Budget DSLR Group test - Your Thoughts!

I will be writing ePHOTOzine's first group SLR test on Digitial SLR's under £500 and instead of me blundering through with what I think you want to hear, I want to know what you want me to test on the cameras. For example:
What was/is most important thing when looking for a Digital SLR?
Features? Speed? Build? Name? Lens quality? Resolution?
That kind of thing.
Let me know and I'll try my best to include as many as I can in the test. Unless the thread goes over a few pages!
Cheers
Matt
What was/is most important thing when looking for a Digital SLR?
Features? Speed? Build? Name? Lens quality? Resolution?
That kind of thing.
Let me know and I'll try my best to include as many as I can in the test. Unless the thread goes over a few pages!
Cheers

Matt
Join ePHOTOzine for free and remove these adverts.

Image quality
Build quality
Ease of use
Availability of accessories
Prior to buying my first DSLR recently, I read dozens of magazines and their reviews, especially on the Canon 400, Sony Alpha 100 and Nikon D80, the reviews were confusing as there was no clear winner. The only consistency I noticed was that there seemed to be a bias towards Canon. Many magazines gave Canon higher marks for build quality than the Nikon and having handles all three the Nikon is easily better made than the other two.
I bought the Sony as I have Minolta lenses that I can use but would have bought the Nikon D80.
Build quality
Ease of use
Availability of accessories
Prior to buying my first DSLR recently, I read dozens of magazines and their reviews, especially on the Canon 400, Sony Alpha 100 and Nikon D80, the reviews were confusing as there was no clear winner. The only consistency I noticed was that there seemed to be a bias towards Canon. Many magazines gave Canon higher marks for build quality than the Nikon and having handles all three the Nikon is easily better made than the other two.
I bought the Sony as I have Minolta lenses that I can use but would have bought the Nikon D80.

I would like to see them reviewed for their suitability for use in the real world.
For example, tripod mounted long exposure low ISO landscape.
A bit of sport photography, overcast day, high ish ISO, a bit of a test of AF performance, metering accuracy as you swept around etc.
Some wildlife photography,
In a portrait session.
For example, tripod mounted long exposure low ISO landscape.
A bit of sport photography, overcast day, high ish ISO, a bit of a test of AF performance, metering accuracy as you swept around etc.
Some wildlife photography,
In a portrait session.

Maybe you could include a feedback review from people who have owned the cameras - I.E. it could be helpful to list the percentage of each camera make that went wrong within 1 year or something.
heres the first one... Canon 1ds mkII ... within 1 year - shutter developed problem, within 1.5 yrs - shutter failed ... compared to my 20D which I've used about 4 times as much is still fine !!
... so much for high end build quality!!
heres the first one... Canon 1ds mkII ... within 1 year - shutter developed problem, within 1.5 yrs - shutter failed ... compared to my 20D which I've used about 4 times as much is still fine !!
... so much for high end build quality!!

Difficult to do Pete because as you work with your camera you adjust how you work with it to do things.
Real world quality data would be handy as suggested in the post above. My nieces husband went through 5 D50's to get one that worked for example. Is that a fluke or representative though? And do those who experience problems speak up while those who are happy just go out and take photo's ?
Real world quality data would be handy as suggested in the post above. My nieces husband went through 5 D50's to get one that worked for example. Is that a fluke or representative though? And do those who experience problems speak up while those who are happy just go out and take photo's ?