The most obvious reason is zoom. While some phones have optical zoom, many others will use software “zoom.” The kind of zoom you can get from a standalone camera blows them out of the water. Phones with optical zoom are often stuck at a fixed zoom point, whereas cameras can zoom in and out with movable optics. It’s a much better experience and much better quality. There’s also the idea that you don’t want to put all your eggs in one basket. If you’re out on the town or at your child’s recital, and your phone dies, so does your camera. Having a separate device ensures you have the power when you need it. We could also talk about storage, ease of use, one-handed use, and more. Suffice it to say, if you’re reading this, you’ve considered all this, and you have a budget. We’ve gathered our favorites for your consideration. The camera comes with a 64GB memory card and case, which is a nice set of extras. The camera also has built-in Wi-Fi and Near Field Communications (NFC) for easy pairing with your computer or smartphone, allowing you to share photos on the fly as you take them. In short, this is the perfect complement to your smartphone. Resolution: 18.2MP | Sensor Type: Exmor R CMOS | Max ISO: 12,800 | Optical Zoom: 20x | Connectivity: NFC, Wi-Fi While the camera is rated for great depth underwater, it’s also limited to just 5x optical zoom. That’s largely due to the lack of exterior moving parts, which would create gaps for water to get in. All the same, it’s a little disappointing when you’re above the waves. Video capture is limited to just 1080p at 60fps. But the video camera is also capable of super slo-mo capture at 320fps. That gives you some good options for high-speed shots that capture a lot of detail. Resolution: 16.4MP | Sensor Type: BSI-CMOS sensor | Max ISO: 3,200 | Optical Zoom: 5x | Connectivity: Bluetooth This camera has several methods of connecting to your smartphone, including Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and NFC. The 13.2MP camera sensor is capable of taking some good stills, but you’ll want to pass on video capture. It can get by on brightly lit scenes, but anything less than that usually ends up being unusable. That’s unfortunate, considering underwater tends to be a low-light environment. But if you need something inexpensive to get by on an underwater trip, this might be a good option for you. Resolution: 13.2MP | Sensor Type: CMOS sensor | Max ISO: 1,600 | Optical Zoom: 3x | Connectivity: Bluetooth, NFC, Wi-Fi The battery life isn’t the best and the shutter lag can sometimes be a problem, depending on your environment. The camera pretty much lives in auto, and there are few manual controls. When the auto mode is having trouble deciding the best settings, it can be frustrating. Also, since this isn’t considered a professional camera, there’s no RAW support at all, so you’ll be left with compressed .jpg images. That’s not the worst thing, but it gives you less control over your final product. Built-in Wi-Fi lets you easily share your photos. Resolution: 20MP | Sensor Type: CCD sensor | Max ISO: 1,600 | Optical Zoom: 42x | Connectivity: NFC, Wi-Fi Where this camera suffers is in its lack of an optical viewfinder. The camera sports a large, 3-inch screen on the back to serve as a viewfinder, but it’s difficult to see in direct sunlight, making it hard to get the shot you’re looking for. It’s the sort of complicating factor that you really need to consider before putting down your hard-earned money. But if you’re looking for a camera with a powerful zoom, this is a good one to consider. Resolution: 20.3MP | Sensor Type: CMOS sensor | Max ISO: 3,200 | Optical Zoom: 50x | Connectivity: NFC, Wi-Fi The camera does not have a rechargeable battery. It instead runs off of two AA batteries, which is both good and bad news. On the one hand, batteries are easy to replace. On the other, it’s nice to just recharge rather than waste batteries. This camera is a little finicky when it comes to SD cards. First of all, it cannot support any card above 32GB in size, which is fairly small by today’s standards. It also cannot support MicroSD cards in an adapter, nor can it support Ultra, Ultra Plus, Extreme, Extreme Plus, Extreme Pro, or SDXC cards. That’s a lot of caveats for one camera. But, this camera is extremely affordable, so it’s worth putting up with some inconveniences considering all you get for the price. Resolution: 16MP | Sensor Type: CCD | Max ISO: 3,200 | Optical Zoom: 40x | Connectivity: N/A If you’re looking for more of a DSLR experience, check out the Canon PowerShot SX530 (View on TigerDirect). This camera gives you the look and feel of a DSLR, 50x optical zoom, and a 16MP sensor. With all of that, it’s still a lightweight camera that’s easy to carry and shoot with. It would be hard to go wrong with any camera on this list, but those are the two that stand out the most. Gannon Burgett reviews photography-related products for Lifewire, like chargers, cameras, printers, and more. Kyle Schurman is a former freelance contributor for Lifewire, where he wrote extensively on camera and photography topics for more than seven years. Benjamin Zeman is a business consultant, musician, and writer based in southern Vermont.
What to Look for in a Camera Under $300
Megapixels - Your camera’s sensor is the part that actually “sees” and captures the image. The larger the megapixel count, the more detailed your photo can be. In the case of megapixels, higher is better. Optical zoom - We spent a lot of time in this article talking about zoom. That’s because it is a standalone camera’s key advantage over your smartphone. Zoom determines how close you can get to your subject without moving. It’s achieved in one of two ways: optical zoom or digital zoom. Optical zoom physically moves the lenses in the body of the camera to achieve different focal lengths which brings you closer to your subject. Digital zoom is usually achieved by cropping and blowing up an image, which often causes degradation in the image. Optical is always better than digital zoom, and higher is better. Memory cards - All digital cameras accept memory cards, but not all of them accept the same size or speed of memory cards. Memory card sizes are straightforward, but speeds are different. Speed is written on a card as a UHS speed rating or a speed-class rating. In this case, faster or slower isn’t as important as compatibility. Be sure to consult your camera’s manual to see what speed and size memory you should buy.
