Like most people I know, I simply don’t have the bankroll it would take to honestly try out, in actual day-to-day use, even a fraction of the camera bodies and lenses out there on the market right now. So, like many, I turn to the vast (if dubious) expanse of the internet for data to make my digital camera comparisons off of. What, actually, should I think about those new EOS Rebel cameras? Should I buy Sony Alpha cameras, or would one of the Panasonic digital cameras suit my personal needs better? All these questions and far, far, FAR more than you want to sanely imagine (until you’ve seen a five page debate about whether or not modern cameras are worth buying without a flash sync of 1/300 or not you haven’t really seen the horrifying depth of humanity) can be found on the internet.

But, as with so many things, no one source of information is enough and no one can tell you the whole picture, so it’s worth your time to check several sources and read between the different lines of bias. So, because an informed customer is one more likely to close a sale with us, allow me to present some of the sites I use personally to keep abreast of the market.

Imaging Resource: Imaging Resource is, whenever they have a review, the source I put the most faith in. They’re very thorough about the totality of a camera and system, and will often have very in-depth information explaining why many of the technical and design decisions on a camera have been chosen. Their studio tests are very complete and their final opinions not overly biased by single aspects like noise or such.

DPReview: Probably the biggest camera review site out there. The forums are a wealth of hands-on information, but be warned that many users are not fully versed in cameras themselves and things declared a problem might just be a misunderstanding of technology. DPReview itself is very meticulous, but very tech oriented. Their biggest concerns with most cameras tend to be noise, resolution, and dynamic range.

DCResource: This site is my favorite for overviews and quick spec comparisons. The imaging tests are very simple and mostly just for examples than for intense decision-making, but the reviews are very good at exploring aspects of the camera like day-to-day problems and strengths, and is rare in evaluating the bundled software that comes with the cameras.