Consumer Reports is a highly respected consumer focused company that looks out for the everyday shopper. They are well respected, and renowned for their unbiased reviews and objectivity when it comes to finding the pros and cons of any products they review. Digital cameras is just one such product they report on every year.
With so many digital cameras for the modern shopper to choose from, it's understandable that it can be difficult to know, that your getting good value for your money. Reliable and unbiased reviews can be hard to find, which is why many shoppers turn to companies like Consumer Reports.
Their most recent rankings favored several popular cameras, such as the Sony Cyber-shot DSC-W200, Olympus Evolt E-410, and the Canon PowerShot A720 IS. These cameras run the gamut from simple point and shoots to DSLR (digital single lens reflex) cameras. They not only rank the cameras, but give the reader, an explanation of the many camera features. This specifically is a big help, in educating consumers to help them decide what camera is right for them. That answer itself, is often as difficult to sort out as which is the best camara.
The very thorough battery of tests reveal some common traits about certain types of cameras. Types of cameras being sub compact cameras, automatic point and shoot cameras, and digital slr cameras. Automatic point and shoots tend to produce grainier images, and tend to struggle in low lighting conditions. This is usually due to cheaper lens quality. A problem overcome by many SLRs, even the lower priced beginner DSLRs. SLRs have interchangeable lens, and can be more expensive, but come with extra flexibility for the aspiring photographer.
Another common issue found with the compact and sub-compact models, is slow shutter speed, and lag time before allowing users to take subsequent pictures. They are getting better though. Once again, the SLRs as expected perform better in the area of speed, and low lag times. A common criticism of the SLRs in the past, has been their lack of automatic functions, difficult learning curve, no video function, and an inability to use the LCD screen to frame your photos. This is changing, and several models of SLR have learned from their point and shoot siblings, and offer most of these features. One of the more popular, would be the Canon Rebel Xsi.
