Camera Labs Buyer's Guide:
The best semi-pro digital SLRs

If you’re shopping for a semi-pro DSLR, you’ve come to the right place! At Camera Labs we provide in-depth reviews but understand you’re busy people who sometimes just want recommendations of the most outstanding products.

So here we cut to the chase and list the best models around right now. We’ve fully tested each one and there’s links to our reviews for more details – and to see an actual demonstration of their highlights, be sure to check out our video tours.

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Nikon’s D300 looks almost identical to the D200, and shares the same superb build quality, but under the hood are a raft of improvements. These include 12.3 Megapixels, 6fps shooting, a 51-point AF system, 3in screen with VGA resolution, Live View, a viewfinder with 100% coverage, and an HDMI port. There's additionally AF micro-adjust and in-camera correction of chromatic aberrations. The D300 may be a year older than the Canon EOS 50D, but remains a very tough rival and one of the most feature-packed DSLRs in this category. If you're after a step-up in handling and features - albeit with similar image quality - over the D90, this is an ideal choice. Do compare closely with the Canon EOS 50D though.

Pros: Superb build. Quick handling. VGA screen. HDMI.
Cons: No self-timer or histogram in Live View.
Overall: A superb DSLR, but compare closely with Canon 50D.

The D700 boasts many of the flagship D3's features, but squeezes them into a smaller and lighter D300-sized body. So the D700 sports the D3's 12.1 Megapixel full-frame sensor, 3in VGA monitor, 51 point AF system and Live View, but additionally features a popup flash and anti-dust features. The viewfinder may not deliver 100% coverage, but as a full-frame model it's still large, and continuous shooting remains a respectable 5fps - even with 14-bit RAW files. There's also AF micro-adjust and in-camera correction of vignetting and chromatic aberrations. The D700 faces tough rivals in Canon's EOS 5D Mark II and Sony's Alpha A900, but handles admirably while delivering great quality output. It's also steadily becoming the most affordable of the new full-frame models.

Pros: Superb build. Quick handling. Full-frame. VGA screen. HDMI.
Cons: 'Only' 12.1 Megapixels. No histogram in Live View.
Overall: A superb DSLR, but compare closely with its full-frame rivals.

The Canon EOS 5D was the first 'affordable' DSLR with a full-frame sensor, allowing lenses to perform exactly as they would on a 35mm film body - so fit a 24mm lens and you really get 24mm coverage. The larger surface area of a full-frame sensor also allows the 5D to deliver low noise results at high sensitivities. The 5D is however three years old now, and looks dated on modern features: it only has 3fps, a 2.5in QVGA screen, no Live View, no AF micro-adjust or in-camera corrections and a maximum sensitivity of a 'mere' 3200 ISO. The resolution is also now 'only' 12.8 Megapixels. Models like the new 5D Mark II are much better-featured, but the original 5D can still capture wonderful images and is here for potential bargains as the new models slug it out.

Pros: Cheapest full-frame body; low noise.
Cons: Dated feature-set compared to latest models.
Overall: Find a good price on the 5D and you'll have a bargain.