ARE you in the market for a digital single-lens reflex camera, also known as a DSLR? If so, then according to reviews done by the market research department at Canon you are not on your own - 43% of potential digital customers are thinking of an SLR. So what's keeping the credit card in the wallet?

Several things - price, weight and complexity. Well, price is no longer a valid reason for avoiding an SLR. There are many cheap DSLR models available. DSLR Camera reviews shows that entry-level SLRs are about the same price as the better-quality compacts. As well, weight has come right down, with Canon and Olympus boasting about their feather-light models, the Canon 1000D and the Olympus E-420.

Olympus says its potential customers want an SLR that works just like the compact they are accustomed to using. That means that it will have "live view" in which the LCD is the viewfinder and an all-in-one, wide-angle to extreme telephoto lens. These putative buyers can't be fussed with a bag full of lenses when they found that one 10X zoom on their compact was good enough.

More on Digital SLRs from SMH.com