Point and Shoot cameras come in all shapes and sizes now, ranging from extremely skinny ones that can fit in your pocket to mini-SLR sized cameras that pack a large punch. Deciding which camera is for you can be extremely hard because of the sheer number of choices, but hopefully this list will provide enough of a choice that you can find the camera that best suites your needs.
Before I start listing the top 10 point and shoot cameras, please keep in mind that I’m not listing the cameras in any specific order and that my choices are based off the reviews of a number of different point and shoot cameras. If you’d like to see a full review of each camera please click on the name of the camera. If you feel differently please feel free to post your list. Now, without further adieu, here’s the list for the “Top 10 Point and Shoot Cameras”.
- Canon Powershot G9
- Sony Cyber-shot DSC-W90
- Canon PowerShot SD950 IS
- Panasonic Lumix DMC-LX2
- Nikon CoolPix P5100
- Canon PowerShot A590 IS
- Fujifilm FinePix F50fd
- Canon PowerShot SD1100 IS
- Sony Cyber-shot DSC-T300
- Nikon CoolPix S700
Coming in at $500, the Canon Powershot G9 is the most expensive of the list. The price is mainly due to the number of features that the G9 has, including an optical viewfinder, 12.1MP resolution, and a number of manual features. The G9 is the closest camera to a SLR and if you’re wanting to have that extra control over your pictures without having to lug around a large SLR, the G9 is for you.
The Sony Cyber-shot DSC-W90 is essentially the polar oposite of the Canon G9. It’s small size and small price make it affordable to the masses, but it still packs a good punch. Sony included what they call “double anti-blur” technology which reduces both subject shake blur and camera shake blur. With a 8.1MP resoultion and a 2.5″ LCD this camera has it all.
The Canon PowerShot SD950IS is another great little camera. It features a very large 12.1MP resolution as well as a 2.5″ LCD screen. One of my favourite features with this camera is the optical viewfinder. Most digital cameras are now opting for a larger LCD instead of the viewfinder and I find this annoying because most LCD screens are useless in direct sunlight. The SD950IS is fairly expensive at $360 considering you can’t manually control the pictures.
The Panasonic Lumix DMC-LX2 is the only Panasonic camera on the list but that doesn’t mean its not a competitor. THe DMC-LX2 has a number of great features including a variety of focus modes, all of the essential metering and semi-manual exposure options and a wide-angle lens. This is probably the ugliest camera of the group so if you’re looking for style you should continue reading. Coming in at $450, the DMC-LX2 is one of the more expensive cameras, but as they say “You get what you pay for”.
The Nikon CoolPix P5100 is one of the more high-end point and shoot cameras in the list. It’ll set you back $400 but its features are more like a SLR than those of a point and shoot camera. You have pretty much total control over the pictures that you take (but theres also an automatic mode for those who want the camera to do everything for them). 12.1MP resolution, optical viewfinder and image stabilization are all pluses as well.
As you can probably tell, I like the PowerShot line of cameras. They’re solidly built and take great pictures and the A590IS is no different. This version is less expensive than its bigger brother and only costs $200, but you don’t lose too many features. While the design isn’t the greatest, it still features 8.1MP resolution, a 2.5″ LCD screen and a number of manual features that’ll let you take the picture you really want to take.
Coming in at the middle of the pack as far as price is concerned ($250), the Fujifilm FinePix F50fd is pretty much your average point and shoot digital camera. It has an impressive 12MP resolution, different shutter speeds and a large 2.7″ LCD screen. The thing I like best about this camera is the face detection software, because it works extremely well. Most of the cameras on this list have FD software but the F50fd can find a face even when it’s in full profile (which a lot of cameras can’t).
The Canon PowerShot SD1100 takes one of the best selling Canon 35mm cameras, the “elph” and turns it into a digital powerhouse. This camera ($250), has one of the best menu and user interfaces in the list. All of the controls are intuitive and it didn’t take me long at all to learn a new interface. Often times cameras have very complex menus and it’s hard to navigate around them but this is not the case with the SD1100 IS. It also has 8.1MP resolution, 2.5″ LCD screen and an optical viewfinder (which I like).
The Sony Cyber-shot DSC-T300 is the second most expensive camera on the list at $450. It features a massive 3.5″ LCD screen, 10.3MP resolution, image stabilization and more. The LCD screen on the DSC-T300 is very large and very bright. You control almost every aspect of the camera via the 3.5-inch touch-screen LCD, leaving just a power button, a playback button, a shutter release, and a zoom rocker as its only physical controls. This camera is by far my favourite when it comes to design, because of its sleekness.
Last but certainly not least is the Nikon CoolPix S700. This camera is another mid-range digital camera with a rounded set of features. The S700 feels very sturdy when you’re taking pictures, and the pictures that it takes are of great quality. The controls have a solid feel for the most part, and the AutoFocus is amazing.
Well there you have it. My current Top 10 Digital Cameras. Now, the important thing to remember is that these cameras have different things to offer. People that don’t want all of the manual function sof a digital SLR probably aren’t going to want the Canon G9 or Nikon P5100 since they can’t justify the cost for the functions they need. On the other hand a lot of people aren’t going to want a simple point and shoot camera.
If you feel that this list is missing out on a great camera feel free to drop a comment with the camera that you feel should have been included.
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