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I saw these cheap compact cameras at the Photography & Video Show, clearly inspired by the retro camera craze

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I visited the Sonida stand at the Photography & Video Show and got to handle its range of cheap compact cameras. Here's what I learned…

Gareth Bevan holding Sonida DC203
Sonida is certainly churning out some trendy-looking rangefinder style cameras (Image credit: Future)

The compact camera craze shows no sign of stopping. While walking through the Photography & Video Show in London, England, this morning, I happened upon the Sonida stand (E50) and its line-up of very affordable compact cameras.

The Shenzhen-based outfit calls this its Compact DSLR Camera Series, which is a curious moniker given that none of the cameras are actually DSLRs. Still, it’s the designs that caught my eye, inspired by some of the best retro cameras and best compact cameras on the market.

Sonida admittedly quotes a formidable set of headline specs, with the new DC206X touting “up to 64MP photo resolution,” and “up to 5K 5120*2880 (30fps) video resolution”.

The DC206X’s boasts 64MP, but from past experience, cheap compacts with high-res sensors don’t always translate to top-quality images. Could Sonida prove otherwise? (Image credit: Future)

In all likelihood, I think it’s fair to treat these specs in a similar manner to the best camera phones; you certainly wouldn’t expect the Redmi Note 14 Pro to compete with the highest-resolution cameras you can buy.

My colleagues on the site have reviewed some similar examples from other brands, such as the Minolta MND25 and Andoer Digital Camera. However, despite these cameras boasting 48MP sensors, image quality proved an issue. 

Still, the huge success of the Kodak PixPro FZ45 and PixPro FZ55 are proof that people can’t get enough of cheap compacts.

Sonida has a range of pocketable compacts that are similar in form factor to the aforementioned Kodaks, such as the DC403 and DC306L. There are even a few retro rangefinder-style compacts (DC203, DC213Y, and DC212M) that are giving me serious Fujifilm X100VI vibes.

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Sonida DC406L being held my Mike Harris
Sonida does a range of pocketable compacts, too (Image credit: Future)

Having spent a short while handling the cameras, they feel light and plasticky – but this is to be expected within this price range.

Ultimately, these cameras are up against the likes of the AgfaPhoto Realishot DC8200, Minolta MND25, and Andoer Digital – and if they can better them in regards to image quality they're likely to come out on top. Here's hoping we can get one in for review at some point in the near future.

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Mike Harris
Mike Harris
How To Editor

Mike studied photography at college, honing his Adobe Photoshop skills and learning to work in the studio and darkroom. After a few years writing for various publications, he headed to the ‘Big Smoke’ to work on Wex Photo Video’s award-winning content team, before transitioning back to print as Technique Editor (later Deputy Editor) on N-Photo: The Nikon Magazine.

With bylines in Digital Camera, PhotoPlus: The Canon Magazine, Practical Photography, Digital Photographer, iMore, and TechRadar, he’s a fountain of photography and consumer tech knowledge, making him a top tutor for techniques on cameras, lenses, tripods, filters, and more. His expertise extends to everything from portraits and landscapes to abstracts and architecture to wildlife and, yes, fast things going around race tracks...

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