The Best Point and Shoot Digital Cameras

It was a litle 35mm compact camera which first gave me a love of photography. From that I moved up to a Russian SLR - Heavy, clunky and with everything entirely manual. And I loved it! The modern digital point and shoot cameras we have today make it look even more of an antique than it was 20 years ago but it taught me everything I needed to know.

Those foundations set me on a path which led to professional photography but I still love to go out and take photographs for pleasure. And there's no better tool to choose than a digital point and shoot camera for those trips. Yes I know all about aperatures, focal length, reciprocity ... but I don't have to think about them if I have a reliable point and shoot camera! I trust it to do all the thinking for me and just capture the scene I frame and point at.

People often ask me what's the best point and shoot digital camera. The answer depends on many things, the main I think being you and what you want the camera for! Is it to take holiday snaps, pictures of the kids on days out? Or do you want to capture sporting events like motor racing?

Personally I use a Canon A480 and a Samsung ST50 - both beautiful little cameras. My Canon A480 has 10 mega pixel capture and delivers fantastic quality. It has features I'd expect more of a digital SLR camera including face detection and anti blur but it's completely intuitive... and great fun! The Samsung ST50 has an incredible 12 megapixels. I've used it as often as back up camera for weddings as I have for family days out.

The features of a point and shoot digital camera need considering of course but so does the general feel of it. If you want to compare digital camera prices online that's a great idea but it's worth going to a store and actually holding the camera before you buy one. before you even read the manual you should get a sense of how to move around the menus and modes etc. You want it to be second nature so you never miss a shot! We all have our favourite brands but don't get hung up comparing Canon and Olympus or Pentax and Nikon. Go with what feels right for you!

If you do want to consider a digital SLR take a look here

http://how-to-choose-a-digital-slr-camera.blogspot.com/

One of the best things about buying a digital point and shoot camera is the vast choice available. Whatever your budget, whatever type of pictures you want to take and whatever your age there's a digital point and shoot best for you. Even Lego have made one to target the young market!

The Lego Digital Blue LG10002 Digital Camera offer 3 Megapixels and a 4 x zoom and is ideal for a budding young photographer. What about at the other end of the scale - What's the best digital camera for an older person? Of course fiddly buttons and confusing modes aren't ideal for everyone and an older person might want something with a large clear screen and nice solid controls. Something like the Fujifilm Finepix A150 Digital Camera is ideal - it's fairly low budge model but has all the featues you could want in a point and shoot camera.

Moving up the price range a little one of the hottest point and shoots at the moment is the Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZX1EB-R Digital Camera. It's feature packed and comes in a range of colours including a very stylish red. It has a superb Leica lens and high spec features like optical image stabilisation and an Intelligent Auto made with face recognition for perfect focussing.

Back into the more budget end the Pentax Optio M85 Digital Camera is a fine option. Twelve megapixels, 3 X optical zoom and high definition video capture are included in the features and it's another stylish looking little point and shoot.

If you're looking for the best point and shoot for holiday pictures consider the Vivitar V8400 Digital Camera. It offers the features you would expect in a modern digital camera but has a major advantage in that in can be used underwater! You may not be a diver but an underwater camera is great for pictures of the kids in the sea etc and even just for taking to the beach it's ideal as sand won't ruin it and at the end of the day you can just rinse it under the tap! The Vivitar V8400 has a sturdy rubber casing and really looks the part as a budget underwater digital camera.