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Absurd! That’s what many serious photographers think when they see a $700-plus price tag on a compact digital camera. After all, the same money buys a good 35mm SLR system (with at least one zoom lens, an external flash, and a camera bag). So what’s the rationale behind handing over seven Benjamins for a digital point-and-shoot? Try these reasons: A digital SLR (body only) costs twice as much, and $700 digitals are so sophisticated that they have no equivalent on the film side, so really can’t be called point-and-shoots. In fact, their image quality and capabilities can rival those of more expensive digital SLRs.
To prove this point, we tested four state-of-the-art models that may be worth your investment.
1. Higher Image Quality
The Number One concern among prospective digital camera buyers is image quality. Fortunately, just about every digital with more than 3 megapixels of resolution ($300–$400) can produce an acceptable photo-quality 4x6, 5x7, or even 8x10 print. Want larger? Go to 4 megapixels ($350–$500). Looking to crop and still make giant prints? Then 5 megapixels or higher ($500 and up) is your answer. (No compacts have an effective resolution of 6MP or higher yet, and it may stay that way for a while.) Though the 5MP Hewlett-Packard PhotoSmart 935 ($500) delivers extremely high image quality in normal situations, its lack of exposure controls and other features makes it almost a point-and-shoot compared to the Canon PowerShot G5 (street: $800), Nikon Coolpix 5400 ($800), Olympus Camedia C-5050 Zoom ($680), and Sony Cyber-shot DSC-V1 ($700).
All four of these cameras provide extremely high image quality, and a great deal of control. In our tests, the best resolution (Canon’s G5 and Sony’s V-1) came pretty close to the scores of a 6MP digital SLR, and color accuracy for this quartet was at the top of all digital cameras (including digital SLRs). We found that sharply focused field-test images from each of these 5MP cameras could be made into photo-quality 10x12 1/2 prints. That’s impressive even for a top 35mm film compact.
2. Improved Performance
Beyond image quality, a camera has to perform well in a variety of shooting conditions, which is why the lens, AF speed, burst rate, and battery life are so important.
On the lens front, these four shine. All but the Olympus C-5050 have a 4X optical zoom, which lets you get closer to your subject without resorting to image-degrading digital zoom. On the other hand, the f/1.8 lens on the C-5050 offers slightly better low-light performance (the Canon has a bright f/2.0; the Nikon and Sony pack an f/2.8).
Understand that in the film world, no compact cameras with zoom lenses have apertures anywhere near this wide. And only a few lower-res digital point-and-shoots carry f/2.8 lenses. Put simply, these four give you world-class glass.
Their autofocusing capabilities are also advanced, with relatively fast focusing speeds, selectable focus zones, continuous AF, manual focus, focus-lock, and decent low-light sensitivity. Three of them also feature a low-light focus-assist lamp, while the Sony V-1 uses a cool holographic laser to autofocus up to 20 feet from the camera in complete darkness.
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