A camera review can save you money and aggravation
The digital camera market is constantly flooded with new products in all shapes and colors, and for all budgets. How will you know what to buy? How do you know that camera features actually work as promised?
A camera review is your answer. It will give you an objective and comprehensive perspective that will support you in your camera purchase.
Looking for a new camera? A camera review will help you make the right choice
Before you buy something, wouldn’t you like to know what you’re really buying? There is always a difference between what the salesperson tells you about a product (how great it is, how it will solve all our problems), and what the product actually does. It’s not any different with cameras - new products with new features come out every week. There are so many brands, so many options, and so many features (that don’t always work as promised).
A camera review is a necessary tool that you can use before you make your purchase. You will get an unbiased explanation on the camera’s abilities, characteristics, features, and how well those actually work. A camera review usually gives the camera a mark or a grade and will compare it to other cameras in the same category. You can also learn about the market prices of the camera and see what other options you have within that price range.
What to look for in a camera review
Every person is looking for a different feature or quality in a new camera. Some may be looking for a high-quality light sensor, while others may be looking for quality lenses. Other shoppers might be looking for a cheap and reliable camera to take anywhere. A good camera review should include all the variables that interest someone who might own the camera. You will always be able to find information about picture quality, design, ease of use, etc. When you read through a camera review, look for what matters most to you – you can ignore a feature that you don’t care about as long as what you’re interested in is available and recommended.
One of the most important things to look for when reading a camera review is the new features. Why? Because brand new cameras often have features that are not available in other models, which make them more expensive. The review will examine whether the new feature works as advertised, and whether it is worth the extra money. If it’s not, you should not pay extra for something that doesn’t work well and that you don’t need. Remember: don’t believe all the claims made by camera makers. A camera review is the best tool to give you the confidence to buy the right camera for you.
Do-it-yourself camera review
Reading a camera review without know the subject matter will not get you anywhere. Words such as ‘Megapixels’ won’t make any sense unless you educate yourself and learn the common terms and concepts. We highly recommend reading some of our other articles:
Digital Cameras
Camera buying guide: which camera is best for a pro and for a novice. How do you choose from all the selection out there?
Camera Bags
Choosing a camera bag sounds trivial, but it will end up having lots of influence on your mood and your back when you’re carrying it. Read on some bag choosing tips.
Tripods
How do you choose a tripod? What are your options? What is better – carbon fiber or aluminum? Three legs or five?
Camera filters
What are the common camera filter types? How do filters impact photographs and which one should you buy?
Lenses
Trying to choose a camera lens? What is the difference between a lens made by the camera manufacturer and a lens made by a lens brand? How do you protect your lenses and, finally, which lenses do we recommend?
Camera flash
Read this article to learn how to choose an external flash and how to use it to improve your photos.
Aperture
The aperture determines how much light enters the camera and influences brightness, and the sharpness of objects in your photos. Controlling the aperture is a must for any aspiring photographer.
Shutter speed
How does shutter speed influence the final photograph? What’s the interaction between shutter speed and aperture? How do you shoot motion? What are common shutter speeds?
F-stops
A thorough explanation of f-stops: what are common f-stop values and how a difference in one ‘stop’ will influence your photo?
Focus
How do you determine which object will be in focus? Using auto-focus and manual focus, and the artistic possibilities of playing with focus.
ISO
Changing the ISO will change the light sensitivity, but will also change the graininess of the photo. Read this article if you often shoot at low lighting, or if your photos come out grainy often.
Here’s how to find camera reviews
You can find a camera review in the technology or gadget section of your daily paper, or in magazines dedicated to cameras and gadgets. Another good place to look for a review is digital photography sites, photographers’ forums, or blogs written by photographers and gadget experts.
Notice that a review of a professional-grade camera will be very different from a review of a compact camera. You will find reviews of professional cameras in professional photography sites, while reviews of simpler cameras are usually in newspapers and general-interest magazines.
Make sure the camera review is written by an independent person. Sometimes the camera companies will write a subjective article about their own product and post it as a review.
If you’ve narrowed it down to a specific model, look for reviews from around the world and from different sources.