Top 8 Budget Cameras for 2010

19 Feb
2011

If you’re shopping around for a new point and shoot camera you’ll be interested in this new article at DCResource. They have compared eight budget digital cameras in one article. Remember that you should always try a camera out for yourself before you lay down your cash, whether it’s $150 or $1500.
Here’s the cameras tested:

Canon PowerShot SD1300 IS Digital ELPH
Kodak EasyShare M550
Nikon Coolpix S3000
Olympus FE-4030
Panasonic Lumix DMC-FH3
Pentax Optio H90
Samsung SL600
Sony Cyber-shot DSC-W330

Canon PowerShot SD1300 IS
What I liked:

Very good photo quality
Optical image stabilization
Stylish, compact metal body
Fastest startup time in the group
Nice LCD with good outdoor/low light visibility
AF-assist lamp, good low light focusing
Smart Auto mode selects a scene mode for you
Manual white balance and slow shutter speed controls
Well-implemented face detection, with handy face self-timer feature
Effective redeye removal in playback mode
Optional underwater case and external slave flash

What I didn’t care for:

Some corner blurring and highlight clipping
Even with two anti-redeye systems, you still need to use the removal tool in playback mode
Flimsy door over battery/memory card compartment; cannot access while camera is on a tripod
Plastic tripod mount
Full manual on CD-ROM; manuals are not terribly user-friendly
No built-in memory or included memory card

Pentax Optio H90
What I liked:

Good photo quality; better than average high ISO performance
5X, 28 – 140 mm lens in a uniquely styled and compact body
Auto Picture mode selects a scene mode for you
Lots of bells and whistles: instant panorama stitching, photo frames, virtual color filters
Manual focus and white balance
Customizable “green button”
Good face and smile detection
Can record up to ten minutes of continuous 720p video; in-camera video editing tool available
Large, detailed, and easy-to-read printed manual (woohoo!)

What I didn’t care for:

Redeye a problem, even after digital correction
Some corner blurring and highlight clipping
Lens is on the slow side
No AF-assist lamp (though camera does okay in low light)
Below average battery life
Not great for night shots
Video quality isn’t great
Poorly placed I/O port on bottom of camera
Plastic tripod mount and flimsy door over memory/battery compartment

Worth a Look

Panasonic Lumix DMC-FH3
What I liked:

Good photo quality in most situations
Optical image stabilization
5X, 28 – 140 mm lens in a solid, well-designed metal body
Nice LCD has good outdoor and low light visibility
Intelligent Auto mode does just about everything for you
Tons of scene modes, some of which are quite unique (though require compromises in terms of image quality)
Fast autofocus, even in low light
Best continuous shooting mode in the group
Well-implemented face detection
Records about eight minutes of continuous 720p video
Best-in-class battery life; gets even better with optional battery
Metal tripod mount!

What I didn’t care for:

Redeye a problem, even with digital correction feature
Some vignetting and corner blurring
Details tend to get smudged by noise reduction
Lens is very slow at the telephoto end (F6.9)
Not great for night shots or unusual lighting conditions
Lens moves through zoom range way too slowly
No USB 2.0 High Speed support
Flimsy door over memory card/battery compartment
Full manual on CD-ROM; manual is not user-friendly

Samsung SL600
What I liked:

Decent photo quality in good lighting
Nice value for the money
5X, 27 – 135 mm zoom in a compact metal body
Generally snappy performance
Smart Auto mode selects a scene mode for you
Only camera to feature AE bracketing
Redeye not a problem
Handy Photo Guide shows you what settings to change
Cool self-portrait, Frame Assist, and motion timer features
Performed well in our night test, despite lack of manual shutter speed control

What I didn’t care for:

Some detail smudging from noise reduction; images get noisy fairly quickly
Weak flash
Unimpressive burst mode
LCD on the grainy side
Stiff zoom controller
Flimsy door over memory card/battery compartment; cannot access compartment while using tripod
Plastic tripod mount
Very little built-in memory
No video output cable; accessories difficult to find
Full manual on CD-ROM; manual is not user-friendly

Nikon Coolpix S3000
What I liked:

Good photo quality in most situations; performs better than average at high ISOs
4X zoom lens in the smallest and lightest body in the group
Fast startup, focus times (at wide-angle)
Auto Scene Selector picks a scene mode for you
Smart Portrait mode combines face, smile, and blink detection with skin softening
Help screens for all menu items

What I didn’t care for:

Redeye a problem
Noise reduction smudges fine details
Telephoto/low light focusing not great
LCD has poor viewing angle
Not great for night shots
Below average battery life
Poorly located I/O port on bottom of camera
Plastic tripod mount
Full manual on CD-ROM

I’d Pass on These

Olympus FE-4030
What I liked:

Good photo quality at low ISOs
Ultra-wide, 26 – 105 mm zoom in a small package
iAuto mode features automatic scene selection
Quick AF performance when lighting is good
Handy preview of exposure compensation and white balance options in overlay menu
Fun “Magic Filters”
One-step image retouching and redeye removal in playback mode
Help screens for some menu items via dedicated button

What I didn’t care for:

Detail smudging from strong noise reduction; traditional noise shows up early
Strong corner blurring
No AF-assist lamp; slow low light focusing
No burst mode
No custom white balance
Digital zoom cannot be turned off
Sluggish menu system
Below average video quality
Small buttons on back of camera
Flimsy door over memory card/battery compartment
Plastic tripod mount
Full manual on CD-ROM

Sony Cyber-shot DSC-W330
What I liked:

Performs better than average at high ISOs (but isn’t so hot at low sensitivities)
Ultra-wide, 26 – 105 mm zoom
Only camera in the group with a 3-inch LCD
Intelligent Auto mode picks a scene mode for you
Well-implemented face and smile detection
Support for both Memory Stick Pro Duo and SD/SDHC media
Optional underwater case

What I didn’t care for:

Strong noise reduction smudges details
Redeye a problem
LCD has poor viewing angle
Lack of custom white balance leads to color casts in unusual lighting
Poor showing in night test
Weak flash
No AF-assist lamp; poor low light focusing
Below average battery life; slow battery charger included
Controls on back of camera are small; right thumb ends up leaving prints on LCD
Can’t access memory card slot while camera’s on tripod
Plastic tripod mount
Full manual on CD-ROM; manual not user-friendly

Kodak EasyShare M550
What I liked:

5X, 28 – 140 mm zoom in compact metal body
Smart Capture mode selects a scene mode for you
Limited slow shutter speed control
Good face detection/recognition
Photos can be tagged for uploading/e-mailing at the push of a button
In-camera panorama stitching and video editing

What I didn’t care for:

Details in photos have been flattened by noise reduction; images often have a fuzzy appearance, as well
Very noisy at higher ISOs
Redeye
Strong vignetting/fall-off at wide-angle; plenty of corner blurriness, as well
Lens on the slow side
No AF-assist lamp; poor low light focusing
Nearly useless burst mode
Video quality isn’t great
No manual white balance
Small buttons on back of camera; other buttons are hard to distinguish
Below average battery life
Flimsy door over memory card/battery compartment; can’t access compartment when using tripod
Plastic tripod mount
No A/V output cable included
Software and manual must be downloaded from Kodak’s website; manual is easy-to-read, but not detailed