Online digital photography resources

If you can't find what you need in your local stores, here are some good online places to shop for specialized items and services.

General

Digital Camera Resource Page—An excellent all-around place to learn about digital cameras, especially in its well-organized message boards. Of special note: the "Where should I buy my camera?" board, where you'll find out which dealers are sleazy and which ones are good! (As with all bulletin board systems, before posting, read the recent messages to see whether your question has already been answered.)

Short Courses—Publisher of excellent books on digital photography and on particular brands and models. Highly recommended! Much of their material is also available on their website, so you can read it online and decide whether to buy the book.

Steve's Digicams—Another general digital photography site. Notable for its "Breaking News" feature, updated daily. But take Steve's reviews with a large grain of salt—he rarely says anything bad about a product.

Reviews

Digital Camera Resource Page Reviews & Info—Well-laid-out feature comparison chart of all popular brands and models, with links to detailed specs, reviews and lowest prices.

Imaging Resource Reviews—Incredibly thorough, detailed reviews—more info than the owner's manual!

Where to buy cameras

B&H Photo-Video—One of the oldest and most reputable dealers in the field, and a favorite of the pros.

J&R Computer World/J&R Music World—Another thoroughly reliable dealer that Andy has been buying from for thirty years or more.

Norman Camera—Excellent support from this Kalamazoo-based dealer.

Accessories

Andy's Battery Page—Everything you need to know about AA batteries for digital cameras—what kinds to buy, what kinds to avoid, where to get 'em cheaply.

CKC Power—Auxiliary lenses and specially made accessories for digital cameras from Olympus, Nikon and Kodak that have filter threads.

Porter's Camera Store—Every kind of photo accessory imaginable, including tripods, flashes, light stands, backdrops, etc. Just don't buy your camera here—Porter's camera prices are generally too high.

Tabletop Studio—The special high-intensity, daylight-balanced lights that we recommend are found here, along with other lighting gear ... plus several pages of tips that are well worth perusing if you're photographing, for example, jewelry.

Thomas Distributing—Great source for a wide variety of rechargeable batteries and chargers.

Software

QuickGamma—If your video display is uncalibrated, then you're not seeing what the rest of the world sees when it looks at photos you create. That's a BIG problem! Macs have monitor calibration tools built in (in the Displays system preference pane), but unfortunately, Windows users are left to their own devices. You can buy commercial Windows calibration hardware/software for a few hundred bucks...but QuickGamma and its companion program QuickMonitorProfile are free, and they're definitely better than nothing.

Where to have slides made

Photo-Lab.net/Shutterbug Photo—The least expensive of the three places listed here; Holly has used their services several times and have been very happy with the quality. Just be sure to state that you want regular Priority Mail shipping via the US Postal Service for $4.95, or else you may find yourself facing an approximately $20 FedEx charge, as that was (as of 2005) their default shipping method.

I Print From Home—Inexpensive, and recommended by art quilters on the QuiltArt list.

Express Digital Images—Not the cheapest, but many on the QuiltArt list have been very satisfied with their quality.

Visual Horizons—Recommended on the QuiltArt list. They're the most expensive of the three places listed here.