Best Compact Cameras

We’ve rounded up the best compact cameras money can buy, from superzooms, to travel, to premium shots.
If a DSLR or mirrorless camera is too much for your needs, you should consider investing in something smaller and lighter.

The best compact cameras can give you DSLR quality but still fit in your jacket pocket. They can be a camera the whole family can use, as well as snorkelling and snowdrifts; It gives you the largest possible zoom range for the least possible money.

At a Glance

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Compact cameras really do come in all shapes and sizes, so here’s our guide on what to look for, what the differences are, and our favorite compact cameras right now.

We start with the best premium quality compact cameras for professional photographers, with both zoom lenses and fixed-focal-length prime lenses.

Our Recommendation For Best Compact Cameras

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Best Compact Cameras in 2023

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1. Canon PowerShot G1X Mark III

Best high-quality compact Camera

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Type: Compact | Sensor: APS-C | Megapixels: 24.2MP | Lens: 24-72mm f/2.8-5.6 (equiv.) | LCD: 3-inch vari-angle touchscreen, 1.04 million dots | Viewfinder: EVF | Maximum continuous shooting speed: 7fps | Maximum video resolution: Full HD | User level: enthusiast / expert

• Very compact for the size of the sensor.
• Excellent image quality
• Decent 3x zoom range
• Only f/5.6 at full zoom

This high-quality compact really is like a DSLR in your pocket.

Canon has done a fantastic job with the G1 X Mark III. Yes, it’s quite expensive for a compact camera, but it packs the same 24-megapixel APS-C sensor into its slim body that you’ll find in Canon’s EOS 80D DSLR and its EOS M mirrorless cameras.

This is even more impressive as it covers a 24-72 equivalent focal range and can still be retracted into the camera body when you’re not taking photos.

The maximum aperture indeed drops off considerably as you get closer, from f/2.8 to f/5.6, but you get this with compact DSLR and mirrorless kit lenses anyway. The G1 X Mark is quite expensive, but right now, it’s practically in a class of its own for a premium compact zoom camera.

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2. Panasonic Lumix LX100 II

Best Affordable Compact Camera

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Type: Compact | Sensor Size: Micro Four Thirds | Megapixels: 17MP | Lens: 24-75mm, f/1.7-2.8 (equiv.) | LCD: 3-inch fixed, 1.24 million dots | Viewfinder: EVF | Continuous shooting: 11fps | Maximum video resolution: 4K | User level: enthusiast / expert

• Only compact with MFT sensor
• Fast f/1.7-2.8 lens
• 4K video, 4K photo modes
• 17MP is lower than some rivals.

If you can’t afford the Canon G1 X III, the LX100 II would be our best suggestion.

The problem with big sensors is that you need big lenses to go with them, so there’s no such thing as pocketability. Usually. But Panasonic has really hit the sweet spot with the Panasonic LX100 II.

It combines a Micro Four Thirds sensor that’s not much smaller than ASP-C sensors in DSLR mode, with a miniaturized lens assembly that fits into a camera body slim enough to take anywhere. The LX100 II is a new version of the original LX100, which was certainly beginning to show its age.

The new model has a 16-megapixel “multi-aspect” sensor, which means it can use its native 4:3 aspect ratio, the 3:2 ratio used by most DSLRs and mirrorless models, or a 16:9 wide format. Without cropping the image and losing pixels. With an external shutter speed dial, lens aperture ring, and aspect ratio switch.

3. Canon PowerShot G5X

Best Canon Compact Camera

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Type: Compact | Sensor size: 1 inch | Megapixels: 20.2MP | Lens: 24-100mm, f/1.8-2.8 (equiv.) | LCD: 3-inch vari-angle, 1.04 million dots | Viewfinder: EVF | Continuous shooting: 5.9fps | Maximum video resolution: Full HD | User level: enthusiast

• 4x f/1.8-2.8 zoom
• Compact but controllable
• value for money
• Smaller 1-inch sensor

The G5 X has a smaller 1-inch sensor but adds value and fast zoom

Quite often, some of the best deals from a camera manufacturer are found in the middle of the range, and that’s because they’re in a ‘sweet spot’ of performance, features and value for money that you won’t find anywhere else.

Nowhere else. So while the Canon PowerShot G5 X uses a 1-inch smaller sensor than the PowerShot G1 X Mark III (above), the sensor size is still much larger than that of a smartphone or compact point-and-shoot, so you still get more than half image quality towards a DSLR.

Smaller sensor means smaller lenses too, so this time around Canon has managed to include a 4x 24-100mm equivalent zoom with a very good maximum aperture of f/1.8-2.8 throughout the zoom range.

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4. Leica Q2

Best Leica Compact Camera

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Type: Compact | Sensor Size: Full Frame | Megapixels: 47MP | Lens: 28mm, f/1.7 | LCD: 3-inch fixed touchscreen, 1.04 million dots | Viewfinder: EVF | Continuous shooting: 10fps | Maximum video resolution: Full HD | User level: enthusiast / expert

• Leica builds quality and handling.
• Superb Summicron 28mm f/1.7
• 47MP full-frame sensor
• Price!
• Fixed LCD panel
• No pop-up flash

Leica cameras tend to divide opinions quite strongly. They’re wildly expensive, built to traditional standards and designs that many consider outdated or irrelevant, and rarely match modern rivals in terms of features and technologies.

But there’s more to cameras than numbers on a spreadsheet, and everything about the Leica Q2 is excellent, from its full-frame image quality with its new 47-megapixel sensor, to its Leica-made Summilux lens and minimalist design and stripped.

Using a Leica isn’t just about the pictures, it’s also about the experience, so you just have to decide if the experience is worth all this money!

5. Fujifilm X100F

Best Fujifilm Compact Camera

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Sensor: APS-C | Megapixels: 24.3MP | Lens: 23mm f/2 | Monitor: 3-inch fixed, 1,040,000 dots | Viewfinder: Hybrid Optical / EVF | Continuous shooting: 8fps | Maximum video resolution: 1080p | User level: Expert

• Beautiful design and construction.
• Great sensor and lens
• Hybrid optical/electronic viewfinder
• Autofocus is a bit slow

The X100F is much cheaper than the Leica Q and almost as desirable.

A retro design, unique hybrid viewfinder, and large (for a compact) APS-C sensor made the original Fujifilm FinePix X100 one of the most desirable fixed-lens digital cameras at the time of its release in 2011.

The first camera ‘ X’ was succeeded by the X100S and X100T, each of which tweaked the formula, but it’s the fourth iteration, the Fujifilm X100F, where everything has come together perfectly.

A new control layout, third-generation 24.3MP X-Trans CMOS III sensor (no low-pass filter), expanded sensitivity range, and improved AF may seem like more evolution than revolution, but it’s the combination of these refinements that It offers a step-change in performance.

The aforementioned sensor, 35mm equivalent f/2 fixed lens, X-Processor Pro engine and Film Simulation modes all combine to deliver super images, and shooting them is a joy. Make no mistake, it’s not cheap, but the X10.

6. Fujifilm XF10

Best FujiFilm budget Compact Camera

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Sensor: APS-C | Megapixels: 24.2MP | Lens: 28mm f/2.8 (equiv.) | Monitor: 3-inch fixed, 1,040,000 dots | Viewfinder: No | Continuous shooting: 6fps | Maximum video resolution: 4K | User level: enthusiast

Slim and pocketable body.
APS-C sensor
Value for money
No viewfinder

The Fujifilm XF10 is less than half the price of the previous X100F, but it’s definitely more than half the camera. You don’t get Fujifilm’s fancy hybrid optical/electronic viewfinder here, so all your shots need to be composed on the fixed rear screen, but you do get a high-quality 24.2-megapixel sensor, a very good 28mm f / 2.8 Length lens and a very attractive little camera design.

In fact, this camera is so slim that you can easily slip it into your jacket pocket and it’s this, plus the relatively low price, that makes it so appealing to quality-conscious photographers who don’t want to rush big bucks.

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7. Panasonic Lumix FZ2500 /FZ2000

Best Panasonic Compact Camera

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Type: Compact Superzoom | Sensor: 1in | Megapixels: 20.1MP | Lens: 24-480mm f/2.8-4.5 (equiv.) | Viewfinder: EVF | Screen type: 3-inch vari-angle touchscreen, 1.04 million dots | Max Burst Rate: 12fps (30fps at reduced resolution) | Maximum video quality: 4K | User level: enthusiast

• Great sensor for a bridge camera.
• Strong video specs
• Useful lens range
• Big and quite expensive

If it’s the zoom range you don’t need the sensor size, you need a bridge camera

Panasonic knows how to build great value hybrid cameras that offer a wide range of video features, as well as provide first-class photography services.

The Panasonic Lumix FZ2000 is a fitting example, capable of recording both 4K DCI and 4K UHD footage at 30p and 24p, as well as Full HD at 60p, and is packed with useful features like focus peaking, zebra stripes, time code SMPTE and Color Bars It also has two built-in ND filters to help with video exposure, another feature normally associated with high-end camcorders.

Designed as a miniature DSLR, the FZ2000 is a superzoom camera that ticks all the boxes for stills, offering excellent image quality courtesy of its 20.1MP 1in the sensor.

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8. Nikon Coolpix P900

Best Nikon Compact Camera

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Type: Compact Superzoom | Sensor: 1/2.3in | Megapixels: 16MP | Lens: 24-2000mm (equiv.) F/2.8-6.5 | LCD: 3-inch articulating, 921k dots | Viewfinder: EVF, 921k dots | Maximum continuous shooting speed: 7fps | Movies: Full HD (1080p) | User level: beginner / enthusiast

• Colossal zoom range
• Great value for money
• Small 1/2.3-inch sensor
• Does not shoot raw files

Cheaper than the Lumix FZ2000, the P900 has a super-size zoom

With its 24-2000mm (equivalent) zoom lens, the Coolpix P900 is certainly an ambitious camera. It doesn’t match the zoom range of the new Coolpix P1000, but it’s much cheaper.

With this kind of focal length, it goes much further than the average DSLR/kit lens, which explains why it has been a huge hit with amateur astrophotographers.

The lens is equipped with Nikon’s five-stop Vibration Reduction system and you also get a ton of manual control over exposure settings, plus Wi-Fi, NFC and even a GPS system.

Naturally, it will not be for everyone; there are no raw shots, the screen is not touch-sensitive, and the 1/2.3-inch sensor is the same size as snap cameras. However, the P900 makes the cut because it offers something genuinely unique at this level.

9. Panasonic LUMIX FZ300

Best Compact Camera With Zoom

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Type: Compact | Sensor: 1in | Megapixels: 20.1MP | Lens: 24-360mm f/3.3-6.4 (equiv.) | LCD: 3-inch fixed touchscreen, 1.24 million dots | Viewfinder: EVF | Maximum continuous shooting speed: 10fps | Maximum video resolution: 4K | User level: beginner / enthusiast

• Big zoom for a pocket camera.
• High-quality 1-inch sensor
• Built-in electronic viewfinder.
• Dropped sharpness at full zoom

For when you need a large zoom range but in a small camera for travel

If you’re going to travel, the last thing you want is to be burdened with kit. But you do want a camera that can capture any type of subject and is as close to the quality of a “proper” camera as possible.

That’s what the best travel cameras do, and the Panasonic TZ200/SZ200 is at the top of the tree. It replaces the old TZ100/SZ100, which is still for sale and one of our favourites from the past.

The TZ200/SZ200 keeps the same 20-megapixel 1-inch sensor but adds an even longer-range 15x zoom lens. This covers a 24mm wide-angle view, up to a long-range 360mm-equivalent telephoto setup.

It’s not the longest zoom range of any travel camera, but it’s the longest you’ll get in a pocket camera with such a large sensor. The TZ200/SZ200 produces excellent JPEG images straight from the camera, just like its predecessor, and has the option of raw shooting and 4K video.

A macro mode lets you focus on subjects just 3cm away, and Panasonic’s 4K photo mode can generate 8K images from burst sequences shot at 30 frames per second. With 4K Photo mode, you can even choose your point of focus after you’ve taken the photo.

10. Canon EOS 5D Mark IV

Best Compact Vlogging Camera

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Type: Compact | Sensor: 1/2.3in | Megapixels: 20.2MP | Lens: 25-625mm f/3.2-6.6 (equiv.) | LCD: 3 inches, 922k dots | Viewfinder: No | Continuous shooting: 2.5fps | Maximum video resolution: Full HD | User level: beginner

TZ200 too expensive? The SX620 HS offers a big zoom on a small budget

Superzoom travel cameras don’t have to be expensive. With its huge 25-625mm equivalent zoom, the Canon SX620 HS probably gives you more zoom than any other camera.

Its tiny 1/2.3-inch sensor will put a cap on the kind of image quality you can get and its point-and-shoot operation won’t impress connoisseurs, but as a low-cost snapshooter for families with a huge telephoto range, The SX620 HS is brilliant.

11. Olympus Tough TG-6

Best Mid-Range Compact Camera

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Type: Compact | Sensor: 1/2.3in | Megapixels: 12MP | Lens: 25-100mm (equiv.) F/2.0-4.9 | LCD: 3 inches, 460k dots | Waterproof: 15m / 50ft | Shockproof: 2.1m / 7ft | Freezing: -10ºC / 14ºF | Maximum video resolution: 4K

• Tough like old boots.
• 4x zoom range
• 4K Video
• Fujifilm XP140 is cheaper

If you like your adventurous vacations, this is the camera to take
The Olympus TG series has an excellent reputation in the tough camera market, not only for being specialized enough to withstand harsh conditions but also for its impressive imaging and video technology.

Arriving on the scene nearly two years after the TG-4, the direct-shooting-capable TG-5 brings significant improvements, most notably 4K video at 30fps and the option to record Full HD video at 120fps for on-camera output. super slow.

A thick grip allows for a secure hold of the camera, while the internal zoom mechanism means the lens never protrudes from the body, protecting it from bumps and knocks. Simple yet sophisticated, the TG-5 is a waterproof digital camera for photographers of all levels.