressed TIFF, and JPEG) and more. Recent firmware upgrades provide improved performance and operation. Dimensions are 5.7x4.6x3.2 inches and a very light 24.7 ounces. Street price is around $1700. Olympus E-1 The first interchangeable-lens digital SLR designed to be digital from the get-go, Olympus' new E-1 offers a solution to the problem of using lenses designed for 35mm film cameras for digital imaging, namely getting the light to strike the image sensor more directly, to yield edge-to-edge sharpness with optimal colors and contrast and minimal vignetting: its Digital Specific Lenses (initially, 14–54mm f/2.8–3.5 and 50–200mm f/2.8–3.5 zooms, a 50mm f/2.0 1:2 macro and a 300mm f/2.8 supertele) were designed specifically to work with its image sensor. Superbly crafted, the rugged E-1 is said to offer the highest dynamic range, lowest noise levels and best color of any mobile pro digicam. The 5.5-megapixel 4:3-aspect ratio Full Frame Transfer CCD provides 2560x1920-pixel resolution, with RAW, TIFF or JPEG images stored on CompactFlash cards or Microdrives, and has a 2X "crop" factor (i.e., a 100mm lens provides the image cropping a 200mm lens would provide on a 35mm SLR). Other features include shutter speeds from 60 seconds to 1/4000, burst capability of up to 12 full-res frames at 3 fps, 3-point AF in light levels down to EV 0, three metering systems (3-zone ESP, 6% center-weighted average and 2% spot), all the pro exposure modes (shiftable program AE, shutter- and aperture-priority AE and metered manual), a 1.8-inch color LCD monitor, IEEE 1394/FireWire and USB 2.0 interface compatibility with Macs and Windows, and lots more. Dimensions are 5.6x4.1x3.2 inches and 23 ounces; tentative MSRP is $2199. Pentax *ist D Digital Pentax's long-anticipated entry in the digital SLR market is the oddly named *ist D Digital (the company introduced a high-end film SLR called the *ist recently). Specs include a 23.5x15.7mm CCD sensor with 6.1 effective megapixels and a 1.5X "crop" factor, compatibility with a wide range of Pentax K-mount lenses, a top shutter speed of 1/4000, flash sync up to 1/150, 16-segment metering (plus center-weighted and spot), a full range of exposure modes (including shiftable program AE, shutter- and aperture-priority AE, and Hyper Manual), a new 11-point SAFOX VIII AF sensor, continuous shooting at 2.7 fps, a 1.8-inch LCD monitor, three recording formats (RAW, TIFF and JPEG, maximum resolution 3008x2008 pixels), 9-image and 12X magnification playback, storage on Type I and II CompactFlash cards and Microdrives, 22 Custom Functions, built-in TTL flash, and compact dimensions (5.1x3.7x2.4 inches and 19.4 ounces). Street price is $1699.95. Sigma SD9 Noted lensmaker Sigma offers the SD9, a full-featured AF SLR that utilizes the new Foveon X3 CMOS sensor, in which every pixel records red, green and blue for increased efficiency. The 3.54-megapixel sensor delivers 2268x1512-pixel images that show noticeably better detail than conventional 3.5-MP images. Other features include lossless RAW recording (which does require use of their software for downloading and use—RAW is the only recording option), IEEE 1394/FireWire and USB interfaces, a 1.8-inch color LCD monitor, image storage on CompactFlash Type I and II cards and Microdrives, and such SLR shooting features as single-shot and continuous predictive AF plus manual focusing, three metering modes, automatic exposure bracketing, four exposure modes (shiftable program AE, shutter- and aperture-priority AE, metered manual), shutter speeds from 30 seconds to 1/6000 plus B with flash sync up to 1/180, and more. The camera accepts more than 40 Sigma SA-mount lenses, which are available in focal lengths from 8mm circular fisheye and 14mm superwide-angle to 800mm supertelephoto (these provide the framing of lenses 1.7X their focal length due to the SD9's smallish 20.7x13.8mm image sensor). Dimensions are 6.0x4.7x3.1 inches and 28.3 ounces. Street price is around $1100.