Digital Camera Shopper > Reviews (1)

Digital Camera Shopper is a monthly magazine brought to you by Future Publishing Ltd. It is a magazine aimed at those who are looking to buy a new camera or equipment.

~Package~
To help with this review I am going to use the October 2003 issue as an example.
This magazine is A4 size with a glossy front cover usually with a picture of a camera on the front and has approximately 194 pages. The title “Digital Camera Shopper” is always positioned in the top left hand corner of the magazine in white bold letters on a red background. The October 2003 issue, and proposed future issues, comes with a cover CD which includes useful demos and information (to be discussed later on).

Digital Camera Shopper costs £3.99 and comes out around the 9th of every month.

~Where to Buy~
Digital Camera Shopper can be purchased from most good newsagents including WH Smiths. There is also the option to subscribe to this magazine. This costs (as at 30th September 2003) £45 for thirteen issues when paid by credit card, or £39 when paid by Direct Debit from a UK bank account. If you live outside of the United Kingdom in Europe, a non EEC country, USA or Canada then subscription will cost £50 by credit card only. The rest of the world will be charged £65.

Subscribing can save you up to 30% on the original cost. You can apply for subscriptions online at http://www.dcmag.co.uk or by post by completing the form within the magazine and sending it off to Digital Camera Shopper, Subscriptions, Future Publishing, FREEPOST BS4900, Somerset, TA11 6BR.

If you have missed an issue of the magazine then it is also possible to order previous copies by ringing 0870 444 8464. The first issue of Digital Camera Shopper was in May 2003.

~Contents~
The October 2003 issue of Digital Camera Shopper starts off with a section called “Exposure News”. This is a six page summary of up to date news reports, such as newly released cameras, new printers, market developments and a list of up and coming events and exhibitions.

Next there is just over a page dedicated for feedback letters where readers get the chance to express their opinions on the magazine.

Every month Digital Camera Shopper will publish several feature pieces, which are usually reports on how experts do their “style” of photography, or express an expert’s point of view on a particular subject. For example, in the October 2003 issue, there was a feature piece called “A World Beneath The Waves”. This showed you how three experts accomplish underwater photography and what equipment they use. The photographs that accompany the feature are excellent. There was also a feature expressing the opinions of digital experts in relation to changes in the digital market and how things can quickly become obsolete.

The remainder of the magazine is mainly dedicated to camera reviews and a detailed buyers guide. The reviews are very helpful. They include reports on key features, test photo shots, performance, comparisons to other cameras in the same market and Digital Camera Shopper’s final verdict.

The reviews are very thorough. For example, the October 2003 issue did a review on the Minolta Dimage A1 camera which took 8 pages!!! On average 8 cameras are individually reviewed each month thoroughly.

Digital Camera Shopper also does what they call a “Group Test”. This is where they pick a specific feature on a camera, and compare several cameras to one another to see which the best is. For example, they did a test on the zoom lens, and compared 5 leading cameras to show how each picture varied (e.g. how colour and detailed varied under the same conditions).

Reviews are also performed on camera accessories, software, printers etc.

The next big section is the “Buyers Guide” where Digital Camera Shopper shows you what is out to buy and what you can buy within a price range. It provides lists of cameras from the lower end of the market to the higher markets.

~The CD~
All the digital cameras that have been reviewed within the magazine are featured on the CD, enabling you to browse them whenever you like. This is very useful as it means that you don’t need to keep the magazine.

Also on the CD is a gallery a photos which have been taken by the readers, helping to show how a specific digital camera performs.

A full version of software is also included on the CD. For example, the October 2003 issue came with “PhotoArtMaster” which allows photos to look like paintings. Various trial software and photo-editing software plug-ins are also included.

~Final Verdict~
I personally find Digital Camera Shopper very useful when looking for a digital camera, as the reviews are very thorough. Even if you don’t have much idea on what you want to buy, the magazine helps to single out those which you should steer clear of.

My only gripe about the magazine is that there are too many advertisements. They sometimes interrupt a review etc. However if you can live with this then I’d highly recommend this magazine for research. I would not recommend it however for those wanting to learn photo and editing techniques etc.