Digital camera reviews proliferate not just online but also in daily newspapers

Digital camera reviews proliferate not just online but also in daily newspapers, magazines, and television. You've probably noticed that most of these reviews have nothing but praise for the particular camera they "happen" to be reviewed, and that's why it's easy to get confused about which camera to buy for yourself or as a gift.

One thing you should remember when searching for digital camera reviews: be wary of press releases or reviews that are directly sponsored by the manufacturer or written by its advertising arm. But why not trust these reviews? Doesn't the manufacturer know their own product best? Yes, they do, and there's the rub. These reviews mainly offer just good points about their products and leave out the flaws. Not too surprising, right?

If a manufacturer sells its own line of digital cameras, they obviously want to boost their sales. So they naturally release favorable reviews about the products. Of course, you wouldn't expect them to highlight the shortcomings or technical glitches of their products in a review, because that would not be favorable for sales. So press releases or digital camera reviews from a manufacturer are almost always self-serving half-truths.

You may have had similar experiences with these types of reviews yourself. It's not limited to just photography equipment. Remember that slicer-dicer thingy that you bought over the internet that said it would make it stupid simple to prepare professional-quality gourmet meals but ended up making a big mess on the kitchen floor instead? So remember that these "reviews" are usually thinly veiled press releases, meaning that they are aimed to get people to buy the product or to give the product a better image.

Another product endorsement arena that you can never fully trust is the home shopping networks and related advertisements. Similar to press releases, they likewise sing the praises about their product lines. Much of the information can be useful, but it's what they don't tell you that leaves you at a disadvantage.

If, in spite of what you now know about these "reviews", you still choose to base your purchase decision on their claims, and get the product based on their favorable comments, be prepared for the possibility of having to return it after finding out for yourself that it doesn't work as advertised. When you factor in the time and effort that you've wasted, choosing to listen to a slanted digital camera review, and buying the product based on the review without further research on your part, it turns out not being as great a shortcut as you may have originally thought.

The best digital camera reviews are usually those found in specialty magazines (online and in technical magazines), such as Consumer Reports© or Popular Photography©, for example, special websites catering to geeks and shutterbugs, and unaffiliated digital camera review sites. Why? Because these reviews are less likely to be biased since the main goal is not to generate a quick sale. Most of these independent reviewers and critics are not afraid to list the good as well as the bad points of a particular digital camera, assuming they do not have a financial incentive to write a favorable review.