Slim digital cameras are great companion for the traveler and the social butterfly. If you travel a lot and take most of your pictures throughout your trips, a slim digital camera will help you make the bring back with you the best out of your trip without being a hassle. Social butterfly? The last thing you want is probably to carry around that big and heavy professional camera. A slim digital camera will follow you everywhere, allowing you to take fun shots in the blink of an eye, and will easily be put away in a purse or in your pocket.
Their is a wide and complete selection of compact cameras models as they have become a must for every manufacturer. Slim digital cameras are often extremely powerful, offer a wide angle zoom and a strong zoom, which make it often a favorite, even among professionnal photographers on vacation.
For social events :
An ultra compact camera will weigh under 200 grams and can be hidden basically anywhere. If you are planning to buy a camera for your night out in town, look for features such as speed and reactivity, that will allow you to take pictures in the blink of an eye. You will often find numbers that will describe how long it takes for a function to occur, such as 0.3s autofocus, 0.7s power time, internal zoom, etc. Although you may not need a very powerful zoom (3X, 5X), an image stabilization system will always be welcomed.
For traveling :
The zoom (10X, 12X and even 15X) is the ratio between the maximum and minimum zooms. The bigger the number, the more powerful the zoom is. The wide angle allows for great pictures of scenery pictures. Although a 28mm is good for most people, the 24mm is the ideal starting point for people who are looking into semi-professional looking scenery pictures. The camera you purchase should come with an image stabilization system, especially with such a powerful zoom. A f/2.8 – 4.3 aperture lense (you will find those numbers on the lense) describe the maximal opening of the diaphragm.
Our Top 10 Slim Digital Cameras
1. Canon PowerShot S95 10 MP Digital Camera
5. Olympus XZ-1
8. Canon PowerShot ELPH 300 HS
Canon has always and remains one of the top player in this market, and for good reasons! For example, the 10 megapixels Powershot S95 camera which features a HS system for improved low light performance resulting in better image quality takes the #1 spot with nearly 4.4 out of 5 and 318 reviews on Amazon.com. This 3.8x Wide Angle Optical Image Stabilized Zoom and 3.0-Inch inch LCD truly pocketable camera gives an excellent image quality and full controls over your photography. The Canon PowerShot ELPH 300 HS, a 12.1MP camera, is probably the world’s thinnest digital camera with a 24mm ultra Wide-Angle lens and a 5x Optical Zoom and Optical Image Stabilizer. This camera comes with a good HD video and an HS system that truly reduces the noise at higher ISOs, which means much better image quality in lower light. A camera that shoots stellar images in such as little package.
But it is Panasonic that is the highlight of this top ten list, with 4 contenders. To the Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS8, a consumer passionately writes: « If I could buy only camera, that would probably be it ». Although this is not quite a « point and shoot » camera, this camera is close enough and have every feature you will need, including a 14.1 megapixel image, a 16x wide angle optical image stabilized zoom and a 3.0-inch LCD, all at a a great price! The Panasonic Lumix DMC-LX5 is also praised by happy photographers for its ergonomic design and for its easy controls. This 10.1MP digital camera is an excellent travel camera which has a fast autofocus, a fast startup and shot-to-shot time, a great battery life and a great video quality. With the Panasonic DMC-FH25A, you certainly won’t need to break the bank to get quality images. This camera features a 16.1 megapixels 8x Wide Angle Image Stabilized Zoom with 2.7 inch LCD camera is very user friendly, easy to operate and take sharp outdoor pictures, making it a great day-to-day use type of camera for a budget under 200$. And for nature lovers, you will enjoy the convenience of carrying a DMC-TS3 with you. Light weight, this camera is great for the outdoors as it is waterproofed and features 4 active outdoor scene modes : sports, snow, beach and snorkeling and underwater. This camera is a true outdoor gadget as it also comes with other outdoor-friendly features, such as a built-in GPS function, a compass, altimeter and barometer!
Sony lovers are not left behind. Indeed, the Sony Cyber-Shot DSC-WX9 is an excellent 16.2MP camera, with a fast performing snapshot feature and a superior auto mode which automatically reduce blur and noire after each shot, while the Sony Cyber-Shot DSC-TX10 was designed for the outdoors (waterproof, freezeproof, dustproof). This 16.2MP digital camera also has an amazing 3D still image and 3D sweep panorama for even more spectacular shots.
If you like professional quality camera without the bulkiness, the Olympus XZ-1 means business and is simply a beauty when it comes to compact cameras. Users seem to love everything in this camera, starting by the quick and slick menu interface, to the great design to the blazing fast Zuiko lens, and of course the fact that it has one of the larger sensors of all the cameras in its category. Plus the XZ-1 is slim enough to fit in your pocket.
Last but not least on our list are the Casio. Casio has recently made it way through the top cameras to own, at an affordable price. Hence, the Casio EX-H20GBK Hybrid-GPS geotags your pictures as you go! Yes, this great gadget features a geotag, which allows you to remember exactly where the picture was taken, a great feature when you are traveling around the world. Combined with its small size perfect for portability, this is a great family camera.
By N, writer for Consumer Top 10.
Other reading: Top 10 Waterproof Digital Cameras
