If you need a camera on the go, there’s nothing better than a good compact camera. In this article, we’ll break down the top 5 compact cameras on the market this year based on price versus performance and the situations they’ll be used in. So whether you’re looking for the best compact camera for travel, photos, or video, stay tuned; we’ll have the perfect option for you.
First up is the Fujifilm X100V, our pick for the best overall compact camera. The Fujifilm X100V delivers extraordinary performance in an elegantly engineered, compact package. All the features you need are here, including a wide 24-200mm zoom range, quick autofocus, rapid continuous shooting, and improved video capabilities, all in a remarkably compact body. The X100V looks just as good in the hand as a dozen pictures. It has a premium look and feel, with very few rivals as far as aesthetics go, and one of its biggest charms is the creative flexibility it gives you in a pocketable form factor. This camera features an incorporated 23mm F2 lens that delivers maximum resolution and channels light into a 26.1MP PSC X-Trans CMOS 4 sensor. The focal length and aperture of the lens are equipped with two aspherical elements that improve sharpness, resolution, and distortion. This flexibility is supported by strong autofocus performance and more reliable face and eye detection. You can also shoot 4K video at 30 fps and get some great slow-motion footage by stepping down to 1080p at 120 fps, giving you a glimpse of detail that’s usually missed by the eye in real time. To compose your shots, you can use the rear-mounted tilting touch screen. The screen sits flush to the back of the camera, so it stays out of the way when you’re not using it, but can be easily pulled up by 90 degrees and down by around 30 degrees when you need it. This feature really comes in handy for street photography, allowing you to shoot from the hip or above your head to get angles that aren’t possible on some cameras or smartphones. If you prefer manual shooting with a fixed focal length, the Fujifilm X100V is the perfect choice. The lens and sensor combination deliver excellent images, and it’s an incredibly fun compact camera to shoot with.
Next up is the Sony ZV-1, our pick for the best compact camera for vlogging. The Sony ZV-1 makes content creation easier. It’s combination of excellent image quality and compact size make it a true favorite of vloggers, and its ease of use makes it a great choice for beginners as well. This compact camera features a 20.1 megapixel sensor combined with a Zeiss 24-70mm equivalent fixed lens that retracts into the camera when powered down, making it ultra-portable. It offers real-time eye autofocus that’s very accurate, and built-in optical and electronic image stabilization will help you get some smooth handheld shots without any extra equipment. Like the Fujifilm X100V, you’ll be able to compose and monitor your shots using the 3-inch articulating touch screen that can also flip 180 degrees to face forward for easier vlogging. It’s designed so it won’t interfere with any accessories you use with the multi-interface shoe on the top plate. You’ll be able to capture 4K video at 30 fps or shoot in 1080p at up to 120 fps. A forward-directional mic is situated on the top plate to capture audio. And for outdoor shooting, a detachable windscreen is included in the box to eliminate any wind noise. As an alternative, the ZV-1 also offers a 3.5mm mic jack that can be used to connect an external mic. To add interest to your videos, you can take advantage of the ZV-1’s visual effects. Use the bokeh effect to create a soft background, or get some great slow motion or time lapse effects, picture effects, creative styles, and more that will give you plenty of visual possibilities. If you’re looking for a compact camera that’s focused on vlogging, the Sony ZV-1 is the perfect choice. The ZV-1 is versatile, delivers excellent results, is highly portable, and is easy enough for a beginner to use.
Next up is the Canon PowerShot G7X Mark III, our pick for the best compact camera for beginners. The Canon PowerShot G7X Mark III is Canon’s most video-focused PowerShot camera, and its incredibly easy-to-use menu system makes it easy for beginners to pick it up and start shooting right away. Whether you shoot stills, video, or a combination of both, the G7 X Mark III’s 20.1 megapixel CMOS sensor and Digic 8 processing engine consistently deliver good quality. The camera is fronted by a retracting 24-100mm equivalent lens with a built-in ND filter that cuts about three stops of light when enabled. Like the Sony ZV-1, you can record in either 4K at 30 fps or full HD at up to 120 fps and create some super smooth slow-motion shots with no change in cropping when you switch modes, so you’ll always maintain the same framing. For capturing better audio, a 3.5mm mic jack will let you connect an external mic. Following in the footsteps of the Fujifilm X100V and the Sony ZV-1, the G7X Mark III also incorporates a rear touchscreen into its design that will let you compose your shots and access menu functions. Like the other cameras, it allows you to flip it up and rotate it 180 degrees for easy vlog monitoring, so you can maintain proper framing at all times. The camera’s autofocus system has also been improved and supports eye detection while recording video. It does a decent job tracking moving objects and faces in still photography and performs remarkably well when shooting full HD video. The battery pack will give you about 265 still shots or about 30 minutes of video recording. If you’re planning to exceed 30 minutes in video mode, you can connect the power cable to the USB Type-C port for uninterrupted runtime. If you’re looking for an easy-to-use, compact camera that will give you consistent, impressive quality, the Canon G7X Mark III is an excellent choice. This camera is great for mixed stills and video use and features an improved autofocus system and a built-in ND filter.
Next up is the Sony Cybershot RX100-6, our pick for the best compact camera for video. The Sony Cybershot RX100-6 is a fantastic compact camera that carves out a niche for itself by delivering beautiful stills, solid telephoto performance, and excellent video quality, all in a compact, highly portable package. This compact camera has a 24-200mm zoom lens with a variable maximum aperture of f2.8–4.5 and is paired up with a back-illuminated 20.1-megapixel 1-inch Exmor RS CMOS sensor that features a stacked design that allows incredibly fast readout speeds. A customizable control ring around the lens can be assigned to a range of functions. By default, it’s used to control aperture when you’re in aperture priority mode and shutter speed in shutter priority mode. Otherwise, there are relatively few body-mounted controls, but the 4-way control wheel on the rear of the camera is the only other key control to access the camera’s main shooting settings. To help reduce the effects of camera shake, the RX100-6 features Sony’s Optical Steady Shot Image Stabilization System, which delivers a 4-stop advantage that lets you shoot at slower shutter speeds and still achieve shots with excellent sharpness. Oddly, the RX100-6 doesn’t have an external mic jack, like the Sony ZV-1 and Canon PowerShot G7X Mark III. But if you can look past that, you’ll see that this camera really shines when it comes to video. It’s capable of shooting in 4K up to 30fps with a maximum bitrate of 100Mbps using over-sampled 5.5K footage from the entire sensor. It offers 4K HDR compatibility with its new HLG picture profile. And if you want to shoot some dramatic slow-motion footage, the RX100 VI can shoot in 1080p up to an impressive 120fps. If you’re shopping for the best compact camera for shooting video, the Sony Cybershot RX100 VI is a great choice and leads the pack when it comes to its compact-sized rivals. The only real disadvantage here is the lack of an external mic jack.
Last but not least, the Panasonic Lumix LX100 II is our pick for the best compact camera for photographers. Although it’s a bit more complex to use, the Lumix LX100 II has a lot of appeal with photographers who want a fast, point-and-shoot compact camera in an age where smartphones are widespread. While most premium compacts, like the Sony RX100-6, have opted for a 1-inch sensor, the Lumix LX100-2 features a larger ¾-micro 20-megapixel sensor that’s 1.6 times larger, and you get a choice of four aspect ratios that include 4 by 3, 3 by 2, 16 by 9, and 1 to 1 that could be selected with the flick of a switch. The 24-75mm Leica DC Vario Summilux F1.7-F2.8 lens features six optical groups that can all be moved independently and five aspherical lenses with extra dispersion properties to control chromatic aberration. The focal range is perfect for general shooting, covering everything from wide landscapes to short telephoto shots. This camera has touch-screen functionality like the other cameras we’ve looked at, and while it’s sharp and clear and responds very well to touch input, it’s fixed and doesn’t offer the same tilting flexibility. However, there is an electronic viewfinder in place as an alternative to compose your shots. This camera borrows its sensor from the Lumix GX9, so it has the same 49-area focusing arrangement, and the autofocus speed is very good. The autofocus uses DFD technology that assesses two images with different sharpness levels to determine the correct subject distance. It’s fast and responsive, allowing you to point and shoot in a single action without worrying if the camera has had enough time to focus. And while it’s not really designed as an action camera, the Lumix LX100 II can burst shoot up to 11 fps. If you’re shopping around for a compact camera with a focus on photography rather than video, the Panasonic Lumix LX100 II is a very good choice. This is a responsive, premium camera with a fast lens, increased resolution, and good external controls.
