Hoping to score the best compact digital camera, but on a tight budget? Check out our top picks.
Fujifilm FinePix J28
Street Price: $100
At the $100 mark, cameras that can pull off a solid photo are hard to find. But despite competition from models such as the Canon PowerShot A480 and Kodak EasyShare C180, we chose the FinePix J28 because it’s lightweight, easy to use, and lithium-ion powered.
Canon PowerShot SD1200 IS
Street Price: $150
Featuring a smattering of manual controls – more than you’d usually expect at this price point – the PowerShot SD1200 IS isn’t spectacular in any one facet, but makes up for its lack of star power by being a wholly thrifty yet perfectly livable camera (with a real viewfinder to boot).
Canon PowerShot SD780 IS
Street Price: $200
Canon’s smallest digital camera, the tiny PowerShot SD780 IS has attracted a humungous legion of fans since its spring debut, surprising critics worldwide with its build quality, intuitive nature, and twelve megapixel performance. And it’s available in a bunch of colors too, so even the fashion police won’t complain.
Canon PowerShot D10
Street Price: $275
One of the best waterproof cameras ever released, the D10 appeals as much with its aquatic durability as it does with its picture quality. ‘Nuff said.
Olympus Stylus Tough 8000
Street Price: $275
If durability is your game, you could do much worse than the Stylus Tough 8000, a ruggedly built yet somehow fashionable digicam that’s water-resistant, cold-resistant, drop-resistant, and even pressure-resistant. The picture quality is average, but that’s the price for such resistance.
Check out our Olympus Stylus Tough-8000 Review.
