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Buyer's Guide 2025: Best Of Compact Cameras

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    • Top-of-the-line pocket cameras make pro features more portable

    By Jon Canfield


    This Article Features Photo Zoom

    Samsung TL34HD
    At 14.7 megapixels, the TL34HD ties the Canon PowerShot G10 as resolution champ in compact cameras. Along with the high resolution, the TL34HD includes a number of unique features, such as the Beauty Shot mode, which performs in-camera skin tone correction and smoothing, and a Digital Contents Management feature, which organizes your photos based on date, content, color and theme, and groups them together for you.

    A slick, three-inch touch-screen LCD controls all camera features and serves as the viewfinder. The 3.6x optical zoom (28-102mm) enhances with both optical and digital image stabilization. The camera offers an ISO range of 80-3200, and also includes face, blink and smile detection. The HD in the camera name refers to the HD movie mode that captures 720p video at 30 fps, and there's an HDMI interface for direct connection to HD displays.

    Quick Specs
    Size: 4.5x0.9x3.0 inches
    Weight: 14.4 ounces
    Storage: SD/SDHC
    File Types: JPEG, MP4
    Estimated Street Price: $329


    Pentax Optio W60
    If you're the outdoorsy type, the Optio W60 is likely to appeal to you. This 10-megapixel camera is waterproof to 13 feet for up to two hours, as well as insulated to work in extreme temperatures below freezing. With a 5x optical zoom range of 28-140mm, you can take the Optio W60 anywhere you might be headed. The 2.5-inch LCD makes composition simple—even underwater.

    The W60 includes shake reduction to counteract handheld blur and an ISO range of 50-1600 (up to 6400 at 5-megapixel resolution), as well as face- and blink-detection technology and an HD movie mode that records at 720p resolution.

    Quick Specs
    Size: 3.9x2.2x1.0 inches
    Weight: 4.4 ounces
    Storage: SD/SDHC
    File Types: JPEG, AVI
    Estimated Street Price: $329




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    4 Comments

    1. oooom makes this comment

      Saturday 24 January, 2025

      Canon has major problems with their manufacturing. Too many Canons fail because of hardware issues. Search the web for "Canon lens error" to see the long list of customer complaints.

    2. Doug H makes this comment

      Saturday 17 January, 2025

      The G10 is an amazing camera with image quality superior to any compact on the market. From ISO 100-400 noise is nonexistent. Above 400 noise is still considerably better than any other compact, but of course short of a DSLR. The color and tonal range is better than most DSLR's.The G10 also has the most incredible feature set of any camera on the market today. I have made 13x19 inch prints my fellow professionals thought came from my DSLR. I have put this camera to the test for seven weeks now and can recommend it without reservation.There is a very good reason why so many professionals use the Canon G series for personal use. The G10 is simply the best compact on the market.

    3. Zoe Hellar makes this comment

      Tuesday 9 December, 2025

      After reading all of this article , I have to agree on all of your compacts for 2025. A good evaluation Zoe

    4. Ray Smith makes this comment

      Thursday 4 December, 2025

      The G10 is useless above ISO 100 and even at that setting produces prodigious amounts of noise in shadow areas. The built-in noise reduction algorithm reduces detail even at ISO 100. Long exposures also produce much too much noise. The noise issue totally negates the ability to print images at 13x19 or higher. This is a function of jamming so many photo-sites into the same size sensor.

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