Occasionally I’m a little slow embracing new technology. Sure, I got one of the first DVRs on the market, but it wasn’t until a few months ago that I finally got around to purchasing my first digital camera.
It was a rather intimidating experience. Do I want to sacrifice quality for size? Or do I want to lug around a much larger camera that takes much better photographs? And then there was the learning curve. I never learned all the tricks on my old camera and now I had to learn a whole new set of them for a digital camera.
Fortunately, there are a number of great resources out there that not only help new buyers choose the best camera, but also offer tips on how to operate them.
One site I spent quite a bit of time on is DPReview.com. They have a review for nearly every digital camera on the market and the ability to create a spread sheet comparing different features. Once I had decided on a couple of “must-haves” I simply lined up the cameras which had what I was looking for and compared their features side-by-side to help narrow down my choices.
Also helpful was Backpacker Magazine’s online Digital Photography Guide. Their “Choosing the Right Digital Camera” section helps you do just that, while their “Learning to use your Digital Camera” category teaches you how to operate your new purchase. This section is further broken down into Digital 101, Digital 201 and for the more advanced, Digital 301.
While there a boatload of digital camera resources out there, I found both of these sites to be non-biased and very helpful. If you’re thinking of buying a new camera, this is the place to start.