For truly professional-looking photography, you need an interchangeable lens camera, most commonly a digital SLR (DSLR). And, while digital compact camera ownership is static in the UK – and in decline elsewhere – sales of DSLRs continue to rise. They’re physically bulkier, yes, but they offer more features for your money than ever – and you can pick them up at increasingly competitive prices too.

For example, five or six years a ago a DSLR body and lens combination would set you back the best part of £1,000; now a comparable setup won’t cost much more than £300, with a bit of shopping around.

Dealers’ online sites, and, of course, eBay, often feature great deals on recently replaced models for those looking to get a bit more bang for their buck. Just because a new model is out doesn’t mean its predecessor isn’t worth considering, as slightly faster operation and a boost to resolution are often the only improvements to a model.

That said, the six DSLRs we’ve chosen here – all available at around £500 or under with standard zoom lens – are current models at the time of writing. To ensure a level playing field, we’ve collected together our examples based on the latest recommended prices as stated by the manufacturer.

This means that with a bit of research, in the vast majority of cases you’ll be able to find them cheaper still – there are still great deals to be had, even on new stock. Bear in mind, too, that DSLRs tend to hold their value, replaced on average once a year or less, compared to every six months for a pocket digital camera.

With all this in mind, what are the features and functionality you should be looking for in a DSLR? Build quality aside, how about Live View, where the LCD screen can be used to both compose and review shots; in-body or lens-only image stabilisation to help avoid blurry shots; dust reduction or prevention to prevent spots on the sensor showing up in images; and, if you’re lucky, HD video recording alongside stills.

It’s worth remembering that when buying a DSLR you’re not just buying a camera – you’re locking into your chosen manufacturer’s system, each offering varying amounts of swappable lenses, accessories and support. So let’s see what each has to offer...

Buying Advice

So which of the selected six cameras should you buy? As usual, it’s not a clear-cut decision, as none of the DSLRs here displays any serious failings. Does a budget price always mean value for money, or can simply going for the cheapest option prove a false economy? In short, no and yes, as we’ll explore in turn when examining each candidate.

Canon’s EOS 1000D is a solid, competent option, but taken at face value it’s not particularly cheap or a great deal given its feature set. It’s as if they’re saying, “You want a Canon? Here’s what you’re going to have to pay”, knowing that traditionally it’s the leading brand. The lowest price we could find from a major retailer at the start of the year was £380 for body and lens featured here – a saving of £180 on the manufacturer’s suggested price.

For those who don’t have that much to spend, the Sony Alpha 230 has to be one of – if not the – most affordable new DSLR and lens options around. Though the official Sony Style retail site was quoting £460 for the combination, when we checked, the largest online retailer had it advertised for £349 at the time of writing.

For that price, we’d suggest you can’t go far wrong, if just £30 separates it and the best Canon price we found.

Also something of a bargain from high-street electronics shops is the sturdier Olympus E-600 with 14-42mm zoom for £399.99, down £150 on the original asking price last year. The fold-out and swivel LCD gives it another edge, as does built-in image stabilisation and smaller than average overall form factor.

Given that, in present company the E-600 is worthy of runner-up status, pipping the less well-featured but reliable Nikon D3000 – for which our cheapest high street price was £370 – to the post in terms of value. If the E-600 hadn’t been included here, Panasonic’s G1 would have been another camera highly recommended, selling for as little as £430 as we write, again down £150 on the manufacturer’s original price.

However, thanks to it cramming in all the latest must-have features – including 14-megapixel still resolution and HD movie recording – for its price the K-x from Pentax is a clear winner. Perhaps this is why we could only find a high street price as low as £510, suggesting the new model is pretty much holding its value.