Ultimate Buying Guide | Digital Compact Cameras

Megapixels

Many people seem to gravitate towards the camera with the highest megapixels.This is not necessarily the most crucial factor when choosing the perfect camera. There are a few reasons why you may want to look at the megapixels, for example, large scale printing or the ability to crop into a photo and not lose quality. However, for most people this is not necessary. A little rule of thumb that we use - as long as it’s over 12 megapixels you’re probably not going to notice much of a difference. Most people are either going to be posting pictures online, or printing them to put into a photo album. For this, 12 megapixels is more than enough.

Zoom or low light?

Unfortunately, these rarely come as a pair. This is all down to the size of the camera’s sensor. The bigger the sensor, the better the camera will perform in low light. The smaller the sensor, the more the camera will be able to crop the image resulting in a big zoom. 

For those of you who don’t know, the sensor is a part of the camera situated behind the lens, which records the image by reacting to the light that enters it. It works in a very similar way to film.

Having a bigger sensor in your camera can have a few benefits; this includes better image quality, the ability to get more of a blurred background (bokeh). But the main advantage is improved low light performance. This is because the bigger the surface area of the sensor will then have the ability to collect more light. 

On the other hand, having a smaller sensor can sometimes be beneficial too, as it will give you the ability to have a huge zoom whist maintaining the small size of a compact camera. This is basically because the bigger the sensor of the camera, the bigger the lens will need to be to provide a big zoom.

It’s worth pointing out that if you are after both of these features, there are only a small handful of cameras that can provide a compromise between the two.

If you’re looking for a camera with a larger sensor which is better for low light, here are a few recommendations based on our top sellers. If you’re looking for cameras with a big zoom, skip this part!

Canon GX7 Mark III. Another great camera with a 1” sensor which is also going to give you great quality low light photos. Features a 3x optical zoom (24-70mm equivalent). These cameras tend to be popular for people doing video, such as vlogging.

Sony ZV-1 This camera comes with a 1inch stacked CMOS sensor, which means that it is great for creating proffesional quality footage. The vari-angle LCD screen makes it flexible to take photographs at every angle. A directional 3-capsule mic and wind shield is supplied with this camera for recording high sound quality, 

Canon G1X III. This camera features a huge APS-C Sensor, which is usually what you’d expect to see in a lot of DSLRS and mirrorless cameras. So for this to be squeezed into a compact camera is quite impressive. This is going to offer exceptionally good low light performance! Just like the cameras suggested above, this offers a 3x optical zoom (24-70mm equivalent).

Big Zoom Lens Recommendations

If you’re looking for a COMPACT CAMERA WITH A BIG ZOOM, here are a couple of our top sellers;

Sony HX99. This is one of the smallest compacts that we sell that manages to pack in a whole load of features including a 30x optical zoom (24-720mm equivalent), pop up electronic view finder and manual controls.

Both Low Light and Zoom Recommendations

If you’re looking for both LOW LIGHT AND ZOOM, there are a few exceptions that offer a compromise between the two. These include;

Panasonic TZ100 and TZ200. These both feature a 1” sensor making them great for low light, but also include a 10x optical zoom (25-250mm equivalent) for the TZ100, and a 15x optical zoom (24-360mm equivalent) for the TZ200. This makes a great compromise for those who want a good quality low light camera whilst also adding a bit of versatility with the zoom.  

Sony RX100 VI and VII. If you can live with the slightly shorter focal range compared with the Lumiz TZ100 and TZ200, then the Sony RX100 VI and VII could also be potential contenders. They both feature a lens range equivalent to 24-200mm, however, they have a brighter aperture allowing more light to enter which means a cleaner, more detailed image when shooting in low light conditions. 

Manual control

If you’re looking to get a bit more technical with your photography it may be worth looking at a camera that gives you more control over the way it takes the photo. This mainly includes giving you the ability to change the aperture, shutter speed and ISO, but there are also lots of other adjustments you can make, such as different focusing options and giving you the ability to save in RAW. 

All of the Lumix TZ cameras shown in this article feature full manual control, along with the Sony RX100 range. The Canon G series also offers full manual control, however, the powershot sx620/740 and Ixus cameras do not.