You Don't Need an SLR to Upgrade From a Smartphone
Ask a photographer what type of camera will give you the best photos and they'll likely suggest a large, expensive SLR—but for many casual shooters they're just too bulky for day-to-day use. Most folks reach for their smartphone to snap images, and in bright light flagship handsets do a solid job, albeit without optical zoom and middling performance in dim conditions.
But what if you want picture quality that's better than a smartphone? Or the versatility of an optical zoom lens? You can still get a cheap compact camera, but we've been underwhelmed by models in the sub-$200 price range. They tend to use CCD image sensors, which don't do well in low light and have limited video capabilities. (If you're set on an inexpensive compact, the Canon PowerShot Elph 170 IS is a good way to go, as long as you understand its limitations.)
Our recommendation is to prepare to spend a bit more on a compact camera, at a few hundred dollars if you simply want a model that offers a strong optical zoom range, and more if you're after a large sensor that delivers significant advantages in image quality.
See How We Test Digital Cameras
You Get What You Pay For
It's in the premium price range—greater than $500—that we've seen quite a bit of growth in recent years, as the lower end of the market erodes. Manufacturers have moved to 1-inch class image sensors, many times larger than the tiny imagers in smartphones. The larger sensor size, often paired with a bright lens with a modest zoom range, deliver images that pop thanks to a blurred background, without sacrificing a pocketable form factor. It's also a big plus for low-light shooting.
And there are options with larger than 1-inch sensors, including the Canon G1 X Mark II, the lone camera on the market with a 1.5-inch class sensor, and the Panasonic LX100, which sports an even larger Micro Four Thirds sensor—as big as one you'd find in a mirrorless camera—and a zoom lens.
Models with APS-C chips, the size you get with an SLR, typically feature lenses that don't zoom, as zooming designs simply eliminate any size advantage they'd enjoy versus a mirrorless camera with interchangeable lenses. The Fujifilm X100F and Ricoh GR II are our current favorites in this unique class.
For a look at every camera we've reviewed, and not just those that are easy to slip into your pocket, check out our Digital Cameras Product Guide.
Featured Point-and-Shoot Camera Reviews:
Fujifilm X100F
$1299.95 MSRP
%displayPrice% at %seller% The Fujifilm X100F is everything a premium compact camera should be, capturing SLR-quality images in a form factor that slides into your jacket pocket. Read the full review-
Ricoh GR II
$699.95 MSRP
%displayPrice% at %seller% The Ricoh GR II is a modest update to many a photographer's favorite pocket camera, adding Wi-Fi and a few firmware tweaks. Read the full review -
Sony Cyber-shot DSC-RX100
$649.99 MSRP
%displayPrice% at %seller% The Sony Cyber-shot DSC-RX100 packs a relatively huge 1-inch image sensor into a point-and-shoot body, delivering close-to-SLR-quality images from a camera you can fit in your back pocket. It's expensive, but worth it. Read the full review -
Sony Cyber-shot DSC-RX100 III
$799.99 MSRP
%displayPrice% at %seller% The Sony Cyber-shot DSC-RX100 III compact camera earns Editors' Choice accolades because of its image quality and excellent EVF, even despite its high price. Read the full review -
Olympus Tough TG-4
$379.99 MSRP
%displayPrice% at %seller% Olympus didn't add much to the Tough TG-4 camera aside from Raw shooting support, but it's as fine a rugged compact as its predecessor. Read the full review -
Canon PowerShot G1 X Mark II
$799.99 MSRP
%displayPrice% at %seller% The Canon PowerShot G1 X Mark II fixes just about every fault of the original G1 X, but it's got some stiff competition for your dollar. Read the full review -
Canon PowerShot G7 X Mark II
$699.99 MSRP
%displayPrice% at %seller% The Canon PowerShot G7 X Mark II is a pricey pocket camera with image quality that goes toe-to-toe with much larger models. Read the full review -
Panasonic Lumix DMC-LX100
$899.99 MSRP
%displayPrice% at %seller% The Panasonic Lumix DMC-LX100 is an ambitious compact camera with a big sensor, a wide-aperture lens, and 4K video recording, but it falls just short of top honors. Read the full review -
Canon PowerShot Elph 170 IS
$149.99 MSRP
%displayPrice% at %seller% The Canon PowerShot Elph 170 IS omits a lot of features that we're used to seeing in pocket cameras, but hits a price point that's decidedly affordable. Read the full review -
Canon PowerShot SX530 HS
$429.99 MSRP
%displayPrice% at %seller% The Canon PowerShot SX530 HS is a fairly compact superzoom camera with a 50x zoom lens, but it can be slow to focus when zoomed in all the way. Read the full review