Is modern photography only limited to high-end smartphones, high-end DSLRs and mirrorless cameras? What's a budget-conscious customer going to do? Don't worry, here we highlight a few brand new point & shoot cameras from Canon and Nikon that have good features and are light on the pocket. What's so great about this camera right here? We'll come to that in a bit. But first...
Nikon Coolpix S3700
A camera that can't share its images instantly is as good as a relic in this day and age. The Nikon Coolpix S3700 aims to fix that by offering you, on a budget, a 20.1MP capable P&S camera with NFC and Wi-Fi support. If that wasn't enough, your Rs.7,000 gets you 8x zoom, optical image stabilization and support for 720p video recording.
Available for just Rs.6,800, this camera is a good deal. Don't expect it to knock your socks off with its image quality, but you can't expect better at this price.
Nikon Coolpix S2900
A cheaper alternative to the S3700, the S2900 loses out on Wi-Fi and comes with 5x zoom vs. 8x on the S3700, but it's also Rs.1,000 cheaper.
Price: Rs.5,800
This compact little camera comes with all the accessories that you'd need, including a USB charger and A/V cable.
Canon Digital lXUS 160
Dirt cheap and a decent performer, the IXUS 160 is a great value for money camera for the price. A 20MP sensor and 8x optical zoom coupled with the DIGIC 4+ CPU make for a great deal.
Price: Rs.5.600
It's nice to see that Canon hasn't scrimped out on the packaging here. As you can see, the box is packed to the gills
Canon Digital IXUS 170
Boasting of 12x optical zoom (25-300mm equivalent), a 20MP sensor and Canon's quick DIGIC 4+ processor. The shutter speed ranges from 15-1/2000 seconds, which is good and image quality is decent. However, the aperture is small at f/3.4, but it's not a deal-breaker and you shouldn't expect absolutely everything at this price.
Priced at Rs.8,000, you even get an SD card and camera pouch bundled with the camera; the same contents as the IXUS 160's package.
Canon PowerShot SX400 IS
If you're on a budget and still want a mega zoom camera, look no further than the SX400 IS. Boasting of a massive, 30x optical zoom. That lens is tacked onto a 16MP CCD and comes with optical image stabilization and can record movies at 720p.
Price: Rs.9,000
While this is the most expensive camera in this little round-up of budget cameras, it's also the one with the longest zoom and if that's all you want, this camera can't be beat.