8 of the Best Point and Shoot Cameras on the Market

As the quality of smartphone cameras is steadily increasing, point and short cameras have to constantly bring out new, innovative features to be able to cope with competition. A point and shot camera is a camera that lacks the weight and bulky design of a DSLR but it is still able to take high quality photographs very quickly. The main focus behind the best point and shoot cameras spins around the idea of how to take incredibly detailed pictures with a camera that is very small and portable.

Moreover, people tend to buy a certain kind of smartphone just because it has a high number of megapixels and then they are surprised to see that an actual digital camera with less or the same number of megapixels is taking better pictures. This is due to the fact that people confuse the number of megapixels with the image quality. Pixel counts only determine the file size, not the image quality. It is far more important to look at the lens quality, the sensor size or the physical features of the camera, rather than get attracted to high numbers.

The following top 10 best point and shoot cameras will help you through your search on finding out what camera suits you best.

1. Olympus OM-D E-M1

best point and shoot cameras

With impressive image quality, excellent ergonomics and a great collection of high end features, this camera is the finest example of value for money. Although it cannot actually be considered affordable, it is worth every cent.

The Olympus has a lot of controls built into its body, like the viewfinder, in-camera HDR settings, self-timer, mode dial, video record button and many more. Moreover, the image quality in low light and even at high ISO settings really makes it stand out from the crowd.

This is considered to be the best point and shoot camera, 2013 and has some of the most advanced features available on the market.

2. Sony RX100 III

Sony RX100 III

Sony RX 100 III is considered the rock star of the year 2014, in terms of compact digital cameras, as according to several reviews. Some of the great features that come with the camera and are absolutely worth mentioning are the 20.2 Megapixels resolution matched up with the 1 inch sensor size, the breakthrough pop-up electronic viewfinder and the 2.92x zoom lens.

The only downsides of this camera are the price and the limited focal range. Light weighted, compact and with incredible features, this camera is also a serious contender for the title of best point and shoot digital camera.

3. Canon EOS 6D

Best point and shoot cameras

A compact, full-frame sensor camera considered inexpensive for its class. Even though it offers some amazing features, including integrated GPS and WI-FI, the camera moves a bit slow. However, Canon as a company stands out for image quality and professionalism, this camera being no exception from the rule.  The image quality is amazing, especially at high ISOs.

4. Fujifilm FinePix S1

Best point and shoot cameras

Even though it cannot be considered the perfect super-zoom camera, the Fujifilm FinePix S1 is still top notch. This point and shoot camera is waterproof, it has a 50x zoom and good quality for images and videos. However, it does have some focusing issues and it can be noisy at high ISOs.

5. Olympus Tough TG-2 iHS

Olympus Tough TG-2 iHS

Second waterproof camera in the top, the Olympus Tough TG-2 iHS is an excellent choice for taking photos of your adventures and doing it with style. It can go as deep as 50 feet underwater and performs beautifully at high ISO.

6. Nikon Coolpix S9700

Nikon Coolpix S9700

Nikon Coolpix S9700 is the only Nikon camera featured in this top. It has good quality images and it’s a great choice for snapping pictures during your vacation or when you travel.

7. Sony Alpha 6000

Sony Alpha 6000

One of the things that makes the Sony Alpha 6000 a competitor for best point and shoot camera is its incredible focus speed. The image quality stands out as well but it lacks in other technical features. According to Cnet, the Alpha is “the best prosumer mirrorless ILC”.

8. Canon PowerShot S 100 12.1 MP

– Digital Camera with 5x Wide Angle Optical Image Stabilized Zoom

Best Point and shoot camera 8

This is an excellent choice for a low budget, being fairly cheap and it is a good example to use to show people how digital cameras have evolved throughout the years. Canon PowerShot S100 was rated the best compact digital camera in 2012.

With number 8 we conclude our list of best point and shoot cameras. In our opinion, these are the best models on the market. What do you think?

 

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About Karsten Monroe

Half Dutch and half Canadian, Karsten is an enthusiastic workaholic photographer turned blogger. Architecture graduate, he is determined to make the most of his passion for photography and takes great pride from being a self-taught individual.