If you’re a Consumer Reports member, you can compare and contrast ratings of the more than 170 models of cameras we’ve tested.AMC DINE-IN Fullerton 20. Like all products Consumer Reports reviews and rates, we bought these cameras from retailers, the same way you’d buy them-we don’t accept free review samples from manufacturers. (If you have more to spend, we've rounded up the best cameras under $500, as well as a buying guide for the best high-end cameras overall.) But they are compact, easy to use, and have generous zooming chops-and the price is right for many casual photographers. They don't have interchangeable lenses, or the high-end glass and sophisticated controls of our top-scoring cameras. You can find each of the digital cameras listed here for $300 or less, and they score well in Consumer Reports testing. Having the right tool makes you feel like a craftsman. Smartphones use a dimmer LED flash.īut most important, if you’re carrying a dedicated camera, you’re more likely to take a moment to compose a photograph instead of merely snapping a picture. And when shooting in low light, a dedicated camera will use a bright xenon flash, freezing the action. The larger sensor and higher-performance lens in a dedicated camera tends to produce better lowlight photos, too, whether it's from your kid’s piano recital or the critical blowing-out-the-candles moment at a birthday party. An optical zoom means the lens actually moves glass elements to get you closer to the action, while smartphone’s digital zoom just enlarges the image without enhancing the resolution, creating an blurrier image.

“A camera, on the other hand, has a lot less work to do, so the picture is a lot less noisy.”ĭedicated cameras also have optical zoom, something only a few high-end smartphones like the iPhone XS and the Samsung Galaxy S10 provide. “Smartphone pictures go through extreme processing to get that picture looking decent,” says Artur Pietruch, a Consumer Reports camera-testing expert. Why? Even a compact point-and-shoot will have a better lens and a larger sensor than your phone, meaning you get better raw pictures. But a stand-alone camera-even a digital camera that costs less than $300-still has features that make it worth bringing to your next BBQ or holiday event.

If you’ve bought a smartphone in the last few years, you’ve got a good-to-great camera in your pocket.

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