New Features of Point-and-Shoot Cameras
Advanced point-and-shoot cameras may also feature a few more bells and whistles that make the photographer's life easier. The cameras that have these features will usually come with a higher price tag, but look for them to become increasingly part of the standard package as competition in the point-and-shoot market increases.
Remote control. This allows you to operate the camera from a distance. While a self-timer also works, a remote control lets the photographer choose exactly the right moment to take a shot. This is particularly helpful for situations where you need to minimize camera movement, as in low-light conditions.
Auxiliary viewfinders. This lets you focus, through a second view-finder on the top of the camera, while you're aiming at subjects from waist level. These can be great for capturing candid shots of your kids or at play, and, for that matter, for snapping candid shots of anyone at a lower level than you are.
Date imprint. Many point-and-shoot cameras offer this feature. It prints the date the picture was taken on your negative in the case of film cameras, or on the image itself in the case of digital cameras. The date will also appear on your pictures when they are printed. You can usually turn this feature off.
Best choices can change quickly in the world of technology, but at the time of this writing, these are the top five contenders for the best point-and-shoot cameras.
This is a well-designed, smart camera with a sturdy 3.8” × 2.4″ metal case that's flat and thin enough to fit easily into a shirt pocket, with a 2.5″ LCD window. There are both program and automatic exposure modes. Shooting modes include landscape, portrait, action, closeup, sunset, beach, snow, panorama, theater, and night modes, plus digital video that shoots at twenty-four frames per second.
Max. Megapixels: 7.2
Optical Zoom: 7x
Weight (ounces): 4.5
Media Slots: MultiMediaCard, SD Memory Card, SDHC Memory Card
Priced Around: $90
This prosumer camera offers optical image stabilization and face-priority autofocus features. It comes with good ergonomics, and a sturdy compact body with a 3.9″ × 2.6″ profile small enough to stow in a purse or jacket pocket. It also has aperture-priority, automatic, I-TTL program flash, program, shutter-priority, and manual shooting modes.
Max. Megapixels: 12
Optical Zoom: 3.5x
Weight (ounces): 7.1
Media Slots: MultiMediaCard, SD Memory Card
Priced Around: $280
Customers rate this camera as one of the best for good reasons, as it offers manual controls, as well as fully automatic modes. The image stabilization feature allows crisp photos under less than optimum conditions and the option to use the optical viewfinder rather than LCD screen can help prolong battery life. It has face-recognition and motion-detection technology. The camera body is small, just over 3.7″ × 2.6″ × 1.6″.
Max. Megapixels: 8
Optical Zoom: 4x
Weight (ounces): 7.9
Media Slots: SD Card
Priced Around: $115
The 590's 2.5 LCD makes composing shots easy. For added creativity, wide or telephoto converter lenses can be attached. It has optical image stabilization and facial recognition technology. This camera is hard to beat for low battery usage, great zoom, fast startup, and manual as well as automatic shooting options at a low price.
Max. Megapixels: 8
Optical Zoom: 4x
Weight (ounces): 6.17
Media Slots: SD/MMC/SDHC Card
Priced Around: $139
At 1″ thick, the R927 isn't ultra-thin, but it does fit easily into a shirt pocket. An interesting feature is the processing options for those who don't like to edit their images on a PC. Images that look like an old sepia print or a watercolor painting or cartoon can all be done in-camera. It can also stitch panoramas together and display them on its big LCD. You can combine up to five shots, which you shoot either left to right or vice versa.
Max. Megapixels: 8.2
Optical Zoom: 3x
Weight (ounces): 7
Media Slots: SD Card
Priced Around: $160
These cameras are perennial bestsellers, and the companies that make them come out with new versions of old favorites quite often. Check to see if there are any updates to your camera. Find out what the updates are and whether they would impact your picture taking.
