Lightroom 2.6 and Camera Raw 5.6 Now Available Best Cameras of 2009? What Do You Think?

Best Digital Cameras of 2009

14 comments

Posted by Patrick on Dec 21, 2009 in Cameras, Featured Content

Interested in cameras, photographers, and tutorials? Then consider subscribing to our RSS feed to stay up to date on the latest in photography related news at Neutralday.com

A number of great cameras were released to hungry photographers this year, but in my book, a handful managed to separate themselves from the rest of the herd. Now, the cameras listed below aren’t necessarily my personal favorites, I’m afraid my own tastes can veer off the beaten path just a little bit, but in general the cameras below represent the best of what’s available in their respective class and/or seemed to have done so many things right, that you can’t help but to notice them. With that, here’s my contenders for the best cameras of the year.

I can’t find much fault in the S90, it takes great pictures (for a compact), is compact in size, and is very enthusiast friendly with RAW+JPEG shooting, a fast wide angle lens at f/2, and full manual controls. On the downside, the S90 is a bit “slippery” and unfortunately is burdened with an unsatisfying dial on the backside of the camera. Other than that the S90 manages to do exactly what I expect Canon intended it to do, steal some thunder from the Panasonic Lumix DMC-LX3.

Canon Powershot S90 at B&H Photo

Canon EOS 7D

Another camera where Canon takes aim at a competitor, the EOS 7D seems intent to outgun Nikon’s D300s, and for the most part, it succeeds. It features a rugged weather-sealed camera body with excellent handling characteristics, a blistering continuous shooting speed of 8 fps, and the most robust HD video recording options currently available in a DSLR camera. The Nikon D300s does still provide that excellent 51 point AF system, but we had no problems covering a number of different shooting situations with the the 7D’s 19 point AF system. ISO performance is bit better than the D300s to my eye, and overall image quality is as good or better than any other camera that doesn’t have a full frame sensor inside.

Canon EOS 7D at B&H Photo

Panasonic DMC-GF1

I give huge credit to Olympus for pioneering a camera type that many photographers have been waiting for, a compact camera body with interchangeable lenses and a DSLR sized sensor inside. The Olympus E-P1 was and is a very cool camera, that gets a number of things right, is fun to use, and looks incredible. Still, it’s the Panasonic GF1 that has the edge here, it just seems to clean up the E-P1’s loose ends, especially when it comes to focusing performance. It doesn’t have the E-P1’s built-in image stabilization, but paired with the Panasonic 20mm f/1.7, the GF1 seems like the perfect “DMD”. (DMD as described by the TheOnlinePhotographer, “decisive moment digital”)

Panasonic Lumix DMC-GF1 B&H Photo

Nikon D3x

This $8000 IQ monster is the professional’s choice for top of the line image quality in a DSLR camera. 24.5 megapixels, 5 fps continuous shooting, and Nikon’s proven 51 point AF system, all add up to a camera that easily rises to the level of “Flagship”.