We believe you must already be a photo enthusiast if you have come to this site. If you are looking to get a new camera for yourself, the choices are many, as you can see from our own review sections. The best method to select the right model for you is the filtering system, where you filter out what you DONT want first...

Brand names – i think it is fair enough to say that Canon and Nikon rule the roost as far as brand names go. However, it is also true that many other camera makers such as Pentax and Fuji make great cameras. Nikon and Canon have become the choice of the professional because of the quality that they give no doubt, but also because of years of marketing and feedback. Also, these two camera systems do provide extremely versatile options such as add-on lenses, wide and tele lenses, converters, flashes and such. If you are a photographer who already owns a few Nikon lenses, you obviously wouldn’t want to buy any other camera body. By the way, Nikon lenses are compatible throughout their system, meaning the oldest lenses would fit the latest camera body although the AF may not work. The bayonet mount has remained exactly the same through the Nikon years, and this is one of the reasons professionals stick to this brand.

When you are looking to purchase a new camera, you need to first decide on the genre – compact, semi pro or professional SLR. Most laymen would buy a compact simply because of the size, weight, ease of use and costs associated. Somebody who doesn’t mind paying a bit more for the manual controls could buy a semi-automatic camera that allows at least the shutter speed and aperture over rides. On such a semi-pro model, an external flash jack would be great, so you could experiment with off-camera flash systems to learn lighting set-ups. Sadly, most of the latest semi-pro models do not have this external hot shoe arrangement.  For someone who is extremely interested in the photo making process, and wants total control; nothing but an SLR would be satisfying. From the weight of the camera, the sound of the mirror falling and the general feel of a professional camera in your hands, to unmatched quality, an SLR would be extremely satisfying in this case.

When buying a camera, especially a digital, it is highly recommended that you do not get a second hand one, although some offers can be quite tempting. Digital equipment is highly sensitive, and you do not want to get into a situation where you burn your fingers with a camera that needs a small fortune to repair. However, if you have friends who are professional photographers and are willing to sell you their equipment, this could be a good idea since professionals usually take good care of their equipment.

Again, you need to ask yourself what you want out of a camera and get one that serves the purpose. No point buying an expensive and heavy SLR when all you want it to take automatic snapshots on picnics!