What's the best brand for compact digital cameras?

Question

I want it to take good quality pictures and but not be too costly. Something below $250?

Here's the cameras and its prices. What's the best one out of these cameras that cost below my budget?

http://www.jbhifi.com.au/photo/digital-cameras/compact/

Answer 1

I have the Canon 14.1mp camera and it is one of the best purchases I've ever made. I use it for all my journalism classes. My professors are always surprised when I show them I'm using just a point and shoot camera and not a heavy duty one. It's small, shoots great photos, and has good battery life.



I found the camera by going to Viewpoints, so you might want to check out the site for other consumer opinions. http://www.viewpoints.com/Canon-Photography

Answer 2

My recommendations:



<$200: Canon SX130IS

<$300: Nikon P300

<$400: Nikon P7000, P7100, or Canon G12

<$500: Olympus XZ-1



For the specific cameras I mentioned, they include manual exposure controls, fast lenses, and a couple of them even have manual focus capability and customizable white balance, not something normally seen in a compact camera.



Skip mirrorless cameras - such as the Sony NEX, Olympus and Panasonic Micro Four/Thirds cameras, or the new Nikon 1 cameras (will be available soon). They cost almost as much as a DSLR system once you buy a few lenses, and unless you really need a small format, they are not cost effective.



Also skip bridge cameras (Canon SX30IS, SX40IS, Nikon L120, P100, P500, and especially the Fuji S2950) as they suffer from the combination of higher than necessary MegaPixel count sensors and ridiculously high power zoom lenses. The overkill in these two areas serve to reduce photo quality.



There are two Myths surrounding compact cameras - and bridge cameras in particular:



Myth #1. The more MegaPixels the better the photo. While the photo has a higher resolution, the low-light capability suffers, mostly in the form of noise. Also many compact cameras do not have sufficient processor speed to quickly process such high data rates, so you can end up with horrendous shutter delays. For compact cameras, 10Mp is ideal, 12Mp is maximum.



Myth #2. The higher the zoom the better. There is no such thing as a perfect lens, and the higher the power, the more compromise. For lenses 4x is ideal, anything above 7x is going to have optical issues, as there will usually be un-sharp areas along the lens's focal length.



Compact camera lens comparison: http://www.althephoto.com/lenses/digital-zooms.php

Answer 3

I own three compact digital cameras and they are all from different brands, Canon, Kodak and Panasonic. I must say i don't see huge differences among them but my best pick is Panasonic Lumix TZ15. It's little more expensive than others but i like it as it's got a bright 3.0 diagonal LCD display, which is very clear to see and can take motion images with sensational 1280 x 720 HD resolution at 30 frames per second (fps). You can use the zoom, too, and some truly dramatic shots.

Answer 4

The PowerShot SX150 IS features a powerful Genuine Canon 12x Zoom Lens that delivers outstanding optical performance and versatility. With precision engineering and decades of leadership in optical technologies, Canon has created a bright, wide-angle lens that provides an extraordinary 12x zoom range. The lens starts at 28mm wide-angle and extends to 336mm telephoto (35mm equivalent), giving you tremendous coverage and reach. The telephoto end lets you capture subjects from a considerable distance, while the 28mm wide-angle makes it easy to shoot sweeping landscapes, large groups of people and tall buildings. Moreover, this superlative lens incorporates innovative designs that enable it to fit the compact profile of the PowerShot SX150 IS and perform at high speed with low power consumption.

Answer 5

bought Canon PowerShot ELPH 300 HS for it's portability to take on a hiking/trout fishing trip to colorado. kept it in my pocket and had no problem with it's dependability and ruggedness. of course, i didn't drop it or abuse it either. took about 300 shots over 6 days during the trip, plus reviewing them, and never charged the battery. works great and the pictures look good. i hesitated buying this camera based on some of the other reviews but finally took a chance. didn't have any of the problems some of the other reviewers had, maybe i happen to get a good one.

Answer 6

Canon HS300

Canon SD1400 IS

Check out Website dpreview.com for different brands and specs. In point and shoot cameras there is no best. Very good brands would be: Fuji, Canon, Sony. Olympus, Nikon, and Panasonic.