Recent leaps in resolution have made storing all those visual gigabytes a bigger concern than ever, even with the humblest digital SLR. Which is why one well-known computer maker introduced goof-proof backup software that’s completely integral to its operating system — then built a heavy-duty external hard drive that receives the data via its own separate Wi-Fi network. (You’ll find that drive among this year’s Editor’s Choice winners.)

Other Network Attached Storage (NAS) systems back up with multiple drives for even better data security: One such model in this year’s group is small enough to fit in your palm, and another beats conventional, multiple-drive RAID storage by letting you combine drives of different sizes. Need to carry and swap top-secret information, or safeguard images in transit? Here you’ll find a pocketable, encrypted flash drive that literally erases your files after detecting unauthorized access.

Memory card backup has gotten more convenient too, whether with a portable, card-reading drive that halves the transfer time of its predecessor, or a multi-slot reader that lets your computer ingest the contents of four CompactFlash cards at the same time. And the cards themselves have grown bigger and faster all around: CF has reached a whopping 48GB capacity and up to 50GB/second data-transfer speed, SDHC has attained 32GB, and Memory Stick comes in a variant that’s three times faster than before. This same solid state technology is also starting to challenge conventional disk-based hard drives, as you’ll see, and, if Moore’s law gets its way, will eventually become the storage choice for a mass audience.

Although writable CDs and DVDs are old hat, new portable DVD burners provide cheap, secondary storage for laptop computers. And the video disk format war is over, with Blu-ray prevailing over HD-DVD and drives that write to Blu-ray quickly improving their performance-to-price ratio.

These days, the lines separating digital storage, communication, and personal entertainment are blurred, but one of our favorite items in this category manages to wow everyone who handles it, even though it’s pricey and memory-challenged. How? With the human touch.

Co-Digital Storage Product of the Year: Data Robotics Drobo

Last year’s Editor’s Choice just missed the introduction of this brilliant alternative to conventional RAID storage, but now it’s even better. A minimalist USB 2.0 enclosure that holds up to four 3.5-inch SATA hard drives, this intelligent “storage robot” actually formats those disks as a single volume, with protection data distributed across all of them. If one drive fails, Drobo will keep working, prompt you to replace the drive, and restore full protection. However, unlike with a RAID system, you may use any combination of drive capacities — and add bigger ones as needed. Setup is a cinch: Insert a drive, connect to a computer, and format. After that, Drobo (which works with Apple’s Time Machine) formats new disks automatically. (Total capacity is roughly the sum of all disks minus the biggest.) And the improvements? You can now buy Drobo with drives installed; the new DroboShare “companion” makes the unit a network drive; and it’s $50 cheaper. About $450 ($750 with two 1TB drives).

Co-Digital Storage Product of the Year: Apple Time Capsule

The best feature of Apple’s OS X Leopard is Time Machine — a super-simple backup utility that routinely saves every file and application on your Mac to an external hard drive. It can completely restore your system if needed, or “revisit” files as they appeared in the past. Now Apple has introduced its own take on the needed hardware. Time Capsule combines a high-speed (802.11n) Wi-Fi router with a capacious hard drive in a single elegant package. It allows every Mac in your home or office to perform wireless Time Machine backups to the same central repository. There are also three Gigabit Ethernet ports — good to use for efficient initial full-system backup. And its USB 2.0 port, combined with a hub, lets you add other drives, to which you can even archive Time Capsule data. (You can also add a printer, but only one Mac can print to it at a given time.) In addition, .Mac account holders can access the Time Capsule over the Web, and even Windows PCs are able to see it as a standard network device. About $300 (500GB) and $500 (1TB).

Other Top Digital Storage Products

Lexar Media 32GB Crucial Solid State Drive

As photographers we take for granted the tiny, speedy flash memory cards on which we save our digital cameras’ images or even video, using new high-speed cards such as Lexar’s super-swift Professional 133x 8GB SDHC card. Now similar solid-state storage technology is available for laptop and desktop computers — sized to match the standard 2.5-inch format common to portable notebook hard drives, so that they can be installed in the same drive bay.

Like others in this new breed, Lexar’s own Solid State Drive has no moving parts, which means it can take much more abuse without failing and can operate in far more extreme environments. It’s also totally silent and requires much less energy, a big advantage when used in a battery-dependent laptop. And its data-transfer speed — conservatively rated at 100MB/second for reading and 60MB/sec for writing — is faster than that of many 7200rpm hard disks. These particular speeds are achieved via its 3Gb/sec Serial ATA interface, when housed in a compatible computer or external eSATA drive enclosure.

Solid state storage technology is still pricey, but many photographers will consider it worth the advantages over hard disks. And, as with all things digital, economies of scale will cut the cost drastically in the future — undoubtedly sooner than we think. About $700.

Pretec 24GB CompactFlash 333X

Rivaling SanDisk’s premium 8GB Extreme Ducati Edition CF in speed and ruggedness, Pretec’s new CompactFlash entry triples that card’s capacity — making it the biggest and baddest in its class. Built to the new CF 4.0 Ultra DMA spec, it reads at more than 50MB/sec (333X) and writes at more than 40MB/sec (266X), equaling, on average, the SanDisk’s 45MB/sec read/write speed. Protected by an impact-resistant metal housing, the Pretec card is said to operate reliably between minus 4 and 185 degrees Fahrenheit. These assets come at a steep price, and you’ll get more than twice as many megabytes for your money with Pretec’s own enormous 48GB standard CF card, which is 30 percent slower but $200 cheaper! About $800.

Delkin ImageRouter

Although CompactFlash memory card capacities have grown by leaps and bounds, many of us still use a few smaller cards rather than one big one, either because they’re what we own or to avoid the risk of losing a whole shoot if a single large card fails or gets lost. That’s the raison d’etre for Delkin’s ImageRouter USB 2.0 card reader, which has slots for four cards and, thanks to its Ultra DMA data transfer standard, can download from all four simultaneously at speeds up to a combined 19 megabytes per second. The bus-powered ImageRouter needs no separate power supply and can be daisy-chained in a pair, for up to eight concurrent downloads. Delkin’s optional Windows-only Backupandburn software automates the routing process and allows for direct backup to DVD, but Mac users need to manually select each card for backup. About $150 (software adds $100.)

Lite-On DX-8A1H Portable DVD Writer

The product of a joint venture between Philips and Lite-On, this super slim portable USB 2.0 DVD writer is the perfect companion for ultra-light notebook computers that lack internal optical drives — the MacBook Air for one. (See Computers.) Measuring about five inches square by less than an inch thick, and weighing under 12 pounds, the diminutive DX-8A1H is full-sized in its disk-writing versatility, accepting 8X DVD+/-R and DVD+RW, 6X DVD-RW, 5X DVD-RAM, 4X DVD+/-R dual-layer, and 24X CD-R/RW in both standard and mini sizes. And somehow the makers have managed to incorporate LightScribe disk labeling (lacking on the more expensive MacBook Air SuperDrive), allowing you to copy artwork, text, or images directly onto the disc itself, eliminating the need for additional printing, markers, or adhesive labels. Under $80.

JOBO Giga one ultra

This portable hard-drive storage device is an ideal solution if you need reliable memory-card backup in the field but don’t want to carry a laptop computer. Smaller than an index card, thinner than an inch, and available in a wide range of capacities, the aluminum-bodied Giga one ultra features a mini USB 2.0 port and three dust-protected memory card slots. These accept CompactFlash, Secure Digital and SDHC, Memory Stick (four flavors), xD-Picture Card, and mini SD formats. Once a card is inserted, one-touch backup takes about three minutes per gigabyte. Status info, including percent of data copied, free disk space, and the charge level of the unit’s Li-ion battery, is shown on its two-inch monochrome LCD panel. When connected to a computer, the Giga one ultra doubles as a memory card reader and bus-powered external hard drive (it also comes with an AC adapter). From $150 (40GB) to $330 (200GB).

Buffalo Technology LinkStation Mini 1TB

Network Attached Storage (NAS) devices with multiple disk drives are often bulky, heavy, and noisy. So Buffalo Technology’s LinkStation Mini is a big surprise — the smallest and lightest terabyte-capacity NAS you can buy. This palm-sized wonder measures only 5.3×3.2×1.6 inches and is just over a pound, a size and weight achieved by its stacking of two 2.5-inch, 5400rpm notebook hard drives within the same enclosure. And there’s no fan, so it’s nearly silent.

As a Redundant Array of Independent Disks, the LinkStation Mini can be configured either as a single 1TB RAID volume (faster) or as two 500GB volumes with mirrored data (safer). Either way it’s accessible from any computer on your network via Gigabit Ethernet, and its USB 2.0 port allows you to network another hard drive with it, or share a printer using its integral print server. You also get multimedia streaming to DNLA players and computers; driver-free setup; browser-based easy configuration with permissions for multiple users and groups; scheduled backups with Memeo software; and safe power-down with Uninterruptible Power Supplies. Coolest of all is the ability to access the LinkStation Mini over the Web from any location. About $700.

Kingston Technology DataTraveler BlackBox

Designed primarily for corporations and government agencies, this serious-looking USB 2.0 flash drive ensures absolute data privacy if it falls into the wrong hands. It uses the latest Federal Information Processing Standard (FIPS 140-2 Level 2), which requires the device to run a self-test each time you plug it into a computer. Although no extra software is needed, the DataTraveler’s “enforced complex password protection” means you need to follow strict requirements in setting yours. And you must commit that password to memory because the drive locks down and reformats itself after a specified number of failed access attempts. Nevertheless, its “on-the-fly” 256-bit hardware-based encryption/decryption operates transparently when you’re moving files (at up to 24MB/second reading and 20MB/second writing) using a Windows-based PC. (Sorry, Macs aren’t compatible.) Physically the BlackBox is nearly indestructible, with a titanium-coated stainless steel casing you can drive a car over and waterproofing down to four feet. From $165 (2GB) to $425 (8GB).

LG Electronics GGW-H20L Blu-ray Disc Rewriter

When we were working on last year’s Editor’s Choice, there were two high-definition video disk formats duking it out for the consumer market. HD-DVD lost the bout, making the higher-capacity Blu-ray format the champ. Fortunately for photographers and videographers who archive their HD video files and high-res stills on disk, Blu-ray computer drives just got a lot faster and cheaper. A prime example is LG’s new GGW-H20L internal unit. It’s the first to write to Blu-ray at 6X speed (50 percent faster than previous models), which lets you burn a full 25GB BD-R single-layer disk in as little as 16 minutes. It also writes to 50GB dual-layer BD-R disks at 4X; rewritable BD-RE (and -DL) disks at 2X; DVD+R and DVD-R at 16X; and CD-R at 40X. In fact, this versatile machine can read and write virtually all DVD and CD formats and, for film buffs, play back commercial Blu-ray and HD-DVD disks. The H20L connects to your computer with 3Gb/second Serial ATA, uses built-in LightScribe to label disks, and is bundled with CyberLink playback and authoring software. About $320.

SanDisk Extreme III Memory Stick PRO-HG Duo 8GB

Although CompactFlash is the exclusive storage format in all Sony D-SLRs except the Alpha 700, Memory Stick (in several variants) is the mainstay of its Cyber-shot models. It’s also an option, or the exclusive storage medium, in nearly twenty Sony HD and standard-definition Handycam camcorders. Given the demand for ever-higher still and video data-transfer speeds, Sony and SanDisk have partnered in creating a much swifter Memory Stick variant, PRO-HG Duo. The latest and biggest of these is SanDisk’s 8GB Extreme III card, which both reads and writes at up to 30MB/second, which is three times faster than standard MS PRO Duo cards. It owes that speed to its eight-bit parallel interface, versus the PRO Duo’s four-bit interface. (Sony four-bit cameras can support the PRO-HG cards but at a reduced data rate of 13MB/second or less.) The same 30MB/second transfer rate is possible when you connect a PRO-HG, using a Sony or SanDisk adapter, to an ExpressCard-equipped laptop or PC. About $150.

Apple iPod Touch

We first encountered this amazing next-generation iPod at a party. A photographer we met put his hand in his pocket and pulled out the Touch, which is slightly bigger than a deck of cards and less than a third of an inch thick. He proceeded to “flip through” his business portfolio (imported directly from iPhoto) by flicking his fingers across the unit’s super-sharp 3.5-inch wide-screen. With this novel gestural control method, called Multi-Touch, the user can navigate and operate the Mac-like, icon-driven virtual interface entirely without physical controls (and there are none). Another iPod first is the Touch’s built-in 802.11g Wi-Fi, which powers its Safari browser and separate HTML Mail program (which employ the Touch’s virtual keyboard), in which you can view PDF, Word, and Excel attachments. You also get online maps, weather, and stocks; a dedicated YouTube movie player; and a notebook, calendar, and address book. The Touch lets you purchase and download music and videos wirelessly, then transfer them whenever to the iTunes library on your Mac. Necessary, since its modest flash-based storage trades disk space for superior speed and reliability. Price: $299 (8GB), $399 (16GB), $499 (32GB).

Western Digital My Book desktop drive

You know that digital storage devices are as essential as they are unsexy — by and large just boxes with a few plugs and a light or two. And external hard drives big enough to back up the contents of your computer become all but invisible when attached, doing their own thing with automatic backup software. You hardly know they’re there — until your computer crashes. Western Digital’s My Book external desktop hard drives are a different story, pun intended. They are sexy, in the sort of industrial-chic way that Apple has perfected. Upright and, well, booklike in shape — though with a beautifully rounded spine — they have an elegant satin-metal finish. In fact the My Book Studio Edition we tested comes in a silver tone that perfectly matches our G5 tower. (Now if only our socks matched.)

The My Book drives have a cool-looking ventilation grill with parallel rows of rounded dots and dashes evocative of our G5’s perforations. The grill runs along the top and one side of the unit, where the pages would be in a real book. There’s a long LED on the unit’s “spine” that glows blue in various patterns to indicate the drive’s status. More than any third-party product we can think of, the My Book drives look like they could’ve been designed by Apple itself.

The My Book Studio Edition comes formatted for Mac, though you can easily reformat it for PC. (Other models come PC-formatted.) We had the 1TB version hooked up for several months to the G5, with which it performed flawlessly behind the scenes using Apple’s Time Machine to back up the computer’s considerable contents. We connected the drive by FireWire 800, but in addition to a supplied FireWire 400 cable (for backwards compatibility) there are ports for USB 2.0 and super-fast eSATA. With FireWire and USB connections the drive powers on and off with your computer, and goes into standby mode after 10 minutes of inactivity. (The software, including Western Digital’s own backup utility, loads directly from the drive when you plug it in, no separate CD required.) Western Digital’s robust and varied drive line also includes dual-drive RAID versions for Mac and PC (the My Book Pro Edition II and the My Book Premium Edition II); versions for network storage and DVR expansion; the internal EIDE and SATA drives that are the core of Western Digital’s huge OEM business; and portable drives such as the Passport. Most of these, however, are not as sexy. From $165 to $330.

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This year saw the advent of specialized plug-ins for Apple’s Aperture 2.1 and nondestructive localized editing in Adobe’s upcoming Lightroom 2.0 — bringing Photoshop-style control of specific image areas to these picture-management powerhouses. Some of their fans just might not need Photoshop anymore!

Apple Aperture 2.1

Version one of Apple’s Mac-centric program, a winner in our 2007 Imaging Software of the Year category, simply changed the way we work with digital photographs. This major upgrade still combines nondestructive editing of RAW files, powerful cataloguing and output tools, and more within a single-window, full-screen interface. But Version 2.1 is faster overall, with RAW browsing accelerated by quick-loading JPEG previews and file export (including to DNG) now operating in the background. Workflow is further streamlined by single-panel control of projects, metadata, and image adjustments. Aperture 2.1’s revamped RAW engine significantly reduces noise, improves detail, and fine-tunes color.

New controls include Highlight Recovery and Black Point, hue and moiré fine-tuning, selective saturation and detail boost, clipping overlays, vignetting, and a better retouching brush. Integrated tightly with iLife and iWork, Aperture 2.1 can now access images within iPhoto, as well as sync its image libraries with an iPod, iPhone, or password-managed .Mac Web gallery. Yet its biggest advance may be the ability to host third-party plug-ins. Joining Aperture’s own new Dodge & Burn plug-in, these already offer noise reduction, selective adjustments, green-screen silhouetting, HDR compositing, fisheye straightening, and simulated lens filters. About $200.

Other Top Imaging Software

Nik Viveza

This remarkable plug-in brings the innovative U Point technology first introduced in Nikon Capture NX to Adobe Photoshop and Elements, as well as Apple’s Aperture 2.1. It offers a radically simplified approach to making local adjustments to an image — more or less eliminating the need to create complicated selections or masks. To change brightness, contrast, saturation, or hue, just drop a Color Control Point where you need it and use its pop-up sliders to adjust image parameters and the effect’s diameter. You can cleanly darken a sky even if it’s broken up by an irregular horizon, or dodge a small area. Even better, you can use Viveza as a nondestructive Smart Filter in Photoshop CS3. About $210.

DxO Optics Pro 5

Like previous versions of DxO Labs’ highly sophisticated image correction software, Optics Pro 5 corrects linear distortion, vignetting, color fringing, detail softening, and other optical defects using proprietary profiles of dozens of supported D-SLRs and lenses. Now it also features a next-generation RAW converter that analyzes “non-local” image data to extract more detail, eliminate moiré and pattern artifacts, and enhance low-light imagery. Its newly developed noise reduction is applied prior to RAW conversion, rendering extremely fine “grain” while preserving sharpness, saturation, and color accuracy even at high ISOs. Version 5 also gets a more intuitive, attractive interface and batch dust-removal. From $150 to $270.

Adobe Photoshop Elements 6 for Macintosh

After two years of waiting, Mac owners finally get a brand-new “elemental” version of full-fledged Photoshop CS3. Elements 6 for Mac retains many of CS3’s essential strengths — for way less cash. Thus it comes with the top-notch Adobe Camera Raw processor and the pro-level Bridge browser, for image organizing and batch operations. Also new are CS3-like layers, histories, lens correction, background extraction, expert black-and-white conversion, and limited 16-bit support. PSE 6 gets its own look: a dark-gray, Lightroom-like interface with a Photo Bin that shows chosen images and a tabbed Edit Panel with Full, Quick, and Guided modes. About $90.

Corel Paint Shop Pro Photo X2

This affordable Windows imaging suite combines Photoshop-style pixel editing with graphics creation, a browser/organizer, and a Learning Center for digital newcomers. Notable is its new Express Lab, which applies basic image corrections without opening the full-function editing window. A new HDR feature merges bracketed exposures into a single high-dynamic-range image of outstanding quality. We like X2’s Photoshop-like assets: plug-in compatibility; curves, layers, and layer styles; CMYK import/export; and full-fledged color management. Plus, a sci-fi “Time Machine” effect will even age your photographs to match the era you send them to. About $100.

Tiffen Dfx Digital Filter Suite

Photographers who use filters may worry that some of the most exciting new lenses featured in this year’s Editor’s Choice lack a provision for filter attachment: They have neither a thread on the front nor a slot on the back. The assumption seems to be that everything you used to do with on-camera filtration you can now do on the computer, with Photoshop. That’s not entirely true — but you’ll find few exceptions when you install Tiffen’s new filters plug-in, which in addition to working with Photoshop and Apple’s new Aperture 2.1 is compatible with video software such as Adobe’s After Effects and Avid Editing Systems.

Still available as a stand-alone application, the Tiffen Dfx Digital Filter Suite not only simulates the effects of the innumerable glass filters in Tiffen’s line but also mimics special-purpose lenses, the depth of field associated with different f-stops, film grain, and traditional darkroom techniques, along with exacting color control. A few of the more exotic choices: Bleach Bypass, Bronze Glimmerglass, Rack Focus, and Cross Processing. And while there’s no second-guessing with a glass filter or other in-camera technique — once you shoot with it, its effect is locked into your picture — with the Dfx plug-in you can try out any filter to see if it works for you, and simply undo it if it doesn’t!

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Nikon finally takes the leap to a “full-frame,” 35mm-sized image sensor, ending Canon’s long monopoly and setting new standards in high-ISO sensitivity, shooting speed, autofocus capability, image processing, and more. We think both location and studio photographers will flock to the Nikon D3, as will many others who want the most powerful D-SLR money can buy.

Professional D-SLR of the Year: Nikon D3

For years Nikon insisted it would never make a digital SLR with a 35mm-size sensor and that the APS-C-sized image sensors in all its D-SLRs were up to any foreseeable task. Nikon doth protest too much, we thought, and then suddenly there was the Nikon D3 — a camera whose image quality alone vindicates full-frame capture. The D3’s 12.1-megapixel sensor has twice the surface area of the one in the 12.3-megapixel Nikon D2Xs, which means its individual pixels are twice as big. That improves the camera’s light-gathering capability, which is unprecedented. With the switch to CMOS and improved image processing, the efficiency of bigger pixels results in far better high-ISO photos and a top sensitivity of ISO 25,600, at least two stops better than any other D-SLR.

The D3’s top firing rate is also extraordinarily fast: nine to 11 frames-per-second depending on settings. That’s two to three times faster than any other full-frame model. And the D3 also has 51 focusing points, the most in its class, 15 of which are the more reliable cross-type — just one piece of what is arguably the world’s smartest autofocus system.

The D3’s three-inch, 920,000-dot LCD screen is to our eyes the sharpest in any “flagship” D-SLR, and its Live View autofocus is actually the first in its class. Other D3 features absent in its rivals include dual UDMA-compatible CF card slots that can be set for either overflow or backup, in-camera correction of chromatic aberration, and an onscreen “virtual horizon” that serves as an electronic bubble level.

The level of control offered by the D3 is simply awesome, but let’s stop with the specs. Something about the Nikon D3 — its huge, bright viewfinder, that brilliant LCD, and a prodigious responsiveness — makes you feel that you’re really in touch with your subject. It actually makes you think you’re taking better pictures.

At a Glance: Nikon D3

|| |—| | • NIKON D3 • 12.1 MEGAPIXELS/CMOS IMAGE SENSOR • 1.0X FOV CROP (FULL FRAME) • 3.0-INCH LIVE VIEW LCD SCREEN • 9FPS (11FPS IN DX MODE) • IMAGE STABILIZATION: IN-LENS • ABOUT $5,000 • Built like a tank and fully weather sealed, it’s the first D-SLR to combine ultrafast performance and full-frame capture. Its new FX-format image sensor is the same size as a 35mm film frame, so it preserves wide-angle lenses’ full field of view; a sensor-cropping DX-format mode even allows fully-compatible 5.1-megapixel, 11fps capture with DX-Nikkor lenses designed for Nikon D-SLRs with APS-C-size chips. | Other Top Professional D-SLRs:

Mamiya 645AFD III

Mamiya deserves great credit for building the first medium-format digital camera with an integrated image sensor, the 22-megapixel Mamiya ZD we featured here three years ago. Though that camera has a much bigger chip than any 35mm-style D-SLR, it’s similar in form and handling. But you can’t shoot film with the ZD or upgrade its sensor. You can’t even buy one in the U.S. The next best thing — or an even better thing if you want to shoot film with the same camera — is to mount Mamiya’s 22-megapixel ZD back on the new Mamiya 645AFD III, a significantly upgraded model. You get the same number of pixels as with the ZD, and they’re twice as big as those in Canon’s 21-megapixel EOS-1Ds Mark III. The pixels’ larger size helps the sensor gather light with less noise, and the resulting smoothness is enhanced by the unique optical qualities of medium-format lenses.

The 645AFD III inherits its basic body shape and finder design from the previous AFD II, but eliminates the latter’s metering pattern and exposure compensation dials by moving those functions to its top-deck LCD screen. It also gains a faster, quieter AF motor; three selectable AF points; a more comfortable, molded silicone grip; and a better-damped mirror mechanism, which lessens the need for mirror lockup.

The bigger story is really Mamiya’s new partnership with Phase One, which has its own version of the 645AFD II called the Phase One 645. In response to Hasselblad’s decision to “close” its H3D/II system to other manufacturers’ digital backs, the two companies have committed to an “open system” compatible not only with Mamiya and Phase One backs (up to 39 megapixels) but also with those from Sinar, Leaf, and others (via adapter plates). In addition to Mamiya’s 14-lens lineup, the Phase One and Mamiya cameras accept (with adapters) Hasselblad V-series and Pentacon lenses.

At a Glance: Mamiya 645AFD III

Fujifilm IS Pro

To buy this infrared- and UV-sensitive camera you have to sign an agreement in which you promise not to use it for “paparazzi-like activity.” While exhibitionist celebs might like the idea that it can see through clothes (it can’t, contrary to popular belief about infrared), we like the Fujifilm IS Pro for its artistic possibilities. Though designed for forensic use, its extended sensitivity subverts the translation of tones that black-and-white photographers expect, lightening organic substances because they reflect more IR radiation.

The Fuji IS Pro’s cost might seem steep for such specialized effects, but if you put a UVIR cut filter on the lens it becomes a normal camera. In fact, it’s basically a FinePix S5 Pro (the Fuji winner in last year’s Professional D-SLRs category) from which the built-in infrared-cutoff filter has been excised. In turn, the S5 Pro’s body is basically a Nikon D200, not the Nikon N80 body on which the IS Pro’s predecessor, the S3 Pro UVIR, was based.

That means the IS Pro is a much more capable camera. It shoots simultaneous RAW+JPEG, a feature we find useful for workflow purposes; there’s even a firmware upgrade that lets you shoot old-fashioned TIFF files. Its LCD is bigger and better; its live preview lets you view TTL with a visually opaque IR filter and gives you an idea of how the colors will translate into tones if you’re shooting black and white. (You still need a tripod for precise composition because you can’t shoot while viewing.) The IS Pro has the same nominal resolution as the S3 Pro, but improved image processing makes output smoother and lessens noise at high ISOs.

At a Glance: Fujifilm IS Pro

Canon EOS-1Ds Mark III

Although Canon is no longer the sole player in the full-frame D-SLR arena, the company deserves credit for making 35mm-size image sensors a practical reality, starting with the 11-megapixel EOS-1Ds in 2002. The third generation of this full-frame flagship raises the bar again with a 21-megapixel CMOS image sensor — making the Canon EOS-1Ds Mark III the very first 35mm-style digital SLR with resolution equal to that of many medium-format digital systems. Yet this image quality comes at one-third the price of the 22-megapixel Hasselblad H3DII-22.

In addition to being much smaller and lighter, the Mark III boasts features and performance that medium-format systems can’t match, including 5fps continuous shooting; superfast 45-point autofocus; smooth output from ISO 50 to ISO 3200; a dust-busting self-cleaning sensor; wireless Live-View remote operation; and a combat-ready magnesium-alloy body that can survive the roughest location shoot. With the exception of its slower shooting speed, in fact, the full-frame Canon is identical in nearly all respects to its sports- and reportage-geared sibling, the 10fps, 10.1-megapixel EOS-1D Mark III, our 2007 Professional D-SLR of the Year.

Unlike that cropped-sensor twin, however, the new model has an enormous viewfinder, which Canon calls its finest ever. And it takes more than 60 Canon EF-mount lenses — a much larger and more diverse selection than available in medium format — all of which retain the same angle of view that they would produce on a 35mm film body.

At a Glance: Canon EOS-1Ds Mark III

Best Buy: Nikon D300

Unveiled at the same time as Nikon’s heavyweight D3, this slimmed-down but feature-rich sibling offers many if not most of the same assets — at only one-third the cost. The Nikon D300’s specs are so good, in fact, that we think many pros will buy it not as a backup body but as their primary D-SLR. A key selling point is its 12.3-megapixel CMOS image sensor, which delivers cleaner high-ISO output than the like-sized CCDs used in earlier Nikon D-SLRs. (Its sensitivity is ISO 200 to ISO 3200, expandable to ISO 100 and ISO 6400.) Being smaller than a full 35mm frame, of course, the chip results in a 1.5X field-of-view crop. This means telephotos get an often-useful boost in focal length of 50 percent, but Nikon DX-format zooms are needed for most true wide-angle shooting.

Other than the smaller sensor and accordingly smaller viewfinder (still bigger than some competitors’), the D300’s features nearly match those of the D3. They include a weather-resistant magnesium-alloy body; a super-sharp, three-inch LCD with 920,000-dot resolution; 14-bit RAW capture; wireless Live View remote shooting; and the ability to autofocus in Live View mode using either contrast detection (mirror up) or the optical AF system (mirror down). The new MB-D10 battery grip boosts the D300’s swift 6fps to a smoking 8fps, just one frame slower than the D3 at full-resolution capture. Compared with its big brother, the D300 even has a few advantages, including a self-cleaning sensor, one-third less weight — and, of course, considerably reduced sticker shock.

At a Glance: Nikon D300

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The ‘baby’ of the Canon EOS family inherits great genes from its larger, costlier siblings, coming into the world with a low-noise CMOS sensor, large viewfinder and LCD screen, fast shooting speed, and dual-AF Live View. These traits give the Rebel XSi an unusual maturity for its class.

Entry-Level D-SLR of the Year: Canon EOS Digital Rebel XSi

Though this compact D-SLR looks like the 10.1-megapixel Digital Rebel XTi, its pint-sized predecessor, it shares technology with the more advanced EOS 40D and flagship Mark III series. For example, its 12.2-megapixel CMOS sensor incorporates bigger microlenses on top of its pixels to improve light gathering. Likewise, DIGIC III image processing helps the Canon EOS Digital Rebel XSi deliver the cleanest output of its peers (up to ISO 1600), accelerate data writing (up to 53 Large/Fine JPEGs or 6 RAW frames at a class-leading 3.5fps), and conserve energy (along with a new battery, which delivers 50 percent more shots than the XTi).

Another inherited trait is the XSi’s 14-bit analog-to-digital conversion, which smooths gradation, especially in RAW images. Highlight Tone Priority improves detail in bright areas; High ISO Noise Reduction and Long Exposure Noise Reduction clean things up on the low end of the scale. Plus Auto Lighting Optimizer combines global and local adjustments to enhance brightness and contrast, something many pricier Canon models don’t do. Likewise, Face-Detection technology automatically brightens backlit faces.

The first Digital Rebel to use SD memory cards, the XSi has the biggest viewfinder in its class, with 0.87X magnification, and covers an impressive 95 percent of the subject. The three-inch, 230,000-pixel LCD is the class leader, and the first in a Digital Rebel that can be used for Live View shooting — which lets you compose onscreen, judge exposure with a real-time histogram, and magnify live subject details up to 10X. The LCD doubles as a huge data screen that even focus-challenged photographers can read. The menu system is equally legible and more logical than many competitors’. The improved ergonomics of its polycarbonate and stainless-steel body make the camera a pleasure to handle.

At a Glance: Canon EOS Digital Rebel XSi

Other Top Entry-Level D-SLRs

Best Buy: Sony Alpha 350

The LCD screen on the Sony Alpha 350 may not be as big or sharp as the one on the heftier Alpha 700, but it’s actually more versatile. It doubles as a live electronic viewfinder that sees exactly what the optical viewfinder sees. It does this not with true Live View technology (which relays the image from the ‘taking’ sensor) but with a separate, dedicated sensor near the eyepiece. That’s a significant advantage, allowing fast, phase-detection AF (focus tracking included) when you’re composing on the LCD, without the cumbersome ‘mirror-flipping’ that slows other Live View models down.

Equally advantageous, the A350’s screen incorporates a bi-fold mechanism that lets you swing it up 90 degrees, for waist-level shooting, or down 45 degrees, for overhead shooting — highly useful techniques not possible with a fixed screen. Medium sized and comfortably shaped, the A350 incorporates Sony’s customary abundance of advanced features. These include in-body Super SteadyShot, which compensates for camera shake (and image blur) with any Sony lens; D-Range Optimizer, which noticeably extends the tonal range; nine-point Eye-Start AF; automatic sensor cleaning; a noise-reducing Bionz processor; a 730-shot battery; an ‘intelligent’ battery meter; and a super legible, self-orienting data display. But the feature that most distinguishes the new Alpha from its competitors is its 14.2-megapixel CCD image sensor. The A350 provides the highest resolution of any Sony digital SLR and produces more image detail than cameras costing hundreds or even thousands of dollars more. Yet at maximum file size, the A350 can still record an unlimited number of continuous JPEGs or up to six RAW frames, at up to 2.5fps.

At a Glance: Sony Alpha 350

Panasonic Lumix DMC-L10

Panasonic’s first D-SLR, the 7.5-megapixel Four Thirds-format Lumix DMC-L1, is a hefty, stylish instrument: Its Leica-inspired metal body is flat on top, has a separate shutter-speed dial, and encircles the lens with an old-fashioned aperture ring. All that is gone from the lighter, polycarbonate-clad Panasonic Lumix DMC-L10, which has a conventional prism hump; a comfortable, shaped handgrip; and new-age controls. And while the L1 was the first D-SLR with Live View, the new camera adds a second, more usable variant in which autofocus is performed with contrast detection by its 10.1-megapixel, Four Thirds-format imaging sensor. This second Live View mode’s AF is slightly slower but way more flexible, with four different sub-modes that allow you to control the size and position of up to 11 focus points.

The Lumix L10’s virtuosity is multiplied by its 2.5-inch variable-angle LCD, which swings out 180 degrees horizontally from the body and rotates 270 degrees. This means not only that you can compose from waist-level or overhead but also that you can face the screen forward for self-portraiture.

Another standout asset of the L10 is the zoom that comes with it. It’s not a typical low-budget ‘kit’ lens but a beautifully made Leica D-Vario Elmar 14-50mm (28-100mm equivalent) with superb image quality and built-in MEGA Optical Image Stabilization. Being in the lens, the latter’s smoothing effect is visible in the L10’s viewfinder. And while the finder is small, as in most Four Thirds models, a clever 1.2X magnifying eyepiece improves the view significantly.

At a Glance: Panasonic Lumix DMC-L10

Pentax K200D

Two years ago Pentax caused a sensation when they debuted the tough, savvy K10D, the first weather-sealed D-SLR priced under $1000. Now they’ve done it again — creating an even less expensive model with the same 10.2-megapixel sensor and very similar specs. Physically the new Pentax K200D is slightly smaller than the K10D, but its fiber-reinforced polycarbonate shell and stainless-steel chassis are just as rugged, with 60 environmental seals offering pro-caliber protection against rain and dust.

The K200D also shares the K10D’s sensor-vibrating Dust Reduction system, but it adds something called Dust Alert. This feature creates a map of any remaining dust on the image sensor, displaying it on the camera’s 2.7-inch LCD — bigger, by the way, than the K10D’s — to help with manual cleaning.

The K200D also incorporates Pentax’s own Image Stabilization system, which shifts the sensor to offset camera shake. That means you can get sharp shots at shutter speeds up to four stops slower than you’d ordinarily need, with any Pentax lens — even decades-old manual-focus optics. And manual focus is aided by the K200D’s sharp, bright viewfinder, one of the biggest in its class, with 0.85X magnification and 96 percent coverage. The K200D also retains the K10D’s SAFOX III AF system, which has 11 focus points — impressively, all cross-type. But it moves the AF area selector and a few other formerly external controls to its well-organized menu system.

All that said, the new model’s imaging abilities are remarkable too. There’s instant RAW capture via a dedicated button; an Expanded Dynamic Range setting that significantly improves highlight detail; and in-camera, post-exposure JPEG filter effects and RAW-to-JPEG conversion. Perhaps most impressive, you can preview, in real time on the LCD screen, the effect of changing settings — before you take the shot.

At a Glance: Pentax K200D

Best Buy: Olympus EVOLT E-420

A big professional D-SLR can be overkill for everyday shooting. Given a choice, we might take the delightfully portable Olympus EVOLT E-420 instead. It weighs just 15 ounces — three less than its closest competitor — and measures only 5.1×3.6×2.1 inches. It squeezes into a coat pocket even with the 14-42mm (28-84mm equivalent) kit lens attached. And it’s slimmer still with the minuscule new Zuiko 25mm f/2.8 (50mm equivalent), which has a depth of less than an inch. Despite its size and bargain price, the 10.1-megapixel EVOLT E-420 delivers dynamic range, ISO range, clarity, and color fidelity approaching that of the top-of-the-line Olympus E-3 (see page 39). It owes these assets to better white-balance calculation, new noise-reducing amplifiers, and a TruPic III image processor. The latter also allows 3.5fps shooting, matching Canon’s Digital Rebel XSi. Also like the E-3, the E-420 can be set to selectively boost shadows.

The E-420 gets a bigger, more contrasty LCD screen with a wider viewing angle, all assets for Live View shooting. And Live View is available with three focusing modes: three-point, mirror-flip phase shift, like the E-410’s; contrast detection similar to the Panasonic L10’s (with up to 11 focus points); and a hybrid mode combining the two, for extra precision. Onscreen, Perfect Shot Preview shows you multiple thumbnails of the Live View image with various effects and adjustments applied so you can choose the one you want before you shoot. While the E-420 lacks the built-in image stabilization of its costlier siblings, it does have supersonic sensor cleaning and pro-grade wireless multi-flash, for managing up to three strobe groups on its LCD control panel and triggering them with its pop-up flash.

At a Glance: Olympus EVOLT E-420

The post Editor’s Choice 2008: Entry-Level D-SLRs appeared first on Popular Photography.

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