You know the old saying: “Don’t buy a Mac right before Macworld.” There’s a similar axiom in the photography world: “Want to buy a new digital camera… better wait for PMA.”

What the heck is PMA (other than a flat-sounding acronym)? It stands for Photo Marketing Association, and they sponsor the must-see photography show in the US. This year’s event is in Orlando, FL, Feb. 20-23. It is an amazing event.

The reason why I suggest you hold off on buying anything before PMA is because the camera manufacturers time their big announcements for this conference. For example, it was at last year’s PMA that we found out about the Canon Digital Rebel XT. And I think there will be some amazing stuff announced in February this year. For example, I think we’ll begin to see the big 2.5-inch LCDs on almost all new DSLRs. This alone is worth waiting for. I have a big screen on my Canon 5D, and it makes my older DSLR screens look awful puny.

I’ll be attending PMA and will post my findings from the gigantic trade show floor (it’s many times bigger than Macworld SF). Most likely the announcements made at the show will be ready to ship right away. So if you’re itching for a new digicam, hold off for a few more weeks. It should be worth the wait.