For all the shutterbugs...

I just finished a course in perspective drawing, and I used my digital camera more in the past six weeks than I have all year. Since I completed most of my assignments on 18" x 24" paper and my scanner is only 9" x 12", I had to photograph my work, upload it to my computer, edit it in Photoshop and then turn it in. This usually involved a lot of cropping, desaturating, removing lens distortion, converting to grayscale, etc. There were times when my image needed to be sharpened, and even when I used the Unsharp Mask at the highest level possible, the image still didn't seem sharp enough for my taste. Therefore, I came to the conclusion that in the near future, I will need to upgrade my camera. Don't get me wrong - I love my Sony CyberShot. It's my second digital camera, and it takes great snapshots. However, it is an older model, and I will need to eventually step up my game in order to submit quality work online, especially if I decide to take a photography course. I have found that ShopWiki has a pretty comprehensive list of different types of cameras and links to online stores where you can purchase a camera: digital cameras, dSLR cameras, underwater cameras, and so on. They even have 35mm cameras. Like ShopWiki says, they're not dead yet. One of the things I like about the ShopWiki site is that there is a brief description of each camera type so that you have an idea of what is available. (There is even a list of cameras that are no longer manufactured.) In the list of camera brands, there is a link that you can click on to get a list of the different models, the stores where you can purchase the cameras and the price range. For example, if I decided to get another Sony CyberShot, I can read a description of each type and click on the type that interests me. Let's say I have a lot of extra cash on hand and I decide to spring for the DSC-H5. The site lists 19 stores with a price range of $199 to $889. I can read reviews of each store to see if the store is reliable before I make a purchase. Also, six of those stores are listed as approved by ShopWiki, so I could just shop from those instead of all 19. In addition to the CyberShot, I am also going to check out the Canon PowerShot, the Casio Exilim and the Canon EOS. When I'm ready to purchase a camera, I will probably head over to ShopWiki first so that I can compare prices and possibly purchase a camera from one of the listed stores. The site looks very promising and trustworthy, so I'll be bookmarking it for future reference.