Have you noticed how product comparison sites are popping up all across the web? Consumers are finally getting savvy about their online purchases. Before they buy a digital camera, they will slice and dice the opinions of others, and then compare the final camera models, side by side, before purchasing.
As a digital camera buying process, this makes perfect sense. Take me, for example, in my consumer mode. The first thing I am going to do before buying a new digital camera, is see which ones are both popular right now, and highly rated. In fact, looking at the models rated highly by other people like myself (and not site editors) is the first step to finding a winning model.
You'll never see a professional camera reviewer give a model only 1 star out of 5 because the factory model he was sent didn't work. Those guys simply ask for a replacement model if it happens. But when you study real customer reviews you'll see all the warts and wrinkles they encountered. The bottom line? If a camera model has received at least 20 customer reviews and hasn't managed to command an average of at least 4 out of 5 stars then you need to look for another model.
So I start with the 4+ star models. So should you. Then I exclude those that I know don't include some of the must-have features I have come up with after having performed copious research on the subject of digital cameras. If I am buying a simple point-and-shoot model, for instance, the camera must at least have face detection technology (which will greatly increase the chances of capturing top notch family photos), and it must have image stabilization built into the lens (so that images remain crisp, even if I shoot with an unsteady hand because I have sipped too much egg nog that day).
Then there are the personal biases. I am sure you have them too. For me, if I am considering a digital SLR model, it will be from the Nikon family. I have always loved the rugged and stylish Nikon bodies. Their Nikkor lenses have always been engineering marvels too. The fact that you can take a Nikkor lens designed 50 years ago and mount it to the body of a modern day digital camera without a problem says a lot about the quality of the company.
Then I bring all the models I might be interested onto the one page and consider them as a group, before making my final selection. Mind you, this all takes a while. To shorten the buying cycle for you, I have put together a page of my Top Rated Point and Shoot Digital Camera Recommendations, as well as a page on my recommendations for the Best Digital SLRs.
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