This whole research process can be basically divided into 3 main parts: FINDING, ANALYSING and COMPARING.
Personally I think the hardest parts are the first two, once you went through them comparing is easy. But this whole process takes up a lot of time. And when it comes to digital cameras, things start to get complicated.
The product line is very wide, and you can get confused rapidly. There are pocket cameras, bridge cameras(those that look like a DSLR but you can't change their lenses), DSLRs and for quite some time now, mirrorless cameras with changeable lenses(they're like a DSLR, but much more compact).
You only have to go to some sort of online shop that sells cameras to observe how fast you can get confused. If you had an idea what camera you'd like before, at this point you get really confused. What should you choose?
And you start asking friends, taking those suggestions and google about them, comparing, start having a ton of tabs opened, reading reviews, hours pass like birds... at the end of the day you still have no idea. Yeah, if you had lots of money you could just buy the most expensive camera from a certain category right? Oh but you're not a billionaire :(.
There's an online tool that does most of the job for you: http://snapsort.com . Really, when I decided buying P100 I spent a month researching(because I really had no idea about cameras at the time) on the internet. At the end of my research I found snapsort, and after a few more clicks and comparisons I was convinced. I was short on money and needed something that has most of the DSLR's features.
So here's what I like about this online tool:
-Snapsort is like a friend that knows everything about cameras and does what you expect him to do: making a good recommendation.
-You don't even need to have a starting point. You just need to know what you actually want to do with that camera, or what you desire. It's easy: click the "Explore" tab and start adjusting the parameters as you like. For example, let's say that I want an entry-level DSLR that's less than 620 euros and is "Best overall". 2 simple parameters that will immediately display some results. Currently, the best one for these parameters is Canon EOS550D.
-If you're lazy you could just resort on using the "Just tell me" tab. Input a maximum sum of money and you get the best bang for buck. I don't recommend this feature, as you'll surely not get exactly what you want
-There's a top of the best cameras in different cameras, you can start getting orientated fast
The feature that I appreciate the most is "Compare", though. This is what makes the site a good friend in choosing a camera in my opinion. Its objective style of comparison is unbeatable. It's really helpful when you have to decide between 2 cameras that are extremely similar.
Take, for example, Nikon P100 and P500. Should you get the new P500 or P100? There are minor differences, mostly the increased zoom, but is it worth it? Try the feature yourself!
The awesome part is that you can even compare cameras from different categories! Of course, the site itself says that you shouldn't take the comparison seriously, but it helps you decide faster.
Now, although the site is mostly perfect in my opinion, I have some suggestions too. This site only helps you make decisions based on the features, but not actually the quality. Yes, there are videos and photos for almost every camera, but not in a direct comparison.
The owners of the site should create some kind of a "standard scene", or different standard scenes that will remain unmodified(forever :) ) and could be used for every new camera that appears.
A static scene that can be used to analyze the color and sharpness performance for example. That way, when comparing 2 cameras, not only can you decide based on the features, but you can actually ''SEE" the difference between the two.
That being said, I wish you a happy researching and a fast decision on which camera should you buy!
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