Everyone wants the best of everything. The best house, the best cars, the best spouse, the best kids, the best digital camera. Hang on, maybe that last one doesn't really belong in this category, but hey, I'm just trying to make a point. What the point is, I'm not sure, but we'll get there. The best of everything, including digital cameras is something we've all be conditioned to look for. We all want to get value for our money. No matter what it is.

The thing with cameras though, is that the technology changes so quickly, that by the time I finish writing this review, the next great batch of great cameras will hit the store shelves. Only too soon to be quickly followed by manufactures announcing the latest and greatest new features for the next round of cameras. If your into photography, and technology, this can be great fun. What with learning all the new jargon, buying all the latest gadgets, and generally just impressing the heck out of friends and family with all your geek wisdom.

But, too the average joe-camera-shopper, who just needs a new digital for his next vacation, or next big wedding, or his teenage daughters birthday, then all this NEW stuff can be a bit overwhelming. The good news for joe, is that he can just ignore it all.

The truth be told, the basis of a good camera really hasn't changed much in the past 50 years or so. You want a good quality lens, in a solid camera housing, that is capable of getting you a true to life quality image reproduction. The camera manufacturers have been greedily salivating over digital technology ever since it hit the photography field. They've never had so many reasons to release so many new models with so many new bells and whistles. Mind you, some of them are great, but some features are just plain useless. Or if not useless, then probably so buried amongst all the other menu features that most users never know they're there let alone use them.

The really good news though, is that with the power of the internet at our disposal we can get the very latest up to date information at a moments notice. There are tools online, that will compare digital cameras feature by feature, and show you the top rated cameras on a daily basis. Not only will they compare prices, but you can query these tools by feature as well. You can ask for example for the top rated Canon SLR cameras with 10 megapixels, a wide angle lens, in the 600-900 dollar range. These kind of tools can significantly shorten your search time, and alert you to some really good bargains in one fell swoop.