Everyone needs a good digital camera and there are so many ones available today that choosing one may be slightly overwhelming. It’s easy to splurge on a super nice model but if you are looking for an affordable digital camera with quality features, a little research is in order. Here are my top 5 affordable digital camera models, complete with a little personal experience on the different models, when relevant.
For most users, a point and shoot digital camera is all that is needed. Such models usually have good megapixels but a fairly low optical zoom and tend to run in the lower end of the price range. A decent choice is the Nikon Coolpix L19, selling from $98-$130 (various sellers of new models) at Amazon.com. I have used a Nikon for several years, one from their Coolpix line, and was really impressed with the durability. My camera went with me on many hiking and fishing trips, suffered a lot of scrapes and drops, but kept on working fine. This itineration of the Coolpixs line comes with 8 MP, 3.6x optical zoom and a nice adjustable ISO mode up to 1600. You can also fix the dreaded “red-eye” photo problem on the camera while viewing photos taken, even before uploading them to your computer, using the Nikon In-Camera Red Eye Fix. It runs on AA batteries and accepts SD cards, fairly standard for most point and shoot digital cameras. Customer reviews are fairly positive, and the Nikon L19 was ranked as one of the “Best Digital Cameras under $150″ by the Digital Cameras Buyer Guide. Check it out today!
Another great option for affordable digital cameras in the point and shoot category is the FinePix Z30 10MP from Fuji. It rocks a nice 10MP with the standard 3x optical zoom, but sells fairly low at roughly $100 on Amazon.com. If you like having a really unique camera that stands out from the pack of grey, dull digital cameras, definitely look into this model from Fuji. It comes in an array of different color options, including shimmering Blue, Black, Orange, Pink, Purple, White, and Whirl White. Truly a camera that does not look like most digital cameras, the Z30 is quite affordable and also has excellent customer reviews online.
The Kodak EasyShare Z915 Digital Camera 10 Megapixel is definitely a must-mention for affordable digital cameras. It is one of the best deals, cost-wise, for a megazoom digital camera. It has a thrilling 10x optical zoom and sells on Amazon for an amazing $119.95, with free shipping! 5 color modes, manual mode, program mode, high ISO mode, 30 FPS video recording and many other features round out this bargain-priced high optical zoom digital camera. I would recommend this camera for anyone looking for something with better zoom but not wanting to pay the crazy prices often found with such models. Of course, don’t expect the quality of some of the $300+ camera models, but get this if you would like to start exploring the options for more powerful digital cameras. This is one camera I have been seriously interested in, especially after getting tired of being limited by the usual 3x optical zoom on most digital cameras.
The Olympus T-100 is another decent point and shoot affordable digital camera that bears mentioning. It has 12 megapixels, certainly good for details, good customers reviews via Google, the usual 3x optical zoom, a nice 2.4inch LCD screen, and can capture video in AVI. Finally, it sells for as low as $72 or $99 at Wal-Mart. Finally, like the Fuji camera mentioned earlier, this Olympus comes in a wide array of colors, something certainly important for those looking for a more “unique” camera.
Polaroid t1031 10.0 MP Digital Still Camera, offered for $64.99 at Amazon, is an excellently priced model for a point and shoot camera. Optical zoom is quite low, at 3x, with a 4x digital zoom (I don’t know why camera companies even bother to mention the digital zoom, I find it fairly useless), but this is pretty standard for most point and shoot cameras. Color options for the camera body are pretty cool, with the Titanium and Orange versions both priced the same, and looking quite good. This camera has gotten high marks from reviewers, especially at Amazon, and also by CameraTown, where it was rated as a 9.2/10. Reviewers noted the great price of this camera when compared to other point and shoots on the market. Probably the biggest letdown for this camera is that the Polaroid brand, from my understanding, kind of crashed and was sold out to Chinese companies making generic cameras, and simply branded as Polaroid. Still, the point and shoot is probably sufficient for most average photo opportunities, something the original Polaroid company may be quite happy with.
Staff. “Best Digital Cameras under $150.” http://www.digitalcamera-hq.com/round_ups/best-affordable-camera-deals
