A Comprehensive Guide to Digital SLR Camera Ratings
Last Updated: October 2006
Before I buy any new camera, I read what the digital SLR camera ratings have to say.
These ratings are provided by regular photographers (not pros) who have used the camera extensively over a period of time.
If there's one drawback to the guides I provide on this web site, it's that I don't own the cameras for months and months.
By checking on digital SLR camera ratings you can see how well a camera stands up to the test of time.
The Benefits of Digital SLR Camera Ratings
There are a lot of good reasons to check the ratings before you make your final digital SLR purchase.
- They're unbiased - the people rating the cameras are actual users and aren't paid by the marketing departments of the manufacturers
- They're honest - sometimes brutally so, if somone is not happy with the camera they wound up with
- They're varied - the wide variety of ratings for each camera means that you can find plenty of opinions, good and bad
The Drawbacks of Ratings
There is one issue with these ratings: you must take them with a grain of salt.
Some individuals who rate the cameras are clearly out to bash the camera and the company that made it.
Others have unique bad experiences that is hopefully not representative of the norm.
A third group simply got in over their heads and should not have bought a digital SLR in the first place. That, or they purchased an SLR that didn't match their photography style, and they write a poor review of the camera even though it's really not the camera's fault.
Your Time Is Valuable
Reading every digital SLR camera rating out there takes time.
Tons of it.
Even trying to find the ratings can sometimes be a chore, especially if you're trying to get an objective sense of how a camera works.
Well, the Digital SLR Guide is here to help you out.
I've compiled a comprehensive list with links to ratings for all of the latest digital SLR camera models.
If you don't see a camera model in this list, it's because:
- The camera wasn't popular enough to generate enough ratings
- The camera is so new that no one has had the chance to rate it yet
Other than a few models, most of the current digital SLR cameras are provided in the tables below.
I will keep checking, and when a new camera generates enough ratings, I will add it to this page.
Digital SLR Camera Ratings
Warm up your eyeballs!
I try to avoid tables crammed with numbers, but in this case it was unavoidable. Just look for the camera you are thinking of buying and go from there.
These numbers were compiled using 6 different web sites that provide digital SLR camera ratings:
- Digital Camera HQ or eBay (when the HQ didn't have the camera listed)
- Digital Photography Review
- Amazon
- C|NET
- Pricegrabber
There are two numbers from each web site for each camera. The first number is the average rating from the web site, and the second number in parenthesis is the total number of people who submitted a rating.
At the end of each row, you'll also find an average rating across all 5 sites, and the sum of all the people who submitted ratings.
The rating number is linked to the associated web site if you want to read individual customer reviews.
Canon Camera Ratings
| Dig Cam HQ | DPReview | Amazon | C|NET | Pricegrabber | Avg. | Rate # | |
| 350D | 4.51 (25) | 4.45 (310) | 4.5 (194) | 8.6 (94) | 5 (33) | 4.55 | 656 |
| 400D | 5 (2) | 4.41 (49) | 5 (16) | 7.7 (11) | 5 (6) | 4.65 | 84 |
| 20D | 4.67 (25) | 4.58 (267) | 4.5 (128) | 8.3 (207) | 4.5 (31) | 4.48 | 658 |
| 30D | 4.68 (7) | 4.66 (120) | 5 (29) | 8.8 (8) | 5 (16) | 4.75 | 180 |
| 5D | 4.76 (17) | 4.55 (83) | 4.5 (18) | 8.9 (31) | 5 (14) | 4.65 | 163 |
Nikon Camera Ratings | |||||||
| Dig Cam HQ | DPReview | Amazon | C|NET | Pricegrabber | Avg. | Rate # | |
| D50 | 4.53 (26) | 4.71 (151) | 4.5 (83) | 8.3 (36) | 5.0 (17) | 4.58 | 313 |
| D70s | 4.47 (25) | 4.48 (139) | 4 (38) | 7.7 (33) | 4.5 (8) | 4.26 | 243 |
| D80 | 4.58 (5) | 4.63 (24) | 5 (9) | 8.4 (15) | 5 (6) | 4.68 | 59 |
| D200 | 4.75 (17) | 4.76 (194) | 5 (33) | 8.4 (39) | 5 (17) | 4.77 | 297 |
Olympus Camera Ratings | |||||||
| eBay | DPReview | Amazon | C|NET | Pricegrabber | Avg. | Rate # | |
| E-330 | 4 (1) | 4.72 (13) | 5 (4) | 8 (2) | 5 (1) | 4.54 | 21 |
| E-500 | 5 (11) | 4.69 (100) | 4.5 (38) | 8.9 (13) | 5 (18) | 4.73 | 180 |
Pentax Camera Ratings | |||||||
| Dig Cam HQ | DPReview | Amazon | C|NET | Pricegrabber | Avg. | Rate # | |
| *ist DL | 4.35 (14) | 4.67 (51) | 4.5 (10) | 8.7 (13) | 4.5 (13) | 4.47 | 112 |
| K100D | 4.66 (8) | 4.72 (19) | 4.5 (10) | 8.5 (2) | 4.5 (6) | 4.53 | 45 |
| K110D | 5 (2) | 4.60 (1) | 4 (1) | 5 (2) | n/a (n/a) | n/a | n/a |
Sony Camera Ratings | |||||||
| Dig Cam HQ | DPReview | Amazon | C|NET | Pricegrabber | Avg. | Rate # | |
| A100 | 4.21 (7) | 4.27 (36) | 4 (19) | 8.7 (6) | 4.5 (5) | 4.27 | 73 |
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