Just booked your next vacation and looking for a compact and lightweight camera to capture all the memories? Forget all about DSLR cameras and their bulky interchangeable lenses. Point-and-shoot cameras are easy to use and provide excellent pictures without much intervention on your side. Click the button and the camera automatically focuses, adjusts the shutter speed, light sensitivity, and aperture to take stunning pictures of vistas and people. Want to share them with family and friends? Easy. Just connect the camera to your smartphone with Wi-Fi or Bluetooth and let everyone in on the fun. These cameras have superior optical zooms to capture subjects from afar with exceptional clarity and detail. To help you choose, our experts rounded up some of the best point-and-shoot cameras on offer and reviewed them to come up with their top five favorites based on picture quality, ease of use, and battery life. Document every second with one of the point-and-shoot cameras below.

Why should I buy a point-and-shoot camera when I have a phone camera?

Although most smartphones have cameras, the quality of the images they capture is inferior to that of point-and-shoot cameras. Because of their compact sizes, phones cannot be outfitted with large sensors that are ideal for photography in low light conditions. When it comes to zoom, smartphones only offer digital zoom, while cameras offer optical zoom for superior detail when shooting subjects from afar. Point-and-shoot cameras are also more robust and rugged and can take a beating. They resist water, heat, cold, dust, and impact much better than a smartphone would.

What is the difference between a point-and-shoot camera and a mirrorless or DSLR camera?

The main purpose of point-and-shoot cameras is to provide hobbyists with automatic features so they do not have to manually adjust the controls to take better pictures. With automatic modes and automatic focus, users do not have to change the aperture, shutter speed, or ISO like they have to on mirrorless and DSLR cameras. A point-and-shoot camera also has a built-in lens that is not interchangeable. As such, they are much smaller and lighter than mirrorless and DSLR cameras, making them ideal for travel and transport.

With all the different brands competing for a share of the point-and-shoot camera market, it can be overwhelming to decide which one to choose, especially if you do not know what you are looking for. In this guide, we highlight important features and the things to look out for when shopping for point-and-shoot cameras.

Pocket-Sized Design

Our top choice boasts a 30x optical zoom and a live view finder packed into a compact body that fits in any pocket. It also features a sharp 24mm wide-angle lens with a versatile zoom range to capture any subject.

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Outstanding Picture Quality

This option’s claim to fame is its 40x optical zoom to capture the action happening up close or from afar. Built-in image stabilization technology ensures the results are sharp, crisp, and blur-free.

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Ideal for Underwater Shoots

This option is rugged and built to withstand extreme weather conditions and situations. Not only is it submersible underwater, but it is also shock-proof, dustproof, and can withstand freezing temperatures without fogging.

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Everything You Need

This option comes with everything you need to take stunning images and videos. It has a 42x optical zoom lens, a 24 mm wide-angle lens, and a 16.15 megapixel sensor to capture subjects from a distance while focusing on details.

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With NFC Connectivity

This one has an impressive 83x optical zoom that brings subjects barely visible to the naked eye into full frame. With built-in NFC connectivity, simply tap this camera onto a compatible smartphone to share and send images and videos.

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