Best point-and-shoot cameras: how to choose?

Over the last few years, digital photography has evolved so much that many people no longer know which camera to choose to capture their everyday moments: body stabilization or not, an LCD screen, Full HD, a tilting screen, sensor size, megapixels… in short, there are a lot of questions and a lot of options. In this article, I’m focusing on point-and-shoot cameras, also known as compact cameras. You should also know that we now have a separate article on the best current cameras, which naturally includes the expert compacts covered here, but also mirrorless cameras and bridge cameras. We update that article every year with our latest recommendations.

Basic point-and-shoot cameras have recently been pushed aside, almost to the point of becoming the outcasts of the photography world. Smartphone competition has been fierce, and with most people now carrying a camera built directly into their phone, many no longer feel the need for a dedicated camera. Of course, handling is far from ideal, burst mode is limited, and low-light photography is still tricky, but still… especially since manufacturers are constantly competing with new software features to improve image quality and performance. Some even go as far as creating modes that simulate the rendering of more advanced cameras directly on smartphones.

As a result, these poor “point-and-shoot cameras,” which were always designed to simplify photography without too many settings or too much user control, no longer feel like they offer enough. It’s a bit ironic: on the one hand, people prefer smartphones because they are “ready-to-shoot” cameras, but on the other, smartphones are also the devices that have evolved the most and now include the most features requiring at least some knowledge and control.

In this article, I’ll share my thoughts on the remaining advantages of point-and-shoot cameras and look more closely at the new generation of advanced compact cameras: what they are for, who they are for, how to choose one, and which models I currently recommend. Wondering what the best advanced point-and-shoot camera is right now?

If you are still hesitating over which camera to choose for photography, I invite you to read my full article on mirrorless cameras. For more information on video, you can also check out our practical guide to action cameras.

In my opinion, these are the best expert compact cameras currently available. You can click on each camera name to jump to the details:

• Fujifilm X100VI
• Sony RX100 VII
• Sony ZV-1 II
• Ricoh GR IIIx
• Leica D-Lux 8
• Leica Q3
• Leica Q3 43

Announced in February 2024, the Fujifilm X100VI is the sixth generation of this expert APS-C compact camera. It combines a 40.2 MP sensor with the X-Processor 5 for sharp, detailed images. The major new feature on this model is its built-in 5-axis image stabilization, a first for the X100 range.

On the video side, the camera can record in 6.2K at 30 fps and in DCI 4K at 60 fps. The hybrid viewfinder and tilting touchscreen also make framing easier. Ergonomically, the camera keeps its retro design, with manual controls for shutter speed, aperture, and ISO, which makes it very intuitive to use. It is compact and relatively light, so it is easy to take almost anywhere. Battery life is decent, with up to 450 shots per charge, although it could still be better.

The Fujifilm X100VI is mainly aimed at photographers looking for a lightweight, discreet, and beautifully designed camera. It is ideal for street photography, reportage, and portraits. Its autofocus still has some limitations when tracking moving subjects, but in my opinion, it remains a very appealing camera that blends modern technology with a strong retro feel.

Available since July 2019, the Sony RX100 VII is a high-quality expert compact camera designed for demanding photographers and videographers. It features a 20.1 MP sensor and a BIONZ X processor. Real-time AF tracking and very fast focusing make it extremely responsive. Its 24-200 mm f/2.8-4.5 zoom is also highly versatile, which is rare for an expert compact camera.

In terms of performance, the camera offers a 20 fps burst mode, while Single Burst Shooting can reach up to 90 fps over 7 frames. It can also handle fast-moving action thanks to an ISO range of 100 to 12,800, expandable to 25,600, and an electronic shutter speed of up to 1/32,000s. Video performance is strong too, with 4K recording at up to 30 fps and Full HD recording at up to 120 fps.

In short, the compact and lightweight RX100 VII is ideal for travel photography, reportage, and even vlogging. Its performance makes it one of the most capable expert compacts around. Of course, all of that comes at a price, but it remains an excellent camera.

Available since June 2023, the Sony ZV-1 II is designed first and foremost for video, but it can also handle still photography very well. It has a 20.1 MP sensor and delivers very good image quality. Its fully articulating touchscreen also makes framing, vlogging, and taking photos much easier.

Ergonomically, the camera is compact and light. For video, it can record in 4K UHD at 30 fps and in Full HD at up to 120 fps. It also includes S-Log2 and S-Log3 profiles, which are useful if you want more flexibility in post-production. For content creation, this camera’s versatility is one of its main strengths. With an ISO range of 125 to 12,800 and a burst rate of 24 fps, it can also be useful for photography. However, its f/1.8-4 lens becomes more limited at the telephoto end, especially in low light.

So if you want a compact camera mainly for creating content, this model is a very strong option. It is easy to carry, pleasant to use, and very well suited to video.

Announced in September 2021, the Ricoh GR IIIx is a revised version of the famous GR III. The main difference from its predecessor is its fixed lens, equivalent to 40 mm in full-frame terms, instead of 28 mm. It keeps the same 24.2 MP sensor, which delivers sharp, detailed images. Its ISO range runs from 100 to 102,400, which is useful in low light. Autofocus is fairly effective, although continuous AF and subject tracking are not as strong as on some competitors.

Compact and lightweight, this camera is ideal for street photography and reportage. Its portable format makes it perfect for long shooting sessions without taking up much space. It also includes image stabilization to improve sharpness. However, its burst rate is limited to 4 fps, which makes it less suitable for fast-moving subjects.

In short, the Ricoh GR IIIx delivers excellent still-image quality, but it is not a camera that shines for video. It is limited to Full HD, with no 4K mode, and its autofocus does not track moving subjects particularly well. If you are looking for a minimalist, discreet camera with excellent image quality, this one is definitely worth considering.

Announced in May 2024 and available from July 2024, the Leica D-Lux 8 is a very appealing expert compact camera. To give you an idea, it keeps the same basic formula as its predecessor, the D-Lux 7, including a 17 MP effective sensor and a 24-75 mm optical zoom. It also has a touchscreen. For still photography, the ISO range runs from 100 to 25,000. For video, it records in 4K at 30 fps.

In use, the camera is well suited to street and everyday photography. However, its relatively limited focal range makes it less versatile than some travel-oriented compacts. On the plus side, it remains fairly compact and light, so it is easy to carry around. On the downside, the body is not weather-sealed and the screen is not fully articulating.

In a nutshell, the Leica D-Lux 8 has a very elegant design with a faux leather finish. It offers a good balance between style, compactness, and solid performance. If this is the kind of compact camera you are looking for, it should not disappoint.

The Leica Q3 is one of the most powerful compact cameras currently available. It features a 60 MP sensor with an ISO range of 50 to 100,000, which helps it handle digital noise well even in low light. The camera also has an electronic shutter with speeds of up to 1/16,000s and a tilting touchscreen, a first for the Q range. When it comes to video, it stands out with 10-bit DCI 8K recording. However, it does not have a headphone or microphone input, which is a real shame for videographers.

In terms of construction, it is no surprise that the Q3 is a high-end, weather-sealed, and robust camera. Its autofocus performs well for both stills and video. In burst mode, it can reach 15 fps in compressed RAW, compared with 4 fps with autofocus tracking. That is clearly one of its weaker points compared with some competitors. Thanks to its high-resolution sensor and bright lens, the Leica Q3 is excellent for street photography, reportage, and portraiture.

In short, the Leica Q3 is a high-end camera that performs especially well for street photography, reportage, and portraits. With optical image stabilization and a digital crop of up to 90 mm, it gives you a little more framing flexibility than you might expect from a fixed-lens camera. Frankly, if you have the budget and are looking for a very high-quality compact, it is easy to recommend.

If you are not sure, there is also the Leica Q2, which is still available and already delivers very strong performance. It could be a more affordable alternative.

A little over a year after the launch of the classic Q3, Leica announced the Leica Q3 43. The key features of the Q3 remain, including the 60 MP sensor, Maestro IV processor, and 8K UHD video recording. The main new feature is the APO-Summicron 43 mm f/2 ASPH fixed lens, which replaces the Summilux 28 mm f/1.7. This focal length, which is closer to human vision, is ideal for reportage and street photography, while offering a softer, more natural-looking bokeh. The digital crop has also been extended, from 90 mm to 150 mm in full-frame equivalent terms.

In terms of performance, sharpness is excellent even at full aperture, with very good consistency across the frame. The APO-Summicron lens significantly reduces chromatic aberrations and offers good resistance to flare and reflections. In terms of construction, the Q3 43 uses the same chassis. It has a weather-sealed body and a tilting touchscreen. It is slightly heavier, but still comfortable to handle. On the other hand, it keeps the same shooting limitations: 15 fps without AF tracking and only 4 fps with AF tracking… which is a shame.

At around €800 more than the standard Q3, the Q3 43 is aimed at photographers looking for an alternative to the 28 mm focal length. It stands out for its optical approach, which is particularly well suited to street photography, reportage, and everyday shooting.

Now it is up to you to decide which version you prefer.

This category includes all compact cameras that do not have interchangeable lenses and use a sensor of 1 inch or larger. In other words, these are not interchangeable-lens cameras. You will find models with MFT (Micro Four Thirds), APS-C, and even full-frame sensors, such as the Sony RX1. The brands offering the widest choice in this category are Sony, Panasonic, and Canon. Other brands such as Fujifilm, Ricoh, and Leica also have strong options. These cameras are interesting not only because they have larger sensors than basic compacts, but above all because they offer more advanced functions, with access to settings similar to those found on mirrorless cameras or DSLRs (aperture and shutter speed control, RAW format, and so on). Many also include an electronic viewfinder.

The word “advanced” suggests that these cameras are intended for experienced users who already understand the technology and simply want a backup camera, but that is not really the case. Remember: the person who is “beginner,” “expert,” or “pro” is the one holding the camera. In my opinion, advanced compact cameras are actually among the best cameras for getting started in photography. They are advanced enough to help you learn and improve, while remaining fairly easy to use. They are also limited enough in terms of system evolution that you can focus on learning the camera instead of worrying about which lens to buy next. You will not be tempted to build a whole lens collection before you really need one, which is not bad for the budget!

Many beginners start with a mirrorless camera or DSLR and a kit zoom, such as a 12-32 mm f/3.5-5.6 on Panasonic MFT or an 18-55 mm f/3.5-5.6 on Canon APS-C. Advanced point-and-shoot cameras often cover similar focal ranges, usually with brighter apertures, all in a more compact all-in-one body with fairly comparable image quality. Overall, unless you already know exactly what you need and are sure you want to invest more time and money into photography, advanced compact cameras can make excellent companions.

Of course, experienced users looking for a backup camera alongside a larger mirrorless or DSLR setup may also find advanced compacts very useful. Some will rightly point out that mirrorless and DSLR kits can also include telephoto lenses such as 45-150 mm or 70-300 mm f/4-5.6, focal lengths that few advanced compacts can cover. That is where another category I would normally be more cautious about can become useful: advanced bridge cameras. They are roughly the equivalent of advanced compacts with a much larger zoom range, although there are fewer of them, they generally use 1-inch sensors, and they are often fairly expensive.

The first advantage of these cameras is, of course, right there in the name: they are compact. Manufacturers have focused on size and weight, even if that means sacrificing a few comforts. As a result, these cameras are very practical to carry in a pocket or a small bag. This compactness also gives them another advantage: they are discreet.

One feature that sets them apart from their more “amateur” ancestors is that they let you move out of automatic mode and take control of aperture, shutter speed, ISO sensitivity, or all three at the same time. Their sensors are larger than those found in basic compact cameras, which makes it easier to see the effect of aperture control on depth of field (you can refer to my article on the subject if you are not familiar with the term), something that is not always obvious with very small sensors. They also offer many other advanced options, especially RAW format, which will help you get familiar with more advanced image-processing methods using powerful software that can further improve image quality.

Another advantage of these discreet but capable cameras is that they do not usually replace more advanced cameras such as mirrorless bodies and DSLRs. As a result, you may well keep one as a backup camera even if you buy a mirrorless camera or DSLR later on. By contrast, when you start with an entry-level mirrorless camera or DSLR, the day you upgrade, the old body may no longer be very useful. In fact, if you later want a lighter, simpler camera, there is a good chance you will come back to this same category of advanced point-and-shoot cameras.

That said, if they do not replace more advanced cameras, it is precisely because they themselves evolve very little. The smallest improvement usually requires buying an entirely new camera, and those changes are not always the ones you are looking for. With mirrorless cameras and DSLRs, on the other hand, the upgrade paths are more numerous and already well established.

Still, with experience, you will often find that an advanced compact camera with a bright standard zoom and a relatively large sensor can be very useful in many situations.

These are the cameras that, in my opinion, allow “real” compact cameras to keep clear advantages over smartphones. They are designed for photography, with ergonomics made for photography, larger sensors, and more ambitious lenses. Of course, to keep them compact, compromises have to be made on focal range. Some models, such as the Panasonic TZ200, manage to reach a 360 mm equivalent focal length, but at the cost of a very limited maximum aperture (f/6.4 at full zoom, which is already quite small even with a 1-inch sensor if you want optimal image quality). I would therefore tend to recommend compact cameras around the €500 mark that offer a shorter zoom range but brighter apertures, such as the Sony RX100 series. Since the newest versions are very expensive, Sony had the good idea of keeping older versions in production for a long time, and their prices have dropped. You can therefore still look at the RX100 III or IV versions. From other brands, I particularly recommend the Canon G7X III and G5X II, or the Panasonic LX15. If your budget is more limited, you can also look at the Canon G9 X Mk II, although its lens is much less bright than the G7X II, for example.

If you are interested in a larger sensor, which can give you better image quality in low light and blurrier backgrounds, Panasonic also offers the LX100 II, with a Micro Four Thirds sensor and a 24-75 mm f/1.7-2.8 equivalent zoom. With even larger APS-C sensors, Fujifilm has developed its well-known X100 series, popular in street photography, with cameras limited to a fixed focal length (28 or 35 mm equivalent depending on the model and crop mode), and Ricoh offers the Ricoh GRII. Canon has also released APS-C compact cameras, including the G1X III, whose distinctive feature is, as mentioned above, a 24-70 mm f/2.8-5.6 equivalent zoom. Keep in mind that we are now talking about compact cameras that can reach, and even exceed, €1,000.

Below is a summary of the advanced compact cameras I particularly recommend, along with their main characteristics. You can sort the table according to the criteria that matter most to you.

Finally, Sony’s RX1 series uses a full-frame sensor. And as you can imagine, if Fuji and Ricoh chose fixed focal lengths to keep their APS-C cameras compact, the same logic applies even more to a compact camera with a larger sensor. These Sony models therefore also use a fixed 35 mm equivalent focal length. Leica has also released full-frame compact cameras, but prices climb very quickly, often well above €3,000. The Q2 has often been described as one of the best advanced compact cameras of its generation.

As mentioned in the first paragraph, basic compact cameras are no longer very relevant choices today, except for models that offer exclusive features or very attractive prices. Examples include the Olympus Tough TG-6, a rugged all-rounder designed to withstand almost anything and usable underwater down to 15 m without a separate waterproof housing, or the simple and relatively affordable Canon Ixus 285, which is no heavier or bigger than a smartphone. Other compact cameras offer a very wide focal range, such as the Sony DSC-HX99 or the Panasonic TZ80. But if a long zoom range is truly important to you, a bridge camera can go further. Some even offer a very wide range with a 1-inch sensor, such as the Panasonic FZ1000 or the Sony RX10, while also providing advanced features similar to those found on expert compacts, which can help you learn photographic techniques.

These cameras still have certain advantages. The most basic models are available at low prices, well below high-end smartphones, while also being compact, space-saving, and often even lighter. They also use sensors of a similar size to those found in smartphones, so image quality can be comparable, but with optical zooms that are obviously more efficient and more versatile than digital zooms.

More expensive compacts, however, need to justify their price with specific features, such as waterproofing. Some manufacturers also offer a different approach, such as instant cameras that let you print a photo as soon as it is taken.

That said, this type of camera has clearly lost ground, pushed aside by smartphones and increasingly replaced by more advanced point-and-shoot cameras, sometimes called “expert” compacts. These are now among the most relevant compact cameras for anyone who wants something better than a smartphone while still being able to grow in photography with a device that remains relatively light and discreet.

The most successful advanced compact cameras are those with 1-inch sensors, a category Sony really popularized with the RX100. Since then, other brands have entered the market, including Canon with cameras such as the G7X and Panasonic with models such as the TZ100. Many of these 1-inch sensors come from Sony factories, so the image-quality potential can be fairly similar from one model to another. The differences therefore come more from lens quality, JPEG processing (see the article on RAW/JPEG), and the various advanced features offered by each camera, such as an electronic viewfinder, 4K video, and so on.

There are also compact cameras with larger sensors, ranging from MFT models such as Panasonic’s LX100 series to full-frame cameras such as Sony’s RX1 series. Fujifilm chose to offer highly regarded APS-C compact cameras with a fixed 35 mm-equivalent f/2 lens, the X100 series, which is particularly popular for street photography. Ricoh did the same with the GR line, and Nikon also tried this approach with the Coolpix A, although that model has not been renewed for a long time. Canon later chose to offer an APS-C compact camera with the G1X III, the only one in this category with a zoom rather than a fixed focal length. Leica has also offered APS-C and full-frame compact cameras for a long time, although their prices clearly reserve them for a very specific audience.

To produce compact cameras with large sensors, manufacturers had to make compromises in lens design. The TZ100, for example, offers an extremely wide focal range, but its 1-inch sensor could not maintain a constant f/2.8 aperture across the whole range, so it drops to f/5.9 at full zoom. That is why most brands that have designed compact cameras with APS-C or full-frame sensors have limited themselves to fixed focal lengths. The main exception is Canon with its G1X III, which chose a zoom with a reduced 24-70 mm equivalent focal range and an even smaller maximum aperture of f/5.6 at full zoom.

To keep these lenses from protruding too much, manufacturers also had to use relatively simple designs (extending zooms, fixed focal lengths that are not too bright, and lenses made with fewer elements…). These designs do not always match the performance of lenses dedicated to mirrorless cameras or DSLRs. The 23 mm f/2 lens on the Fuji X100, for example, is still often considered less good, especially at full aperture, than its mirrorless counterpart, the Fujinon XF 23 mm f/2 WR.

This article on choosing a compact camera is coming to an end. Smartphone competition was tough for basic compact cameras, but it also pushed manufacturers to innovate and offer cameras truly dedicated to photography: compact bodies, but with image quality that had to take a real step forward to remain competitive. Let’s not forget that barely 10 years ago, apart from APS-C and full-frame DSLRs, the choice was largely limited to small-sensor compact cameras with no viewfinder, no creative mode, and very few advanced functions.

Today, photography enthusiasts can choose from a much wider range of more powerful, more complete cameras at different price points. DSLRs with plastic kit zooms are no longer the only way to get quality gear at a relatively reasonable price, and that is a good thing. For most uses, this type of camera will do very well.

I hope this article will help you choose your future compact camera. What do you personally think of advanced compact cameras? Do you like them? Would you rather stick with a DSLR? A mirrorless camera? To keep reading, here is my article on choosing a camera for travel.

See you soon for a new article,

Written by Sylvain PONS

I've been passionate about photography since 2010, learning as I went along. Today, I dedicate myself to guiding others in their choice of camera gear and sharing a variety of tips to improve their photography skills.

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