Keeping Track and Comparing Cameras

2010.09.21

Avid camera shoppers tend to look at dozens of cameras and lenses, keeping track of the name and features of each one they like. Then, they tend to go back to each camera to compare them to come up with a final decision. Neocamera BETA features a Camera Bag to help with this.

The Camera Bag appears on all two-column pages as a blue box with the title - you guessed it - Camera Bag. Just like a real camera bag, it can contain cameras and lenses too. Anytime you search for cameras and lenses, each result will show an empty star to the left of the product name. You will also see a larger star next to product names on specifications and review pages. If you like the product or are considering it for your next digital camera or lens, simply click the Star. It will turn yellow, which means that the product has been added to your Camera Bag. If you change your mind or click by accident on the wrong star, simple click it again and it will be removed. It's that simple!

Anytime you encounter a product that is in your camera bag, its star will be yellow as a reminder. To see the bag, look for it on the right column. If the page you're on does not have one, navigate to one that does, such as the homepage by clicking on the big Neocamera banner at the top or the Home link in the site menu. The bag will be there even if it is empty.

The bag lets you see at a glance all the cameras and lenses that you starred. Each camera or lens name is actually a link to its specification page, so that you can jump to it quickly. The X next to a product name allows you to remove it from your bag without looking for its star. Depending on the bag contents, the row of buttons will change.

The arrow button when it points up, allows to collapse the bag and hide its contents, in case it gets too big and pushes other page contents down. The X button empties the bag all at once. Then there are comparison buttons, one of cameras and one for lenses. Of course, if there are no lenses in the bag, the compare lens button will not appear. Same goes for the compare camera button.

The compare buttons bring you to a table of all your bag's cameras or lenses next to each other. In the same format as the camera and lens search results page. From there you can compare cameras and remove them from your bag by clicking on the X to the right of the product name. This lets you collect cameras and lenses as they interest you and then, when you see them side-by-side you can eliminate the ones you like least until you find your next digital camera or lens.

• Digital Camera