Camera shopping tips

Thinking about buying a new DSLR camera? Here are a few tips for selecting a camera you will be able to use and enjoy for years to come.

1. The best thing to do when looking for a new camera is to know what you want to shoot, then look for the camera that is going to do what you want, whether it’s travel, sports, or family events.
2. Check out some online review sites and forums such as http://www.dpreview.com, http://www.whatdigitalcamera.com and http://www.steves-digicams.com. Make a list of the cameras (and lenses) you are interested in and the features that are most important to you.
3. Get your hands on it. Be sure to try the buttons and work through the menus. Are the controls in logical places and easy to access? Make sure you like how the camera feels and handles. 
4. Take a memory card with you and ask if you can take some shots in the store. You can review these images later on your computer at home. Be sure to take some normal and low-light images to see how the sensor handles noise at different ISO settings. 
5. Before getting your new camera body you need to know what lenses are available for the camera. If you already have lenses you’ll want to make sure they will work with the new camera body. Having to buy all new lenses can be expensive.

Point and Shoot
If you love the small size and ease of a point and shoot camera but are still looking for the perfect one to fit in your pocket, here are three models we like. Each of these is available for about 600 CHF:

• Canon PowerShot G10
• Panasonic DMC-LX3 
• Nikon Coolpix P6000