When I am working my photo booth at markets, I am often approached by people who are interested in getting a new camera, and ask my advice. There are many websites that I a peruse to stay up to date, so I thought I would share a few with you here:
1) Snapsort.com is a great way to compare different models of cameras, and the site gives you the lowdown in plain english that most people can understand. Great site, very clean, and gives you the details that you need. It also gives recommendations. A website with an opinion!
2) DPReview.com is for the more serious user who wants all the nitty gritty: in-depth tests, complete feature lists, etc. It can be a bit overwhelming for the average user to go through the review, but it is a good site to peruse to see what is new and interesting.
3) Zite: this is a news aggregator app for iPad, not specific to photography, but it has a photography ‘channel’. Lots of really interesting stuff here.
4) B&H: if you want to get a sense of ‘market’ pricing for anything to do with photography, video, audio, etc., then this is (literally) a one-stop shop for you. If you are in New York, the actual store is a veritable playground for gadget-heads. Shipping to Canada involves some hefty taxes and duties, but as of this year, the B&H website calculates these for you. As a result, there are no scary surprises when your order arrives at the door. I strongly suggest that you surf to the B&H ‘In-depth’ section to get primers on everything related to photography.
5) eBay and Craigslist: these sites are great for getting a sense of market value (and availability) for the used market. There are risks associated with buying used anything, so make sure you are comfortable with these risks before you buy.
A few minutes on these sites will keep you up to date on the state of the camera market. Once you have settled on a few options, search the net for some sample images to check the quality. Lastly, head on down to the bricks-and-mortar to hold some cameras in your hands to see which is the best fit (Think ergonomics, weight, location of buttons, ease of menu navigation).
Happy shopping!
