How can I find ratings of digital cameras that I am interested in buying?

Q) I want to buy a ultracompact digital camera. How do I find out the pros and cons of each camera in the category to make a good decision?

A) The best digital camera comparision site is imaging-resource. You can configure side by side comparisions of sample images and specs. There are a few other sites that have great reviews but they don't include comparision tools. They are dpreview.com, megapixel.net and steves-digicams.com. Also, CNet is less "expert" but often has good comparisions. Photo.net is good for seasoned photographers. I'll include all the links below. In my opinion, Canon is far and away the best ultracompact digital camera manufacturer. They are the only company that makes the lenses, sensors, and firmware themselves and it shows.

Ratings on SAMSUNG L73 Digital Camera?

Q) Which works best: USB cable or card reader.

A) usb cable, always.

where can i find ratings for digital cameras?

A) Go to Yahoo and type in "digital camera reviews" I have always had good luck finding user reviews that way. Also check out Consumer Products. They should have reviews.

Is comparing megapixel ratings on cameras like comparing apples to oranges?

Q) I have a friend using a digital camera that takes larger pictures with better resolution, but are half the file size than my new Sony 7.2 MP. The difference is extremely evident when reducing the size. What gives? I found out that my NEW Sony camera is only rated at 72 DPI. The other camera(s) I see are 180 DPI.

A) This will be the long answer.... It may come as a surprise, but you can sometimes get better photos from, say, a 6-megapixel imaging sensor than an 8-megapixel sensor. When does this happen? When the 6-megapixel sensor is physically larger than the 8-megapixel sensor. That's because a bigger sensor can gather more information about the scene in front of it. This is called the CCD, or Charge Coupled Device....it is what captures the image information. The more 'capture' points, the more clarity. The bigger the chip, the bigger each light-receiving section, or pixel, is, and the more data the sensor can save about what it "saw." That additional information makes for photos with better "dynamic range" — that is, more realistic highlights and more detailed shadows. This doesn't mean that you should give up on all other features in favor of larger sensor size. For one thing, most people won't notice a major difference in dynamic range with small size increases from one sensor to another — in fact, as with the larger megapixel counts, sensor size is mainly important to demanding hobbyist photographers, who will be making larger prints and shooting uncompressed photos. For another, lens quality and many other factors also affect your photos. But generally, understanding the role sensor size plays can sometimes help you understand price differences between different cameras, and decide if the extra cost is worth it to you. Additionally, the original file format is of major importance, along with your photo program. A ".TIFF" or ".BMP" file format will be much larger in size than the same picture in ".jpg" format. Also, ".jpg" is considered a 'lossy' file....this means that each time you save the file, there will be some loss of clarity due to the inherent compression technique. The best format for saving a picture is .PNG, it is not a 'lossy' format and it is usually much smaller than "TIFF" or "BMP". Whew!! Hope that helps.

Question on SAMSUNG L73 Digital camera?

Q) Has 7.2 Megapixels. NEED RATINGS on this camera plz.

A) go to yahoo search type the name of the camera followed by word review

Does anyone own a Kodak EasyShare Z710 7.1 MP digital camera with 10X optical zoom?

Q) I am contemplating buying one and have read good ratings. I don't need anything super fancy, but want more than a basic digital camera. Any thoughts?

A) It fills the bill

Please help me select a digital camera!?

Q) I work for a non profit agency and we are looking to buy a camera. I need something inexpensive (no more than $350). It has to be easy to use, so that any moron can figure it out. Most of the pictures will be taken in a low light setting and close-up. I know we want a minimum of 5.1 megaixels. The Nikon Coolpix L3 model was recommended by another office, but I read the Yahoo reviews and it didn't seem to get a lot of high ratings in low light situations. Any suggestions would be helpful! Thanks.

A) I like the Nikon L10 Coolpix L10 Features: * 5-megapixel effective CCD imager * Nikkor 3x optical zoom lens (37.5-112.5mm in 35mm equivalent) * Compact and lightweight body * Macro focus with AF as close as 5.9 inches * Exclusive Face Priority AF makes taking incredible portraits easy * 256-segment Matrix metering * Large 2.0-inch bright LCD color monitor * Automatic exposure and 16 pre-programmed Scene modes * 640x480 @ 30fps movie mode w/sound, length limited only by memory card capacity * Built-in flash with auto, fill, slow sync, and red-eye reduction * Nikon’s D-Lighting automatically brightens dark images in playback mode * In-Camera Red-Eye Fix™ automatically fixes most instances of red-eye in the camera * 7MB internal memory and SD/SDHC memory card slot * USB connectivity, PictBridge direct-print compliant * Runs on two standard AA batteries, Energizer lithium are included

What's the best product review website for digital cameras?

Q) Preferrably a site that will let me narrow results or sort by functionality, ratings, price, etc. I'm looking for a digital camera that will take still shots and video. I want something durrable but not real expensive, around $100-$200.

A) OMG do people ever READ or read reviews before answering these type of important electronic questions?! you can check out the review sites and all of them will show this camera winds hands down here ya go... the multi award winning camera of the year... the Canon SD1000 it has everything you want AND its only $166 bucks on the every so amazing newegg.com (an electronic nerds paradise) Its an absolutely outstanding camera... 106 people have reviewed it on there and ALL of them gave it 5 stars... 28 awards, camera of the year and 106 people can't be wrong. plus i own one. http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16830120148 Go buy it already... it even has free shipping which by the way if you've never ordered from newegg... you'll have it AT your house 2 days after you order it. They are amazing.

Which Digital Camera?

Q) I recently recieved a Kodak EasyShare M853. I was looking for a more High end camera. Now I'm looking at the Kodak EasyShare Z812IS. Over 100 dollars I'll have to pay after returning my camera. This new camera had great ratings Would it be worth it? If not, recommended another camera less than 300$ and must be at sears. I prefer quality over compactness. The links are too long. Type in the type of camera at sears.com to see the info. eventually i will get a helpful answer...

A) I would also take a look of Canon S5 IS.

How do YOU define image stabilization?

Q) The newest Consumer Reports has an article on digital cameras. The ratings chart indicated whether or not a camera has image stabilization. Aparently - based on the chart - they do not make any distinction between lens-based, sensor-based or sensitivity shift technology. I feel that this is misleading and will cause many "consumers" to buy cameras that utilize ISO shift for so-called "image stabilization" who will then be disappointed in their results. What do you think? Thanks, Tom Morey, you say, "Those who confuse marketing hype with truth are just suckers," and I totally agree. I am just disappointed that so many people will trust Consumer Reports on this issue without realizing that CR was among the suckers. I wrote a letter to them already asking them to publish an "update" on their report to clear up the issue. (pun intended) Mungee, the thing is they said nothing at all about the different types of "image stabilization" in the article. In fact, they chose one super-zoon as a recommended "quick pick" based partly on the "fact" that it has "IS," when (in fact) it is only ISO shift. Image the poor fool (sorry) who buys this camera with a 1/2.5" sensor zooms it out to 10X and uses another 3-4X digital zoom and ends up using ISO 1600 comes here and asks why his pictures are such poor quality, since he bought "one of the best" as recommended by a trusted consumer journal. Vance, I agree with everything you said. I guess it is true that for the average buyer, a higher shutter speed will mean a less blurry picture. I think CR could have explained the difference, though, as they sometimes get v-e-r-y picky on other subjects. Please don't report me for failing to ask a real question, but my point here was to initiate a discussion more than start a critical evaluation of various modes of image stabilization. Bob, you're treading on thin ice and you know it. (haha) I do offer CR in my office, but it is balanced by "Road and Track," "Country Woman," and now "Aperture." I wrote to them anyway, because I remember how horrible their car reviews used to be. They are not as out of touch as they used to be. Maybe we can drag them into the 21st century for cameras as well. Teef, they DID have a highlighted box warning that digital zoom was not such a great thing. I am hoping that they put a similar explanation about ISO shift vs. real IS in the next article on cameras. They seem to do about two a year now.

A) Its really a non problem. Lets just say that the economic term for this is asymmetry of information. If I want to buy a dish washer I will use CR as "one of the sources" of information not the the sole source as many people have made it out to be. But I really don't think I am the intended audience when it comes to cameras and photographic technology. I am clueless about dishwashers but I am well aware of several reputable websites (not published periodicals) that provide a more in-depth information about all products I might be interested in. So the information that CR publishes is really not intended for me, its intended for say...."dishwasher experts who don't have a clue about cameras or folks who are neither expert in either". So CR will talk about everything in the lowest common denominator and in the lowest common denominator where you shift ISO to gain the shutter speed required to get a "non blurry" pictures and thats fine. If someone thinks that since CR says ISO shift is good enough when compared to a Canon 4 stop IS which is the same thing as in-body IS from Sony then perhaps DSLR photography is not for them. We are talking about a product that costs more than a dishwasher (and is not dishwasher safe, though some think thats a good way to clean sensors ;-) _So if they don't want to do adequate research then its their problem. Till then I will continue looking for "the dishwasher forum" or better yet use Yahoo answer's. Edit 1: Response to SAM : They are trying to appeal to the lowest common denominator. Image shakes coz your shutter speed is too slow for the given FL. You can either write up a long spiel about how you use 1/focal length as the shutter speed if not you need to bump your ISO or make it idiot proof by bumping your ISO for you so that you get a shutter speed that does not give you shaky images (hence image stabilization). Like I said before, anyone who uses CR as the sole source of info really does not have the time or the inclination to delve into the nuances of DSLR or even SLR photography, just like I don't have the time or inclination to get into dishwasher tech and hence use CR info. You are being a purist in thinking that IS should be solely used for in-camera or body body based mechanical stabilization and not for software based ISO shift. That whole article is NOT meant for people like you. You know more than what CR wants to explain. Heck, I would say that Nikon/Canon in lens stabilization is better than in-camera since its focal length (and hence magnification) specific and hence continues to evolve (its now upto 4 stops). Since Yahoo answer does not support a forum like discussion format, all I am doing is elongating my OP.