If you’re a professional photographer, buying a new camera is probably a fun endeavor. After all, you know exactly what you’re looking for and you know exactly what each camera feature does. But if you’re a novice or a non-professional camera user, buying a new camera can be far from fun. In fact, the entire process can be confusing and overwhelming. With features and camera names full of unexplained acronyms, searching the aisles at your local electronics store can feel like playing a very expensive guessing game.

But you can take out some of the mystery by doing your research online. Search around for highly rated cameras online, and you’re sure to come up with a variety of high performing cameras of all shapes and sizes. Whether you come across something advanced like the Canon a1000is or something more rudimentary, you can browse the features at your own leisure. You can also perform any independent research you need on features that might be confusing.

I was originally reluctant to buy a digital camera. When I was in school, I took photography for two years and I loved the smell of the darkroom and the process of physically processing your own film. Overtime, I started to come around towards digital cameras, particularly when I’ve been hired to take pictures and I got to immediately see the results.

Now, I use both a traditional manual camera and a digital camera—my Canon SD880IS. Sometimes it’s a bit cumbersome, but while using one is for the artist in me, the digital camera ensures that my clients will be happy because they’ll get the high-quality shots they’re paying for.