Having the best point-and-shoot camera is really handy if you don't want to carry anything heavy or fiddle around with complicated settings. I think of them as "glovebox cameras" or "handbag cameras" – for when you want to take a quick photo of something with better quality than your phone, but without the hassle of your "proper camera"!
They can fit in your pocket, so you can take them everywhere with you, and lots of them come with a built-in flash for when it's dark. You'll instantly notice the upgrade in image quality between the best point-and-shoot cameras and your smartphone, and you won't need to spend any additional money on lenses.
Given their streamlined nature, I wouldn't necessarily recommend one as a beginner camera to learn on (since they're generally designed to be used in automatic modes). However, they can be fantastic travel cameras – and their simplicity makes them some of the best cameras for kids, too.
The best point-and-shoot cameras cover a variety of bases, from budget-friendly to waterproof models. Fewer and fewer new models are coming out these days, but just because some of these suggestions might be on the older side doesn't mean they aren't great options! These are my recommendations right now…
Best point and shoot camera: Top picks
In a rush? This is our quick list of our top point-and-shoot cameras. From each of these you can find jump links to read more about the model that interests you.
Best overall
Best point-and-shoot camera overall
If you're after a camera that delivers high-resolution photos and video the RX100 VII does it all. It might be the most expensive on the list but its high price tag reflects its advanced features and image quality.
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Best zoom
Best point-and-shoot zoom
If you want a camera that can take great images at long range, and still fit in your pocket, this is the one for you, which has incredible 40x zoom.
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Best waterproof
The Tough TG-7 is not only the most waterproof and everything-proof camera out there – its image quality, especially on the brilliant built-in macro modes, is sensational.
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Best for travel
Best for travel
A powerful one-inch image sensor with 20.3MP resolution plus a 15x optical zoom make this a great point-and-shoot camera for taking on weekend trips or long vacations.
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Best budget
Most point-and-shoot cameras are not that affordable, but Kodak does a great job of providing options at truly budget prices. This mini FZ55 packs in a 5x zoom to give you great control over framing for a super low price. Read more
Best for low-light
If you love taking photos as dust til dawn this is the best point and shoot you want by your side. That's thanks to is a decent-sized 1in sensor and a wide f/1.4 maximum aperture of its 24-72mm 3x zoom
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Best for video
Best for video
This Sony is designed to be perfect for vlogging - but is also small enought to fit in your pocekt. There's a fixed wide-angle lens, but you get a flip-out screen to make selfies simple. Read more
Best for film
Best film camera
If you want to go truly retro, find yourself a secondhand film camera. We love this Canon AF35ML from the early 1980s, which you can find widely available on eBay. Read more
Best point and shoot cameras in 2024
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Best point and shoot camera overall
While the RX100 VI costs more than most cameras on this list (and more than some of them combined!), we couldn’t leave it out for the simple reason that it's pretty much the best there is.
As the name implies, the VII is the seventh iteration in a series that Sony has been perfecting for many years, providing an exceptional blend of image quality and portability. A 20MP 1-inch sensor, 28-200mm zoom, 20fps burst shooting (with up to 90fps in Single Burst mode), phase detection autofocus with human and animal eye AF, 4K 24/30p, pop-up 2.36 million-dot electronic viewfinder…
It’s all here, and housed in a camera small enough to pop into a pocket – provided you don’t mind a few of the controls being a little fiddly to use. And it all comes with a reassuringly expensive price tag! If you like the sound of the RX100 VII but are put off by the cost, check back through previous models in the Sony RX100 series – they are all without exception very good, and most are popular enough to still be in production.
Read our full Sony Cyber-shot RX100 VII review for more details
Best point and shoot zoom camera
If you're after a point-and-shoot camera with incredible zoom capabilities, look no further than the Canon PowerShot SX740 HS – with its focal range equivalent to a full frame 24-960mm! It has a 20.3MP 1/2.3-inch sensor and an LCD screen, which can be flipped to face the front making it perfect for selfies. What we love about this, is that unlike bridge cameras with bigger zooms, this really is a pocket-sized camer.
It has a maximum continuous burst shooting rate of 10fps, and it can also film video in 4K. (The Canon PowerShot SX730 HS can be found slightly cheaper if you don't need 4K video and it still has Full HD recording.) The image quality and autofocus performance on this camera is pretty good, and overall I rate this as an excellent camera for the price.
Read our full Canon PowerShot SX740 HS for more details
Best waterproof point and shoot camera
This camera is exactly what it says on the tin: tough. I've used the OM System TG-7 , and its predecessor the near-identical Olympus Tough TG-6, in some seriously challenging conditions. I've used them in the middle of the Spanish desert in blistering heat, I've taken it on sub-zero hikes in the British winter, I've shot with it under the sea in Greece, and I've thrown it on the ground as hard as I can. It can basically shoot anywhere and everywhere! It even has a built-in GPS that logs where you were – and at what altitude and temperature – when you took your shots.
Its 1/2.3-inch sensor might be smaller than some, and its 12MP less than others. But less pixels means that each one is larger and captures more light – so this is a great performer underwater where light quality is poor. It has a built-in flash and LED, too, to provide its own illumination above or below water. It shoots RAW, too, and rattles off shots at up to 20fps.
Lenses on other cameras have a greater zoom range, but the Tough's 25-100mm with an aperture of f/2 at the wide end and f/4.9 at maximum zoom gives a good working range. What's so special here, though, is that a macro mode is built in – so you can take incredible close-up photos or 4K video. Because it can shoot anything, anywhere, regardless of the weather or conditions, this is the point-and-shoot camera I always take with me if I leave my mirrorless at home – and I never regret it.
Read our full OM System Tough TG-7 review for more details
Best travel point and shoot camera
There is plenty to admire about the Panasonic Lumix TZ200 / TS200, even aside from the headline grabbers of one-inch sensor size and a 15x optical zoom reach from a 'travel zoom' camera that will slip unobtrusively into your jacket pocket or rucksack pouch when on the go.
We found that its construction was solid with an aluminum build and ergonomically laid out, it also offered a good blend of hands-on control with point and shoot accessibility, with the option to fish around in its pool of creative filter effects if you tire of its automatic results.
Read our full Panasonic Lumix TZ200/TS200 review for more details
Best budget point-and-shoot camera
There are very few manufacturers left making really affordable point-and-shoot cameras - but Kodak is the exception, with a range of compact models at every price point. The FZ55 is about the cheapest available - and a fraction of the cost of most of the other models in this guide. So we didn't expect miracles - and we didn't see any. However, at the price the photos are more than acceptable. And the key attraction is that this has a built-in 5x motorized zoom - so has more telephoto firepower than you can get from a budget camera phone, for less money.
We also felt that this camera offers a good helping of retro charm - giving us fond memories of pocket cameras that were popular at the start of the digital imaging revolution around 20 years ago.
Best low-light point and shoot camera
If you want a point-and-shoot camera that also delivers a visible jump-up in picture quality from a camera phone, you need one with a larger sensor. This Panasonic LX15, which goes by the name of the LX10 in some territories, has a 1-inch 20MP sensor that will do the job perfectly.
It's true that there is no built-in EVF (eyelevel viewfinder), which might put some people off, and the smooth finish to the body might make it look rather stylish but it doesn't make for the firmest handgrip. We found the responsive touchscreen terrific, though, with the dual control rings providing a very pleasing experience, and the 24-72mm has one of the widest aperture settings around, courtesy of its f/1.4 to f/2.8 aperture range.
Overall this neat little shooter has a near-perfect balance of features, performance, and pricing. It's small enough for your pocket, easy for beginners, but powerful enough to be one of the best point-and-shoot cameras for serious photographers.
Read our full Panasonic Lumix LX10 review / Panasonic Lumix LX15 review
Best point and shoot camera for video recording
Okay so hear me out, the Sony ZV-1F is technically a vlogging camera rather than a point-and-shoot however it does have a lot of the same qualities. It's lightweight, compact and can fit in your pocket, it's incredibly easy to use, it has a handy flip-out screen so you can easily take selfies and the larger 1-inch sensor makes it better suited to low-light conditions than other models on this list.
The fixed 20mm f/2 lens might be a little limiting but in some ways, I's say it will force you to think more about the composition of the image and in turn make you a better photographer. It may not have the best stabilization but speedy eye autofocus and a max continuous burst speed of 24fps make up for it. It's a definite jump up from shooting on your phone and perfect for taking on holidays, day trips or nights out. Point and shoots are getting much harder to come by these days since camera phones are generally so powerful but you will notice a big leap in your image and video quality with the ZV-1F.
See our full Sony ZV-1F review
Best point and shoot film camera
You can buy new film cameras today - but most of the point-and-shoot models are pretty basic. So if you want to go retro and shoot 35mm film we recommend looking for a secondhand vintage mode. Of these, the Canon AF35ML "Autoboy Super" which is cheap and plentiful on the secondhand market - and which has a bit of a cult following, despite not being the most beautiful compact camera every produced.
An advantage of a film camera over a digital point-and-shooter is that you get an optical viewfinder - that gives you a bright view of the scene. The lens is a fixed 40mm focal length - which is a nice all-round focal length for family photos. We love that this 1981 classic has a wide f/1.9 maximum aperture - which makes it better at handling low light. That's probably just as well, as although the exposure is automatic - the maximum ISO setting on the dial is just ISO400. Battery power for the motorized film transport mechanism and the autofocus comes from two readily available AA batteries
See our full Canon AF35ML review
Read our full Canon AF35ML review
FAQs
Are point-and-shoot cameras better than phones?
Now that smartphones produce such good-quality images you might wonder why you'd bother investing in a point-and-shoot but believe us, there is a massive difference in image quality. Even the smallest sensors in the cheapest point and shoots are usually bigger than the tiny ones in your smartphone. Features such as the built-in flash will also be much better quality than a phone flash and the zoom will cover a bigger range.
If you are looking for a really high-end point-and-shoot, check out our guide on the best compact cameras which covers more advanced and more expensive models, which have larger sensors to deliver a superior image quality.
What you should look for in point and shoot cameras
Cheap and simple –
Even the most basic point-and-shoot cameras will offer better image quality and more zoom capabilities than your phone. They might not have some of the more advanced features of more expensive models but at they're affordable and will get the job done.
Waterproof –
Whether or not you're an outdoorsy person, a waterproof camera is a great option your you, as they're more robust and can be used near water or in the rain without any qualms. They're great for beach holidays, using by the pool, or taking on adventures as they are rugged enough to handle getting dropped.
Sensor size –
Point-and-shoot cameras have smaller sensors than you find in mirrorless or DSLR cameras, which allows them to be housed in a pocket-sized shell and often offer you a built-in zoom. The best point-and-shoot cameras have a so-called 1in or Type 1 sensor - which measures 13.2 x 8.8mm. Other point-and-shoot models in this guide (which are cheaper, or have longer zooms) have a smaller 1/2.3in sensor which measure 6.17 x 4.56mm. The bigger the sensor, the better the image quality will be - and the better the performance will be in lowlight. Some compact cameras have even bigger sensors - check out our guides to the best full-frame compacts, and the best APS-C compact cameras.
Longer zooms –
One of the advantages of point-and-shoot cameras with a smaller sensor is that often they have longer zoom ranges. Most basic cameras will have a zoom range of 3-5x but some of the more expensive models will give you a 30x optical zoom. These larger zoom ranges are great for taking on holiday when you might want to photograph objects in the distance.
How we test point and shoot cameras
We test point-and-shoot cameras in real-world conditions - using the camera to shoot images in a range of different lighting conditions to see how they perform. Our reviewers have collectively tested hundreds of different models - and benchmark performance against results from current rivals and previous models. We pay particular attention to overall image quality and the detail captured in particular. These cameras are designed to be easy to use, and portable, so we also pay special attention to the ergonomics and handling of each of the models we test.
See more on how we test products at Digital Camera World
Working to a definite budget? See also our guides to the best cameras under $100, best cameras under $200, or best cameras under $500