Best Compact Digital Camera

[whiteslashasian]

Originally Posted by gumercindo

Panny Lumix series is EXCELLENT bang for the buck.

+1

Just picked up an inexpensive DMC-FS7.

Has a good selection of manual controls, pretty good lens. Very good low light performance for a P&S ultracompact. Very fast too.

Great for a beater camera.

 

[Mauby]

I've had a Canon ELPH for years. It takes great pictures and I'm no photographer nor do I pretend to be.

 

[jcru]

I am glad this thread came up, because for me, it will always be about reconciling "best" (as in picture quality) with "compact" (size matters, after all). After years using a Panasonic Lumix (whose Leica lens produces wonderful pictures), I just bought my first Canon Elph SD940. The nominal wide-angle is surpassed only by the compactness of this sturdily-built camera, and thus far, I love it! You might consider the Canon SD1400, as well: it's a later model and feels lighter & more ergonomic in the hand. Prices should range between $200-240.

Good luck in your search!

 

[legit]

I love my Canon and think it takes excellent pictures for what it is. I've stuck with the brand through the years.

 

[gnatty8]

Originally Posted by DarkNWorn

I'd recommend a Panasonic Lumix or a Canon. Ixnay on the Sony, they're usually not good p&s cameras.

Originally Posted by gumercindo

Panny Lumix series is EXCELLENT bang for the buck.

I agree with this, excellent quality for the price.

 

[TylerDurden]

I've got the Canon PowerShot SD780IS, so far its the best camera I've used to date. It takes great HD video as well, it looks really good.


If I could do it all over again, I'd get a Cannon SLR for good photos, and get a cheap Kodak/Polaroid Point and shoot, possibly get a water/shock/dust resistant point and shoot.

The photos from the $100 Kodak/Polaroid P&S look just as good as my $200 Cannon. But the SLR blows all those out of the water.

 

[yodawg]

is ricoh a good brand? i'm looking at the r10, which is the cheapest. it's made in china though. but reviews say quality is good anyway.

 

[CHenry]

Originally Posted by yodawg

is ricoh a good brand? i'm looking at the r10, which is the cheapest. it's made in china though. but reviews say quality is good anyway.
Ricoh is a very good brand. They are better distributed in Europe and Asia than in North America, but the online retailers carry many of their models. Their lenses have been very highly regarded for a long time, both in their film and digital products. Their specialty is compact cameras. Their GXR line mates the lens to a specific sensor in a complete module that is interchangeable, a unique offering in the digital market. Ricoh has the reputation as a photographer's camera maker. I have the GX200 which is a 3x wide to short telephoto zoom compact. It is a very good small traveling camera.

 

[yodawg]

thanks CH! which model do you rec for just a p&s? i'm not really an expert photographer or anything.