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Sony DSC-R1

With sub-$1,000 SLR kits available from several players, the once thriving bridge-market has been searching to maintain competitiveness. Fixed-lens bridge cameras offer a single convenient package and avoid the problems with sensor dust that plague interchangeable-lens cameras. The trade-offs have included smaller, less advanced, sensors which means less depth-of-field and often worse noise and dynamic range.

Sony's new bridge camera, the Cyber-shot DSC-R1, is the first non-interchangeable lens camera that has a larger, APS-C sensor. The 10MP sensor is 21.5x14.4mm, making it just smaller than the sensor in Canon's EF-S compatible cameras, and moderately bigger than those in Olympus' Four-Thirds line-up. The camera has an excellent 24-120mm (equivalent; f2.8-f4.8) lens and a useful live-view magnification during manual focusing feature. If you would otherwise buy a EOS 350D and stick with the kit lens, the DSC-R1 will give you better pictures, with more convenience, in the same price range.