How to test before you buy

Try the camera out in the store. Choosing your P/S camera comes down to your comfort with one particular model. Make sure the camera feels comfortable in your hands and that you can operate the controls easily. For example, small buttons or selector dials are featured on some models to operate a camera’s flash and exposure modes. If you dislike tiny buttons, choose a camera with a dial control.

Check the viewfinder and press the shutter button as if the camera were loaded. If the viewfinder is too small for you and you cannot see your subject clearly, choose another camera. Find out if the model you’re testing has "shutter lag," which is a brief pause before the camera snaps the photo. This lag bothers some users, but not all.

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