Best Compact Cameras

Canon's point-and-shoot cameras beat the rest

The Canon PowerShot S95 (*Est. $330) gets the most praise of any current compact camera. At 1.16 inches thick, it's a little beefier than Canon's popular Digital ELPH series cameras -- such as the Canon PowerShot Elph 500 HS (*Est. $200), discussed below -- but still slips easily into a pants pocket. The S95 digital camera comes in a matte black finish meant to look more professional than stylish.

Indeed, experts say this is a pocket camera fit for a pro: It captures beautiful JPEG photos at all light levels, or you can shoot in RAW format (allowing for finer post-processing). It can record 720p high-definition video with stereo sound -- "sharply focused, properly exposed, color correct video clips," says DigitalCameraReview.com -- and has a mini-HDMI jack so you can hook up the camera directly to your HDTV to watch your clips. It even has a lens ring, just like a traditional digital SLR (single-lens reflex) camera -- and you can use it to control nine functions, including zoom, focus, aperture, ISO, white balance, exposure compensation and aspect ratio. The ring feels much more intuitive than tapping controls on a touch screen or fidgeting with a tiny dial, experts say. In fact, when the demanding experts at DPReview.com test the Canon PowerShot S95 against rivals from Panasonic and Nikon, they find the Canon the easiest to use. It's their top pick for "taking everywhere -- the snapshot-friendly body is small enough to fit inside a shirt pocket, but with no penalty in image quality."

There's no hot shoe and no viewfinder -- you'll have to step up to the Canon PowerShot G12 (*Est. $380) for that, experts say (it's a top pick in our Advanced Digital Cameras section). But the Canon PowerShot S95 does have a big, 3-inch, high-resolution, touch-screen display that is "gorgeous, easy to use indoors and out" and works well for framing your shots, Imaging-Resource.com says.

Inside, the Canon PowerShot S95 boasts the same big image sensor as the Canon PowerShot G12, packing 10 megapixels of resolution (thankfully emphasizing megapixel quality over quantity, experts say) and the ability to shoot well at a wide range of ISO adjustments. Up front is a "good quality, fast lens" with a range of 28 mm to 105 mm and 3.8x optical zoom; Imaging-Resource.com calls this lens the S95's "most compelling feature," as its wide maximum aperture achieves better night and indoor shots than most compact cameras.

From the touch screen, you can set up automatic features like optical stabilization, face detection, blink detection and red-eye correction. The camera includes 18 pre-defined shooting settings (portrait, snow, beach, etc.) so you can match the automatic settings to your situation. It "will dependably produce beautiful images not only for photo enthusiasts, but also for travelers, hikers, backpackers and casual shooters," says DigitalCameraReview.com.

The main drawback with the Canon PowerShot S95 is its sluggish shooting speed -- 2.58 seconds per shot in Imaging-Resource.com's tests. It speeds up a bit in bright light, but otherwise "the S95 feels like it operates at a leisurely but not overly frustrating pace," says Lori Grunin at CNET. Reviewers are also unimpressed with the S95's battery life (200 shots per charge) and the fact that you can't use the optical zoom while shooting video, a common complaint with pocket digital cameras.

The cheaper Nikon Coolpix P300 (Discontinued) looks a lot like the Canon PowerShot S95, and it even offers a few enticing features the pricier Canon lacks -- notably, it can shoot full 1080p HD video. You'll also get a slightly longer 4.2x optical zoom lens that opens up to a slightly wider 24 mm equivalent, and a higher-resolution, 12-megapixel image sensor.

But more megapixels aren't necessarily better, testers find. "On the inside the P300 doesn't quite match up to its competitive Canon model," the S95, says William Perceval at Pocket-Lint.com. "Why? It's all down to sensor size." The Nikon crams more megapixels onto a smaller sensor, and experts say image quality suffers. DPReview.com finds a few more shortcomings: The P300 can't shoot RAW files, and it offers less control over things like noise reduction.

"Overall then, the P300 is a satisfying compact camera, but contrary to appearance, it is not the direct competitor for the S95 that we'd hoped (and initially assumed) it might be," DPReview.com says. "However, what it does, it does very well. If you want full manual control in a lightweight, well-constructed (and relatively inexpensive) body, and you like the idea of twin control dials but don't care about being limited to JPEG capture, you will probably love the P300." DPReview.com says the Nikon P300 actually has more in common with Canon's cheaper Elph cameras.

One of these, the Canon PowerShot Elph 500 HS (*Est. $200), earns critics' respect for its "incredibly sharp, detailed photos," as PCMag.com says. It shoots decent-looking full 1080p HD video too (at least in adequate light), experts say. To control the 500 HS, you'll have to use its 3.2-inch LCD touchscreen: Some testers find it fairly intuitive to use, but CNET's Joshua Goldman calls it "potentially frustrating" -- you can easily change some settings by accident, but others take several taps. The touch screen also drains the battery, and several testers say it's not as responsive as a smartphone's.

Unlike the top-rated Canon PowerShot S95, the 500 HS doesn't offer a full manual mode, and its 12.1-megapixel image sensor is smaller. Still, Steves-Digicams.com says outdoor photos from its 4.4x optical zoom lens look "incredible," and indoor photos show "an incredible amount of detail throughout the image." CNET's Goldman says that "While the photos from the S95 are better, they won't be $100 better for a lot of snapshooters."