THE 10 BEST COMPACT CAMERAS

If you are about to buy (or give away) a compact camera, this mega-guide is for you. In it I recommend the best compact cameras that you can acquire as an amateur photographer at this time.

WHAT IS THE BEST COMPACT CAMERA?

These are, in my humble opinion, the best compact cameras. Below I explain what caught my attention in each one of them and what makes them the "best".

Sony DSC-HX60
Panasonic Lumix GX80
Sony DSC-W830
Panasonic Lumix TZ70
Canon IXUS 185
Canon IXUS 190
Panasonic Lumix DC-TZ57
Sony Cyber-Shot RX100
Canon PowerShot SX740 HS
Insta360 ONE X

The criteria that I used for the following selection was both my experience as a photographer, and the possibility that we have from this medium to test many camera models that the brands send us. This has allowed me to form an idea over time as to which are the compact cameras that give better results at the photographic level. In other words, in this guide you will find the "crème de la crème" of compact cameras. An important fact: it is not enough that a compact camera seems good to me personally. Therefore, the 10 compact cameras that you will find in this guide have, all of them, a general assessment by the users who have used them very high. All have 4 stars (out of 5) on Amazon, at a minimum. If you decide on any of these cameras, you may be interested in acquiring it through Amazon. In my humble opinion it is the store that offers the best price while maintaining a level of guarantees, customer service and returns that I have not seen so far in any other store.

BEFORE BUYING YOUR NEXT COMPACT CAMERA

When it comes to acquiring a new camera, you should not lose sight of some important issues:

What use do you intend to give to your compact camera? The performance of your future compact camera will depend largely on the use you want to give it. Having very clear what you want will help you to focus on those specifications that you consider essential for your next camera.
Beware of deception: It is known that stores and manufacturers have an incredible ability to make us believe things that are not entirely true. This is already saved by us with this careful selection that includes only compact cameras of proven quality and utility.

All the cameras that appear in this mega-guide have passed our rigorous scale of quality criteria. The camera you are looking for is waiting for you below. In addition to indicating the strengths of each of these compact cameras, I will also leave you a link where you can buy the camera at a good price. Without further delay, let's discover them then.

THE 10 BEST COMPACT CAMERAS

Here I leave you those that, in my humble photographer's point of view, are the 10 best compact cameras of the moment. (Yes, I repeatedly update this article so the information you will find below is very up to date).

SONY DSC-HX60:

Probably one of the best compact cameras available right now, since it exceeds many of the current SLR cameras in performance: with 20 megapixels of resolution, video recording in Full HD at 60 fps, ideal for recording scenes in slow motion , and a built-in lens with a generous 30x zoom, which many professional SLR camera owners would like to have. It also has an image stabilizer, Wi-Fi and NFC connectivity to connect it to the mobile phone or tablet, among many other functions. It is also one of the cameras that has received the best ratings on Amazon, which has catapulted it into the top 3 compact cameras. Ideal for users looking for balance between power and price. Also, it is perfect for users who need a powerful zoom, whether for bird photography, nature, travel, or even for sports etc. Although it is easy for a compact camera to reach 400 or 500 euros, the price of the Sony DSC-HX60 is currently at about 200 euros, offering a good performance / price ratio. That is why it has become one of the cameras that I recommend most personally lately.

PANASONIC LUMIX GX80:

Imagine having in your hands a tool with 16 megapixels of resolution (to spare for amateur use), folding screen of 3 inches, optical stabilizer not one or two, but 5 axes (for ultra-sharp photographs), and the possibility of shooting your photos in RAW format, the same format with which professional photographers shoot, not to mention the possibility of recording video in 4K. Can you imagine it? This has a name and is called Panasonic Lumix GX80, a true beast, practically a professional SLR camera in a compact body, while retaining the possibility of exchanging lenses, as if it were a true professional SLR. The Lumix GX80 is the perfect camera for the user who is looking for the latest, both at the photographic level and for those video shots, which you will get in true 4K. If you are a lover of selfies, or have children / friends / family, its rotating screen makes it ideal for family photos and self-portraits.

SONY DSC-W830:

Available in several colors (black, silver, pink and violet), the Sony DSC-W830 boasts a powerful 20 megapixel sensor, 8x optical zoom, image stabilizer to save your photos from those times when your hand shakes when shooting, and a series of extras that make it a very good option. Among these extras is the "beauty" effect that brings the Sony DSC-W830, with which you can instantly retouch portraits, from the camera itself, eliminating small imperfections and enhancing the beauty of the subject, without having knowledge of portrait photography. Ideal for the amateur photographer looking for an incredibly small camera but with more than decent features. But above all, if you're on a fairly fair budget, the Sony W830 is your camera The Sony DSC-W830 is priced at about 130 EUR, which makes it one of the most economical compact available right now.

PANASONIC LUMIX TZ70:

Equipped with a Leica optics (one of the best existing optics on the market), a powerful 30x (30x) optical zoom, rare to find in a compact of this size, the Panasonic Lumix TZ70 entertains its owner with all the functionalities that a modern compact camera today has to have: Wi-Fi connectivity, very useful to connect the camera with the mobile for example and see in real time what is being photographed with the camera from the mobile, video recording in Full HD and slow motion or its built-in image stabilizer make it one of the best compact cameras to consider. If you are looking for a good balance between price and performance, this is your camera. Right now the Panasonic Lumix TZ70 is costing about 250-300 EUR in photo stores. By the way, for very little difference you can go to the Lumix TZ80 that incorporates video recording in 4K among other better.

CANON IXUS 185:

Who said there were no good compact cameras below 100 EUR? For sample, the Canon IXUS 185, one of the compact ones that offer the best quality of photos, with its 20 megapixels of resolution, its 8x optical zoom, and its easy creative functions that will help you obtain incredible photographs even if you do not have much experience as a photographer A perfect camera for small pockets, both for its small size and for the ridiculously small price it costs. Available in 3 colors.

CANON IXUS 190:

The Canon IXUS 190 is another magnificent alternative for those who walk with a small budget but do not want to do without last generation benefits. The Canon IXUS 190 impresses with its combination of 20 megapixels of resolution, 10x optical zoom (when the usual optical zoom in a compact does not usually exceed 3 to 5x), image stabilizer that will save you the frustration of getting blurry photos , along with a long list of extras that will make your "shooting" much easier (creative filters, Wi-Fi connectivity, ...).

Ideal for travel photography, nature, among others. It's perfect especially if you don't want to spend a lot on your next compact camera. The Canon IXUS 190 is now below 200 EUR.

PANASONIC LUMIX TZ57:

Very few manufacturers are able to put so much functionality in such a small body and price. Taking into account its price, the characteristics of the Panasonic Lumix TZ57 leave one speechless: 16 megapixels of resolution, an optical zoom not of 3 or 10, but of 20 magnifications (20x), flip screen, ideal for selfies or for photos between colleagues or family, Wi-Fi connectivity to connect the camera to the smartphone or tablet, optical image stabilizer, something that is normally reserved only for high-level cameras, are just some of the advantages that you take in the tiny body of the Lumix TZ57. Ideal camera for people who want to take family photos, retailers, selfies, or even for nature and travel photography, thanks to their negligible 20 zoom magnifications. Available in 2 colors, the Panasonic Lumix TZ57 costs between 150 and 200 EUR, a very economical price considering what the camera can do.

SONY CYBER-SHOT RX100:

The many years of experience and the enormous commitment that Sony has always shown towards the compact camera market have made it one of the largest manufacturers of this type of cameras. One of Sony's “jewels” is the RX100, one of the few compact cameras with f / 1.8 lens aperture and image stabilizer, two key features in photography and with which you can capture amazing photographs full of light and with a level Of rare sharpness to find in this kind of "pocket" cameras. The Sony RX100 also boasts 20 megapixels of resolution, 3-inch LCD screen, Full HD video and all the other features we could expect from it. Its price is somewhat high but sometimes you could locate it on offer. Normally around 400 and peak EUR , a price very well invested if you are looking for a camera for portraits or family photography.

CANON POWERSHOT SX740 HS:

I always say that in a camera you can't have everything. Except for the Canon SX740 HS, which imposes with its powerful zoom of 40x (40x), nothing common in compact cameras of such a small size, its 5-axis image stabilizer, its video quality no less than 4K, its speed 10fps shooting (at the level of an SLR of 2,500 EUR), its Wi-Fi and Bluetooth connectivity, its flip-down screen, many other advantages. Whether you are a selfies at parties or if you prefer travel or landscape photography, the Canon SX740 HS is a great option. Its price is around 400 and peak euros, but you ensure a camera backed by an excellent brand that will last a long time.

INSTA360 ONE X:

As a closing to this mega-guide I wanted to include a very special compact camera, a camera made especially for those who seek to immortalize trips, parties, or personal moments from a very different perspective. The Insta360 ONE X is a camera that captures photos and videos, as the name implies, in 360 °. This entails the incredible advantage of being able to go through life shooting without more, and to recover the image to "frame it" as we want later. When capturing the photo or video in 360 °, the photographer always has the possibility of reviewing the photo / video and of framing the exact part that he is interested in "revealing" at that moment. The Insta360 ONE X takes photos with a quality of 18 megapixels and records videos in 5.7K (yes, higher than 4K). It brings, as expected, a host of extra features such as Wi-Fi connectivity, stabilization or slow motion recording. If you travel many, if you usually move around or go to many events, or just looking for a different camera, the Insta360 ONE X is your camera. You can get it for about 450 - 500 EUR. There you have it, nothing less than 10 of the best compact cameras of the moment. As I said at the beginning, the cameras that I have selected in this mega-guide have passed several selection criteria and all have a very good score from current users. If you were looking for a compact camera, yours is upstairs, so go for it. Thank you very much for reading this article, I hope you liked it.