I'm an avid photographer; a hobbyist with a love for the lens. As such, I'm often asked by friends and family, "What camera should I buy?" I prefer a DSLR but it's not always practical (or wise) to carry in all scenarios. Besides, a DSLR is overkill for most people in terms of size and price. Not to mention ease of use. When life intervenes a good compact, pocket-sized camera is a must.
The topic of what camera to buy came up again recently while out having dinner and drinks with some friends. In particular taking good pictures in low-light conditions; indoors at home, bars or restaurants. So, to answer the question, "what kind of (party) camera should I buy?" I wrote up some guidelines I would look for in a compact camera to take pictures in low-light.
Price
The $50 camera off the shelf from Target probably isn't a bad camera. I believe they make great first cameras. I've even bought a few as gifts. And for most people that's all you'll need. But if you're reading this article then you're not most people. Instead, be prepared to spend around $250 for a good compact camera.
Size
Yes, size does matter. How much is up to you. An extra 1/4 to 1/2 inch will make a big difference if you're like me and carry a camera, phone, wallet and keys (and maybe some gum) in your two front pockets. This is where seeing a camera in person before buying may be the deciding factor.
Manual Settings, Including Exposure
Having manual control over you camera is a good indicator you're buying a decent camera even if you never use those manual settings. Being able to control the exposure will help in low and bright light situations. I generally look for +/-2 on the exposure. Increase the exposure in low-light situations (restaurants, etc). Decrease it when ample light is available (like the beach at noon).
Hi ISO Settings
ISO is the modern day equivalent of film speed from the 35mm days. What does this mean? The higher the ISO number, the better it will do in low light. The lower the ISO the better it will do in bright light. Look for either a "High" setting or preferably numbers. 200 - 400 are great for outdoors in the sun. 800+ for low light.
Fewer Megapixels
Yes, the almighty megapixel is marketing hype. When it comes to compact cameras with very small lenses extra megapixels may create worse photos. Having more megapixels may also slow down your camera creating the awful blurred faces. All things being equal I'd take 5MP over 8 (or 10 or 12 or 16) any day.
Optical Zoom
Digital zoom is just in-camera cropping. With a digital zoom, the camera takes the picture, cuts away at the edges and blows up what's left. All the while degrading the quality of the original picture. There's an old photograher's saying: "Your feet make the best zoom lens you can find."
Waterproof, Weather-Proof and Shock Resistant
Some manufactures have been coming out with waterproof, weather-proof and/or shock resistant cameras. It's a niche market geared towards the outdoor adventurous types. As such, they're probably better suited to well-lite, outdoor photos. I haven't taken pictures with any of the new ones myself but it's always worth looking into for the sake of durability.
My first digital camera was a Kodak DC5000 which was weather-proofed with a 6-ft drop rating. (Meaning I could drop it from 6ft and have nothing happen to the camera). It was big and bulky but took great pictures all while being able to withstand a beating. It had drinks spilled on it. I took it dogsledding and fell on it a few times in the snow. I've even taken it poolside for some great beach and outdoor photos. I had no fears letting my little nieces and nephew run around family parties taking pictures with it. After 11 years it's still in use and taking great photos.
SD Cards
Pick a camera that stores its pictures on an SD card. There are a lot of competing formats these days but the most popular tends to be the Secure Digital (SD) card. They're cheap and easy to find. I've seen them for sale at Walgreens and various convenience stores. SD card readers are even being build into more and more computers nowadays. Not so with other formats.
Good Brands
Cannon and Panasonic consistently show up on the lists of good performing compact camera's. It's a side topic with all DSLR owners cause we don't want to carry our full gear all the time. When I bought mine (Canon PowerShot SD1100 IS Elph) the Cannon Powershot was that camera for most photographers, even those in the Nikon camp. (Yes, I shoot with a Nikon DSLR).
Now What?
I know what you're thinking: "Great, you listed out a bunch of specs that I can't find listed anywhere." You're right. Most manufacturers don't list these specs on their promotional material. I'll have to answer why I think that is in a different article. Here's what you can do: Find a couple cameras you like in your price range then pull up their user manual online to see what, of the above options, they support. Every major manufacturer will have the user manual online in their support section. You may need to dig a little but it's worth it. Nothing more frustrating then a new camera that takes crappy pictures.
I'd also look around online for photos taken with the same camera. A lot of people who post to Flicker have the camera make and model searchable. Look for photo's taken in the same scenario's you'll be in.
Read camera reviews (not just the press release posted as a review). Read user comments on Amazon and other sites where people purchased the camera. DPReview is one of my favorite photography equipment review sites who also have sample pictures taken under a variety of scenarios. The navigation is terrible, but the reviews and sample photo's are excellent. The downside is they don't review many compact cameras.
Additional Thoughts
DSLR's, super zooms and micro four thirds are out of the running for this article due to the expense and size. They are great and far better at taking low-light photos, but the topic of this article focused on compact, pocket-sized cameras. Plus, I don't know about you, but I don't want a $500+ camera ruined when someone spills a drink on the table.
Yes, there are those who will argue that a good camera phone is all you really need. Especially now that more and more phones are equipped with a flash. Personally, I'm not convinced that a camera phone is a good replacement for a dedicated camera. It's great in a pinch, but not what I would choose to capture lasting memories.
There you have it: Dave's guide to buying a good party camera. Good luck in your quest.
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