Well that didn't last long, D850 dethroned.

[pixmedic]

I couldnt care less what DxOMark says. *shrug*

DXO is just another metric to make a decision from! As you are researching for your purchase. Can't use it soley for your purchase decisions!

the interesting thing about researching cameras is that 90% of the information is subjective.
actual camera specs are really the only hard facts. the rest is more or less opinion, or at the very least, involves some opinions.
better images? a lot of subjectivity there. a lot also depends on the reviewer and their capability.
AF might be based more on facts, but that too somewhat depends on the reviewer and the hope that they know how to properly use the camera and the AF mode for what they are shooting.
nothing beats having the camera in hand to test yourself.

 

[smoke665]

nothing beats having the camera in hand to test yourself.

Unfortunately, given the fact that retail locations are fading away, how do you test one without buying it?

 

[pixmedic]

nothing beats having the camera in hand to test yourself.

Unfortunately, given the fact that retail locations are fading away, how do you test one without buying it?

well, im often in the same boat.
for a number of years i was upgrading cameras once, sometimes twice a year. couldnt always get one in hand to test.
I basically looked at as many reviews as i could find. i was invested in Nikon so...it was really a matter of just deciding if the newer camera
was an upgraded i wanted or not.
when we switched to fuji i spent weeks looking up reviews on various cameras and lenses, youtube videos...
dxomark, dpreview, f-stoppers, forum posts...any place where i could see what an owners opinion of the camera was. moreso if they were actual photographers and could explain in better detail the functionality of the camera, and how they like the end results.
thats about as good as i could do short of having a camera to test myself. honestly, it works pretty well.

 

[jaomul]

nothing beats having the camera in hand to test yourself.

Unfortunately, given the fact that retail locations are fading away, how do you test one without buying it?

well, im often in the same boat.
for a number of years i was upgrading cameras once, sometimes twice a year. couldnt always get one in hand to test.
I basically looked at as many reviews as i could find. i was invested in Nikon so...it was really a matter of just deciding if the newer camera
was an upgraded i wanted or not.
when we switched to fuji i spent weeks looking up reviews on various cameras and lenses, youtube videos...
dxomark, dpreview, f-stoppers, forum posts...any place where i could see what an owners opinion of the camera was. moreso if they were actual photographers and could explain in better detail the functionality of the camera, and how they like the end results.
thats about as good as i could do short of having a camera to test myself. honestly, it works pretty well.

The key is being able to sort the important stuff from the less important and maybe the truth from the bs. I have bought some cameras in a local shop but their prices can be up to 50% more than online so can't always support local.

I stopped buying a Nikon magazine when it compared a d3200 with a d3300 and gave the 3300 five stars for image quality and the 3200 only three stars, though six months before the d3200 got five stars. I had done enough research and comparison as I was looking for a second small camera. I considered this review dishonest, especially as the general target market for these cameras are new to dslr and would probably swallow the bs hook line and sinker