Remember the good old days, when buying a digital camera meant choosing between two or three models? That was the year 1995, and there were literally only three digital cameras which had been introduced for the consumer level market—the Apple Quicktake 100, the Kodak DC40, and the Casio QV-11. Back then, it was easy to get information about each camera and decide which would work best for you. Well, those days are definitely gone. Now, if you want a new digital camera you'll have to sort through hundreds of different models and make countless decisions, like how many megapixels you'd like your camera to have, what type of media you want your camera to store your images on, and what levels of digital and optical zoom you'll need...not easy tasks, especially if like me you're not sure what a megapixel is.



I recently decided that my old film camera needed an update and made the momentous decision to buy my first digital camera. Though I've always been one of those people who shies away from new technology, friends and family had been telling me for years that it was time to go digital. According to them, the benefits of having a digital camera far outweighed my fear of high-tech gadgets. They told me that I could save a fortune on film and developing costs, that I could view my pictures instantly, edit them on my own computer, and print only the ones I wanted. So, I decided it was time to jump on the technology bandwagon and find myself a simple little digital camera.

Easier said than done.

Several disappointing trips to the electronics stores in my area left me confused and camera-less. I've never been intimidated by salespeople, but the electronics stores were completely overwhelming. I had no idea there were so many digital cameras on the market today and had trouble even understanding what the salespeople were talking about when they pitched their products! Megapixels, CF, CCD, dpi, MMC…does anyone know what these terms mean? Finally I decided to try my luck on the Internet, where I could at least conduct the search on my terms, without hovering salespeople, in the comfort of my own home.

I tried the big online shopping sites first, but found most of them even more overwhelming and confusing than the stores. I've been using the Internet for years, but I had difficulty finding my way around most of these sites. Not only that, but there were even more digital cameras to choose from than in the stores! I hadn't thought it possible. I needed guidance…unbiased guidance in language I could understand.

Finally, I came across a new website called www.techselector.com. The site promised to help me find the right product every time—in four simple steps. After my previous experiences I had my doubts about this, but decided to give it a shot. I was instructed first to choose the category of product I was looking for – digital cameras – and then to complete a short multiple choice questionnaire. I expected the questionnaire to be tedious, full of terms I wouldn't understand, but it wasn't. It was simple, and any technical terms were explained to me in everyday language. After I completed the questionnaire, the site generated my own personal Product Report, which listed the best products for me based on my questionnaire answers. The Report was easy to understand – I could see pictures of the products, view detailed specifications sheets, and compare different products. After a few minutes of reading through my Product Report, I made a decision and with the click of a button, I purchased my first digital camera.

Sure it's not 1995 anymore and there are considerably more than three digital cameras to choose from, but the cameras today have amazing features we couldn't have even imagined back then. Don't let the overwhelming selection of available models and the confusing technical jargon deter you from getting a great new camera—or any other new high-tech gadget. Techselector.com features a number of different product categories, tech guides, and glossaries which can help you understand all the terms and features. Best of all, the site can help you to sort through the different products and find the ones that will suit you best – quickly and easily. My new digital camera arrived a few weeks ago, and already I've almost forgotten what it was like to buy film. Had I known it would be so easy to find the perfect digital camera for me, I'd have done it a long time ago.