Recently, DSLR cameras have become the most popular models for astronomical photography. Intended for serious amateur photographers and all types of shooting, DSLRs have several key features that make them particularly desirable for nighttime photography. First and most important, their large sensors offer much lower noise and cleaner images than do compact point-and-shoot digital cameras, especially at ISO 400 and higher. DSLRs feature interchangeable lenses— or direct attachment to a telescope’s focuser —making them by far the most versatile cameras for all forms of astrophotography, from panoramas with wide-angle lenses to deep-sky close-ups through a telescope. Alan Dyer from SkyNews compared the three commonly available DSLRs in the market today for astronomical photography - the Canon Digital Rebel XTi (400D), Nikon D80, and Pentax K10D. Here’s the conclusion:

“At the end of the testing, Canon emerged victorious. Its low noise and lack of other artifacts make it the most suitable for long exposures. Nevertheless, the Nikon and Pentax put up a good fight. Both produce fine results at ISO 400 and 800 settings if exposures are kept short. If you’re looking for a camera that’s compatible with existing hardware and planning to use it for only casual short-exposure astrophotography, the Pentax K10D and Nikon D80 will work very well.

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Although these two cameras are far a part one from another, both price wise and market share wise, it’s the first time in a long time that there is a possibility to compare between Nikon and Canon under the same resolution. KammaGamma, a new website for DSLR photograpaher, took both camera to the studio and compare their High ISO performance. Here are the settings:

• Canon EOS 400D: Jpeg Fine, PS: Standard, AutoWB, ISO1600, 1/100, Canon 50mm@f9
• Nikon D80: Jpeg Fine, Optimize Image: Normal, AutoWB, ISO1600, 1/125, Nikkor 50mm@f9

Here’s the quick summary:

“As you can see, the sharpening level in the Canon EOS 400D is a little bit higher, this might also be due to the strength level of the edges after the noise reduction. Nikon D80’s noise reduction system is more advanced than the one implemented in the EOS 400D. The Nikon D80 removes color noise almost absolutely and leaves very little edge problems. On the other hand, the Canon EOS 400D leaves more color noise bit delivers more details. We would choose less details and less color noise than the opposite under high ISO, but that is a matter of personal taste.

Canon is definitely stretching the DIGIC II’s limits with the 10MP resolution. We hope to see cleaner and better results in Canon’s future cameras. In the mean while we are happier with Nikon D80’s results in high ISO. ”

Website :  High ISO comparison between Canon 400D vs. Nikon D80

Nikon is currently offering a “Buy Both and Save” rebate for customers who purchase one DSLR and one Coolpix camera. When bundled together, customers can receive up to $50 back on select Coolpix point-and-shoot models.

The mail-in rebate offer is valid from May 1 to June 30. Qualifying Nikon customers will receive $50 cash back on Coolpix P-series and S-series purchases or $25 back on L-series cameras. Nikon DSLRs that qualify for the rebate

• D2Xs Body
• D2Hs Body
• D200 Body or Kit
• D80 Body or Kit
• D50 Body or Kit
• D40x Body or Kit
• D40 Body or Kit

Nikon Coolpix cameras that qualify for rebate

• P1, P2, P3, P4, P5000 - $50 rebate
• S1, S2, S3, S4, S5, S6, S7c, S9, S10, S50c, S200, S500 - $50 rebate
• L1, L2, L3, L4, L6, L10, L11, L12 - $25 rebate

Download : “Buy Both and Save” rebate form

The Pentax K10D is based around an APS-C sized CCD imager with an effective resolution of 10.2 megapixels. It uses a 22-bit Analog-to-digital converter, and a new processing engine dubbed “PRIME” (Pentax Real IMage Engine). The K10D has a dust-proof, weather resistant body with a stainless steel chassis and some 72 seals that allow the camera to be used in dusty and/or rainy environments. The sensor sits on a free-floating electromagnetically controlled platter that can move horizontally, vertically, and even rotationally. Here’s a brief look at how it compares against the nearest competition from the Camera Labs:

Nikon D80 - “Arguably the biggest rival for the K10D is the Nikon D80. At first glance the K10D appears to thrash it in terms of features including built-in image stabilisation, dust removal, environmental sealing and impressive RAW capabilities; the K10D’s also cheaper. But in our view, the D80 simply out-performs the K10D in day-to-day use. We shot with a D80 throughout the entire period of this review and saw first-hand how it handled exactly the same situations as the K10D. There were many occasions when the K10D required exposure compensation, while the more sophisticated metering of the D80 remained un-phased. We also preferred the output from the D80 using the default settings, although to be fair this is subjective. See our Nikon D80 review and video tour for more details.”

Canon EOS 30D - “Canon’s mid-range DSLR is an interesting rival for the K10D, and like the D80, it initially appears to come-off badly in terms of features. The K10D boasts slightly higher resolution, built-in anti-shake and anti-dust, environmental sealing, the chance to swap focusing screens and impressive RAW capabilities. Look a little deeper though and the 30D has several aspects in its favour including a magnesium alloy body, 5fps continuous shooting, superior metering and again more consumer-friendly output using the default settings. That said the K10D’s cheaper than the Canon 30D, so unless you need 5fps and aren’t willing to tweak image settings, the K10D represents much better value. See our Canon EOS 30D review for more details.”

Sony Alpha A100 - “The Sony Alpha A100 is a natural rival for the K10D as both are 10 megapixel DSLRs featuring in-camera stabilisation which also doubles-up for anti-dust duties. In practice we found the Sony A100’s Super SteadyShot proved slightly more effective than the K10D’s Shake Reduction, although neither were as effective as lens-based solutions at longer focal lengths. In its favour, the K10D’s anti-dust was more effective in our tests and while its default output wasn’t as punchy as the A100, it did boast lower noise levels at higher sensitivities. The A100 may be cheaper than the K10D, but if you’re willing to learn how to tweak the settings, it’s worth spending the extra on the Pentax. See our Sony Alpha A100 review for more details.”

Website : Pentax K10D compared with Nikon D80, Canon 30D, Sony A100

Linda Knapp from the Seattle Times recently wrote an article titled “Nikon’s D80 wins over one more shutterbug” that compares the 70-300mm lens on the Nikon D80 camera with her previously owned D70. Here’re some interesting comments from the article:

“The D80 has 10.2 megapixels, compared with the 6.1 megapixels on my D70s. That’s a significant difference, and it enables the newer camera to gather a lot more image information when capturing the shot. That’s good. But. … All those extra megapixels take up significantly more space on a hard drive.

…Again, I’m successful shooting in low light because I shoot in RAW, which enables me to increase the exposure later, in Photoshop, without adding noise.”
Website :  Nikon’s D80 wins over one more shutterbug from Seattle Times

Macworld has posted a great six-page article entitled “How to buy: DSLR cameras” written by Ben Long, author of “Complete Digital Photography” that gives a fantastic overview on what to look for and how to buy a digital SLR. Here’s a summary of the article:

“Camera manufacturers now recognize that hobbyists and other nonprofessional shooters have become more serious—and more skilled—at producing a wide variety of photographic images and are demanding more-affordable DSLRs to help them do it. While the $1,000 DSLR price barrier was broken several years ago, lower-priced cameras with more-extensive features have been released in the past year. If you’ve thought of switching to a DSLR, considered upgrading from the one you already have, or wondered what all the DSLR hoopla is about, read on to learn the differences between SLR and point-and-shoot cameras and to check out our reviews of five of the newest DSLR models:

• Canon Digital Rebel XTi; ; (Best Current Price: $649.00)
• Nikon D40; ; (Best Current Price: $519.95)
• Nikon D80; ; (Best Current Price: $909.99)
• Pentax K100D; ;(Best Current Price: $535.00)
• Sony Alpha DSLR-A100K; ; (Best Current Price: $641.00)

Macworld’s buying advice

Both the Nikon D40 and the Pentax have excellent lens selections, and both are fun and comfortable to use. The D40 wins the contest because of its many fine features and strong battery life.

Should I keep my point-and-shoot?

If you already have a point-and-shoot camera and are planning to buy a DSLR, you may be considering selling your current camera to help finance your new purchase. A better option, though, is to keep it. Point-and-shoots are smaller and easier to carry, so they’re ideal for situations in which carrying a DSLR is not possible or necessary.

Also, almost all point-and-shoot cameras provide excellent macro features for extreme close-ups. If you’re interested in macro photography, you’ll find that working with a point-and-shoot is usually easier and cheaper than investing in a DSLR macro lens. Finally, many point-and-shoots now include excellent movie modes, which make them a great resource for taking short video clips, something you can’t do with a DSLR.”

Website : MacWorld - How to buy DSLR cameras

In 2006, five 10MP cameras hit the U.S. market, all packed with high-end features and priced at $1,000 or less (street) — including, in four cases, a kit lens: Canon EOS Digital Rebel XTi 10.1MP, Nikon D80 10.2MP, Pentax K10D 10.2MP, Samsung GX-10 10.2MP, and Sony Alpha 100 10.2MP. PopPhoto compared the models head-to-head on performance and features and the conclusion is:

1. Nikon D80
2. Canon EOS Rebel Xti
3. Pentax K10D (tie)
3. Samsung GX-10 (tie)
5. Sony Alpha 100

There has to be a winner, and, given its image quality and near-pro-level feature set, the Nikon D80 was hardly a surprise. We’re more than happy, though, to use any of these superb cameras.

Website : Comparing 10MP DSLR Camera from PopPhoto

Here’s the conclusion from the article from Gizmodo…“Not everyone wants to purchase an expensive DSLR camera just to take pictures of our friends’ weddings and vacations to Reno—but some still want the option of tinkering around with DSLR functionality on occasion. Here are three sub-$1000 cameras: the Sony Alpha A100, Canon Rebel XTi and the Nikon D80. Which one’s the best for you? It depends what you want.

If you’re looking for better image quality, the Canon is the winner. If you’re looking for quicker shot to shot speed or startup to shot speed, it’s the Nikon. The Canon also had less noise and more dynamic range, but the Nikon performed better in low light. However if you’ve got troubles holding your camera still, the Sony is the winner in image stabilization. If you’re looking for which camera looks the best (subjective), they anoint the Nikon as the king.”

Website : Three Sub-$1000 DSLRs Compared