Digital cameras are a must for anyone nowadays. They give people the ability to save and remember the best moments of life, not only in still shots, but also in motion pictures. And because of the prices they retail for these days, there’s no reason not to get one.
There are a lot of types of digital cameras, from big, professional dSLR (digital Single Reflex Lens) ones to small compact cameras designed for everyday use or travel. And in each of those categories, you’ll find dozens of models from a lot of manufacturers, giving you a real hard time when choosing.
To save you some of that head ache, here is a list of the most feature-rich compact cameras available on market now. You may want to choose a cheaper one with less features, and that’s OK, but the models below have the most features per dollar and are still easy to use (unlike more professional compact cameras that have manual settings).
Panasonic Lumix TZ7/ZS3. The Panasonic Lumix ZS3 (known in Europe as the TZ7) is a continuation of the successful TZ line, which has won a lot of awards (in fact, most of them) in the previous years as the best compact, travel and super-zoom camera. This model has more megapixels (10 for wide aspect, 12.7 for standard shots), a 12x zoom wide screen lens, a few more advanced features (like face recognition) and the ability to shoot HD video in a 1280×720 resolution with a framerate of 30fps. What’s even more special is the new recording format AVCHD Lite, which allows for a higher quality of the picture while making the file size lower.
The camera also has two microphones that work in stereo mode and have a wind cut function, which allows you to film outside with good audio quality. The Lumix cameras also have a great stabilization system (Mega OIS), which takes perfect shots everytime. If you intend to shoot longer videos, you should be aware that the TZ7 is a PAL camera that shoots only clips of maximum 15 minutes, while the ZS3 shoots as much as fits on the SD card (or until the battery dies). This is because of a few EU regulations.
Canon Powershot SX210 IS. The Powershot SX210 IS is another great compact camera that is a direct competitor to the ZS3, with the same feature selection, including HD video support and stereo microphones. The higher megapixel count allows it to shoot even larger pictures, which is always a bonus, and the 14x zoom (compared to the 12x on the ZS3), and an improved Dynamic mode that stabilizes video when moving and shooting or shaking the camera.
Fujifilm FinePix F200EXR. This is also a great compact travel camera, which is designed more for still shots than video (it has only a 640×480 VGA mode and one microphone), but as a result, costs less than the above two. The features are pretty standard: a 12 megapixels widescreen sensor, 5x zoom + 14x digital zoom, a lot of effects when shooting, face recognition, image stabilization and a few other features. What also makes it good for travel (for some people at least) is the ability to switch between NTSC and PAL output modes, which allows you to output video and photos on any TV or recorder in any country.
Sony Cybershot DSC-W380. Sony always had great travel and compact cameras in their Cybershot line. The W380 is no exception. It has a 14 megapixels sensor with a 5x optical zoom, auto/manual focus modes, image stabilization, the usual effects and shoot modes selection, and it supports HD video recording, although no stereo audio is available. A good reason to choose this camera is it’s smaller size, compared to the others on this list, but the price is as high as that of the ZS3, so you need to consider things carefully.
Samsung WB650. Samsung was known for their cheap digital cameras with few features and bad construction, but the last 2 years have seen a drastic change. Now they make high quality devices (and that applies not only to their cameras, but also to their TV’s, laptops, monitors and other products) at very affordable prices, which make them a great choice for anyone. The WB650 compact camera is packed with features, from a 12 megapixels wide sensor with an amazing 15x optical zoom to a built in GPS navigator with tagging features and a great AMOLED display, which saves energy and has excellent contrast under any conditions. Other features are pretty standard, with lots of effects and shooting modes available to the user.
There are a lot of other great models on the market, but as I said, the above are the best if you want a lot of features, ease of use, compact size and relatively low price. You could also get an older high-end model, which would be cheaper but still have the features selection of the above-mentioned cameras.
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