If you're still agonizing over which mid-range DSLR to purchase, perhaps ePHOTOzine's 2009 DSLR Group Review Report might help.
The article compares 5 DSLR bodies: Canon EOS 50D vs Nikon D300 vs Olympus E-30 vs Pentax K-7 vs Sony A700.
The A700 emerged as the overall winner, with the following verdict:
The Sony Alpha A700 wins because of the specification being so similar to the other models, it gives good noise performance, has great color rendition and a good dynamic range that seems to work even when dynamic range compensation is switched off.
A useful summary of pros and cons of each camera is given at the end of the review.
Paul Graber posted excerpts from the K-7 review (which was written by Angela Nicholson):
… she likes the camera quite a lot, finding it "extremely comfortable to hold and use". She likes IQ and detail resolution, and unique-to-Pentax features such as built-in level adjustment. Live View now fully rounded and of genuine use. During review process, she adds latest firmware and notes improvements. But she finds a few niggling problems:-
* AF improved, but still behind Nikon and Canon
* Viewfinder not that comfortable to use and a bit gloomy
* Menu system less flexible than competitors
Also, the Canon 50D and Nikon D300 / D300S might be preferred by sports photographers for the Autofocus speed, but "… landscape, still-life and macro photographers could well prefer K-7."
Canon 50D vs Nikon D90: In-camera CA Reduction – Andy Westlake, in response to a question on the excessive CA in this Canon 50D photo, and about the comparisons between the sample photos posted from both cameras:
Canons don't have in-camera CA correction, this is only available when shooting RAW and processing in DPP (and then only for profiled Canon lenses). The 50D does however have vignetting correction built in.
This in fact is one area where Nikon are well ahead; the D90 has auto CA correction on all lenses, vignetting correction, and even adds distortion correction (profiled for known Nikon lenses) in the retouch menu.
Auto CA correction has a significant impact, as it also improves overall IQ towards the corners substantially, and is probably one of the main reasons the D90's JPEGs look so good.
