Do you rely on your smartphone to take pictures? You are missing out! You can get far better pictures with a digital camera. And prices are coming down.
Four great point-and-shoot cameras you can buy for $200 or less (plus one splurge for around $400)…
Canon PowerShot ELPH 115
If you would like an inexpensive camera that fits easily into your pocket, the Canon PowerShot ELPH 115 is tough to beat. The ELPH’s 8x optical zoom (28–224 mm focal range) is impressive for a camera that is this affordable and small—the ELPH is less than one-inch thick and weighs just under five ounces.
Its “Smart AUTO” technology does an excellent job of selecting settings for you—just press the shutter button, and this camera does the rest. The ELPH’s “Intelligent IS” image stabilization minimizes blurriness and shakiness when taking pictures and when recording video (many cameras in this price range don’t have image stabilization). And its ECO mode helps conserve energy for longer battery life.
Price for Canon PowerShot ELPH 115: List price is $129.99, but it can be found for around $100.
Sony CyberShot DSC-TF1
This CyberShot is waterproof down to a depth of 33 feet, dust-proof, able to operate in temperatures as low as 14°F or as high as 104°F and shock resistant—it is designed to survive drops of up to five feet.
This wonderfully durable device is a good choice for outdoor enthusiasts…beachgoers…and for anyone who has a history of dropping cameras.
It is pocket-size, lightweight—just 5.4 ounces—and features image stabilization and a “sweep panorama” mode that can automatically stitch together a series of pictures taken side by side into a single long image—just press the shutter button, and sweep in the desired direction.
This Sony’s zoom capabilities are quite limited, however—just 4x optical zoom (25–100 mm focal range).
Price for Sony CyberShot DSC-TF1: $199.99 list price, but the Cyber Shot can be found for around $130.
Canon PowerShot SX170
If you would enjoy an inexpensive camera that will do a good job of taking close-up pictures or pictures of very small things, such as stamps or coins that you hope to sell on eBay, the Canon PowerShot SX170 is an excellent option. Unlike many cameras in its price range, it has a high-quality “Macro” mode especially for ultra-close-up shots. And that’s not all this camera has going for it. It includes image stabilization, 16x optical zoom (28–448 mm focal range), plus a big three-inch view screen. It’s equipped with Canon’s Smart Auto mode, which does a great job of choosing the best settings. The trade-off: At 1.7-inches thick and weighing nearly nine ounces, it is too bulky to fit in the typical pants pocket.
Price for Canon PowerShot SX170: List price is $179.99, but it can be found for about $150.
Nikon CoolPix L820
The Nikon CoolPix L820 is a wonderful point-and-shoot camera for the money. I have seen professional photographers use this camera—and that is virtually unheard of with a point-and-shoot in this price range. The CoolPix L820 truly stands out for its extremely impressive 30x optical zoom (22.5–675 mm focal range). That’s the sort of zoom capability that usually is found only in cameras with detachable lenses—but with the Nikon, you don’t need to buy extra lenses or lug them around.
The CoolPix L820 has an easy-to-see, high-resolution, three-inch view screen, image stabilization and high-definition video recording.
Like all point-and-shoots, it does not excel at photographing fast action or in low light—though it is better in low light than most point-and-shoots. And it’s too big for most pockets.
Price for Nikon CoolPix L820: List price is $279.99, but you can find it for around $200.
Canon PowerShot G15
If your goal is to take the best possible pictures with a camera that’s easy to carry around, choose the Canon PowerShot G15. It is just 1.6-inches thick and 12.4 ounces in weight, but it’s fast—it shoots up to 10 frames a second—and is capable of taking amazing low-light photos, something few point-and-shoots can do. This gives you natural-looking photos in many situations where other cameras would need to use a flash, ruining the picture with harsh lighting. The G15 can shoot high-definition video, too. If you like, you can attach a professional flash to it, something very uncommon for cameras this small.
Like other pocket-size point-and-shoots, it does not offer elite zoom capabilities, however—the focal range is 28–140 mm (the equivalent of 5x optical zoom).
Price for Canon PowerShot G15: List price is $499, but you can find it for around $410.
Digital-camera marketing materials inevitably trumpet a long list of impressive-sounding features. But which of these matter most? Despite the common misconception, the answer isn’t pixel count. While this measure of a digital camera’s resolution was once crucial, the vast majority of digital cameras now on the market offer at least 16 megapixels, which is more than sufficient. Four things that are worth looking for…
Focal-length range. A point-and-shoot camera’s focal-length range will be listed on its packaging as a pair of figures expressed in millimeters (mm). Example: 28–224 mm.
The lower the first number, the wider the wide-angle shots the camera can take. Anything 28 mm or lower will be sufficient for most point-and-shoot users, and 22 mm or lower is excellent. The higher the second number, the greater the lens’s zoom capabilities.
A good pocket camera might offer 100 to 200 mm or higher, while 400 mm and up is excellent for a larger point-and-shoot.
Shutter speed. Other things being equal, the faster a camera’s maximum shutter speed, the better it will be at capturing fast movement without blurriness. A fastest speed of 1/2,000 of a second is acceptable for a point-and-shoot camera. A fastest speed of 1/4,000 of a second is excellent.
Camera size. The less a camera weighs and the smaller its dimensions, the more likely you are to carry it with you. Even the very best camera is worthless if it is always left at home.
Viewfinder. It’s a big plus if a camera has an optical viewfinder in addition to a digital view screen. On sunny days, the glare on a digital screen can make it hard to see—but you can easily compose your pictures using a viewfinder.
