Are you looking for a magazine that gives you a good cross section of the photographic world – from film to digital and from point and shoot to professional? Popular Photography and Imaging (which was until the recent past, just Popular Photography and here on Epinions is still listed as Popular Photography) provides a good balance between all of the differing ends of the photographic world and is a good general purpose magazine for anyone interested in photography.

The magazine is broken down by film and digital, with sections dedicated to both forms of photography. Some of the reviews and articles cross between the two (say both digital and film SLR cameras are reviewed in one article).

In addition to product reviews and testing, Popular Photography and Imaging usually contains at least one or two feature articles that usually discuss photographic techniques. The April 2003 issue had three different “how-to” articles, two on black and white techniques and another on portrait exposure. These articles generally do not get down to the incredibly detailed level, but provide an overview and some tips and tricks for photographers to use when they are engaging in whatever type of activity the article is going over.

Besides the digital and film sections, the feature articles and associated other articles, the magazine contains several different departments that are only a page or two in length (a few are a bit longer). The sections include Snapshots (short news clips and information about photography in general, Your Best Shot (winners of the monthly photo contest), Nature (how-to nature articles), Travel (photography while you’re traveling), Contact Sheet (reader’s letters), Final Frame (a final parting photo and explanation on the last page), along with several other sections.

The writing in the article is clear and to the point. The how-to articles are easy to follow and are great for helping with techniques. The articles do not pander to the lowest common denominator, nor are they written for such advanced people that the average person dabbling photography wouldn’t understand what they are talking about.

The reviews of equipment are equally clear and to the point. From all that I have seen in the magazine, the reviews are also fair and they do not have preferences on one type of equipment over another. If something doesn’t work or is an awful piece of equipment, they aren’t afraid to say so. If it’s great, they’ll tell you that too. It’s also helpful that they give you the MSRP of the product but also an expected street price – makes it much easier to figure out what to expect when shopping for the equipment.

And what would a photography magazine be without ads? Popular Photography and Imaging is probably the best magazine to review different advertisements – the second half of the magazine (around 60 to 80 pages) is generally devoted to advertisements from different photographic stores. If you are looking for a specific piece of equipment, you can flip from ad to ad, comparing prices and accessories.

Popular Photography and Imaging also offers a “checkrated program” for some of the mail order retailers in their magazine. The checkrated stores agree to follow certain rules of conduct (honor all advertised prices, ship all merchandise as packaged by manufacturer, make no substitutions without permission, answer all customer questions, and invoice price matches price agreed to upon ordering) and the customer agrees to identify themselves as a Popular Photography and Imaging reader at the time of ordering. This checkrated program also offers tips for shopping and order, and what to do should you have problems with a merchant. Just be aware that not all advertisers in the magazine are part of the checkrated program, make sure to review the list of the included participants. This list does include most of the large advertisers in the magazine (those with 2 or more pages of ads).

The magazine is carried in most bookstores and magazine racks (I think I’ve seen it almost everywhere that magazines are sold) so it shouldn’t be too hard to find. It sells for $3.99 per issue and you can get a 12-month subscription to the magazine for $11.97 (12 issues).

Whether you are a pro, or you’re just starting out – Popular Photography and Imaging is one magazine that you should be reading while you have got that camera of yours close by.

Photography Reviews:

Cameras:
Olympus C-4000 Digital Camera / Olympus D-460 Zoom Digital Camera / Minolta Maxxum 300si (35mm SLR) / Polaroid PDC 640 Digital Camera / Kodak EasyShare CX4300 Digital Camera / Canon Elph LT APS Camera / Olympus Stylus Infinity Zoom 35mm Camera / Casio Exilim Ex-Z4U Digital Camera / Fuji FinePix F700 Digital Camera / Pentax Optio 33WR Digital Camera / Kodak EasyShare 6490 Digital Camera / Canon ELPH Z3 / Olympus Trip AF 30

Books and Magazines:
Shutterbug Magazine / Popular Photography Magazine / PC Photo / Outdoor Photography / Photography Outdoors / American Photo

Printers, Scanners, Memory & Accessories
SanDisk 128MB SmartMedia Card / Memorex 128MB SmartMedia Card / HP Photosmart 1115 / Microtek Scanmaker 4800 / HP Scanjet 3570c / Samsonite Carrying Case / Tamrac Mini-Camera Bag / Olympus 128MB SmartMedia Card / SmartMedia Memory

Recommended: Yes

Recommended For: Hobbyists/Enthusiasts
Primary Reason for Buying: Product Reviews/Information