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Comparison of Compact Cameras

par Sylvain
12 June 2023

Our survey
Micro 4/3 and APC-C compact cameras
1" compact cameras

1/2,3" compact cameras
Ratings on 13 specialised websites
Selection criteria

Our survey

We carried out a large survey between 19th and 24th April 2023, amongst 1,212 people who had gone on a long trip. We asked them many questions about the devices they used to take their photos. Learn more about our methodology

A12% of long-term travellers took a compact camera.

Most used brands

The most used compact camera brands by RTW travellers are:

32%: Sony
23%: Canon
20%: Panasonic Lumix
14%: Olympus
6%: Nikon
2%: Fujifilm
2%: Leica

Micro 4/3 and APC-C compact cameras

From $1,300 to $1,800

We compared the most used micro 4/3 and APC-C compact camera models by long term travelers.

	Fujifilm X100V	Panasonic Lumix LX100 Mark II

	BUY
Price	$1,800	$1,300
Buy	Amazon	Amazon
OUR SURVEY
Average rating on the following websites: Amateur Photographer, Camera Jabber, Camera Labs, Camera Race, Digital Camera World, Cnet, DP Review, Les Numériques, PCMag, Photography Blog, Tech Radar, UFC Que Choisir and Versus. These ratings are based on the evaluation at the time of the camera’s release. For older devices, the score may be slightly inflated due to the technological advancements of competing devices. Average rating from 13 specialised websites (out of 10) See all ratings	8	3
Average rating from 13 specialised websites (out of 10)
Release year	2020	2018
SENSOR
Sensor size (mm)	23.5 x 15.6 mm	17.3 x 13 mm
Number of megapixels	26 Mpx	17 Mpx
Sensibilité : plage ISO native	160 – 12800	200 – 25600
Sensitivity : native ISO range	80 – 51,200	100 – 25,600
LENS
Focal length (35 mm equivalent)	35 mm fixed focal length	24–75 mm
Maximum aperture	f/2–16	f/1.7–2.8
Optical zoom	No	3.1x
AUTOFOCUS
Contrast detection
Phase detection
Number of focus points	425	49
SHUTTER SPEED
Mechanical shutter speed	1/4,000 – 30 s	1/4,000 – 60 s
Maximum mechanical burst speed at full resolution	11 fps	11 fps
VIDEO
Video size	4K	4K
Video: maximum size (pixels) and frame rate (fps)	4,096×2,160 / 30 fps 1,920×1,080 / 120 fps	3,840×2,160 / 30 fps 1,920×1,080 / 60 fps
VIEWFINDER
Type	Electronic and optical	Electronic
Number of points	3,690,000	2,760,000
SCREEN
Size	7.6 cm	7.6 cm
Number of dots	1,620,000	1,240,000
Touch screen
Screen type	Tilting	Fixed
CONNECTIVITY
WiFi
NFC
Bluetooth
GPS
Microphone input
USB	USB 3.2 Gen 1 (5 GBit/sec)	USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec
STABILISATION
Stabilisation		Optical
OTHER SPECIFICATIONS
Built-in flash
Battery life (CIPA)	420 frames	340 frames
PHYSICAL SPECS
Weight (CIPA)	478 g	392 g
Dimensions	128x75x53 mm	115x66x64 mm
Weather sealing
Shockproof
BUY
Buy	Amazon	Amazon

1" compact cameras

From $500 to $1,300

We compared the most used 1″ compact camera models by long term travelers. We also included some cameras that are too recent to be included in our survey but are among the best sellers.

	Sony RX100 Mark VII	Sony RX100 Mark VI	Panasonic Lumix ZS100	Canon G7 X Mark III	Sony ZV-1	Sony ZV-1 Mark II	Canon G5 X Mark II	Panasonic Lumix ZS200	Panasonic Lumix LX10

	BUY
Price	$1,300	$830	$500	$750	$650	$900	$1,000	$650	$600
Buy	Amazon	Amazon	Amazon	Amazon	Amazon	Amazon	Amazon	Amazon	Amazon
	OUR SURVEY
Average rating on the following websites: Amateur Photographer, Camera Jabber, Camera Labs, Camera Race, Digital Camera World, Cnet, DP Review, Les Numériques, PCMag, Photography Blog, Tech Radar, UFC Que Choisir and Versus. These ratings are based on the evaluation at the time of the camera’s release. For older devices, the score may be slightly inflated due to the technological advancements of competing devices. Average rating from 13 specialised websites (out of 10) See all ratings	13	13	6	5	3	3	1	1	0
Average rating from 13 specialised websites (out of 10)
Release Year	2019	2018	2016	2019	2020	2023	2019	2018	2016
	SENSOR
Sensor size (mm)	13.2 x 8.8 mm	13.2 x 8.8 mm	13.2 x 8.8 mm	13.2 x 8.8 mm	13.2 x 8.8 mm	13.2 x 8.8 mm	13.2 x 8.8 mm	13.2 x 8.8 mm	13.2 x 8.8 mm
Number of megapixels	20 Mpx	20 Mpx	19 Mpx	20 Mpx	20 Mpx	21 Mpx	20 Mpx	20 Mpx	21 Mpx
Sensitivity : native ISO range	125 – 12,800	126 – 12,800	125 – 12,800	125 – 12,800	125 – 12,800	125 – 12,800	125 – 12,800	125 – 12,800	126 – 12,800
Sensitivity : extended ISO range	64 – 12,800	80 – 12,800	80 – 25,600	125 – 25,600	80 – 25,600	80 – 12,800	125 – 25,600	80 – 25,600	81 – 25,600
	LENS
Focal length (35 mm equivalent)	24 – 200 mm	24 – 200 mm	25 – 250 mm	24 – 100 mm	24 – 70 mm	18 – 50 mm	24 – 120 mm	24 – 360 mm	24 – 72 mm
Maximum aperture	f/2.8–4.5	f/2.8–4.6	f/2.8–5.9	f/1.8–2.8	f/1.8–2.8	f/1.8–4	f/1.8–2.8	f/3.3–6.4	f/1.4–2.8
Optical zoom	8.3×	8.3×	10x	4.2×	2.9x	2x	5x	15x	3x
	AUTOFOCUS
Contrast detection
Phase detection
Number of focus points	357	315	49	N/A	315	315	N/A	49	49
	SHUTTER SPEED
Mechanical shutter speed	1/2,000 – 30 s	1/2,000 – 30 s	1/2,000 – 60 s	1/2,000 – 30 s	1/2,000 – 30 s	1/2,000 – 30 s	1/2,000 – 30 s	1/2,000 – 60 s	1/4,000 – 60 s
Maximum mechanical burst speed	90 fps	24 fps	10 fps	30 fps	24 fps	25 fps	30 fps	10 fps	10 fps
	VIDEO
Video size	4K	4K	4K	4K	4K	4K	4K	4K	4K
Video: maximum size (pixels) and frame rate (fps)	3,840×2,160 / 30 fps 1,920×1,080 / 120 fps	3,840×2,160 / 30 fps 1,920×1,080 / 120 fps	3,840×2,160 / 30 fps 1,920×1,080 / 60 fps	3,840×2,160 / 30 fps 1,920×1,080 / 60 fps	3,840×2,160 / 30 fps 1,920×1,080 / 120 fps	3840×2160 / 30 fps 1920×1080 / 120 fps	3,840×2,160 / 30 fps 1,920×1,080 / 60 fps	3,840×2,160 / 30 fps 1,920×1,080 / 60 fps	3,840×2,160 / 30 fps 1,920×1,080 / 60 fps
	VIEWFINDER
Type	Electronic	Electronic	Electronic				Electronic	Electronic
Number of dots	2,360,000	2,360,001	1,166,000	–	–	–	2,360,000	3,330,000	–
	SCREEN
Size	7.6 cm	7.6 cm	7.6 cm	7.6 cm	7.6 cm	7.6 cm	7.6 cm	7.6 cm	7.6 cm
Number of dots	921,000	1,228,800	1,040,000	1,040,000	922,000	923,000	2,040,000	1,240,000	1,040,000
Touch screen
Screen type	Tilting	Tilting	Fixed	Tilting	Fully articulated	Fully articulated	Tilting	Fixed	Tilting
	CONNECTIVITY
WiFi
NFC
Bluetooth
GPS
Microphone input
USB	USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)	USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)	USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)	USB 3.2 Gen 1 (5 GBit/sec)	USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)	USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)	USB 3.2 Gen 1 (5 GBit/sec)	USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)	USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
	STABIISATION
Stabilisation	Optical	Optical	Optical	Optical	Optical	Optical	Optical	Optical	Sensor
	OTHER SPECIFICATIONS
Built-in flash
Battery life (CIPA)	260 frames	240 frames	300 frames	235 frames	260 frames	290 frames	230 frames	370 frames	260 frames
	PHYSICAL SPECS
Weight (CIPA)	302 g	301 g	312 g	304 g	294 g	292 g	340 g	340 g	310 g
Dimensions	102x58x43 mm	102x58x43 mm	111x65x44 mm	105x61x41 mm	105x60x44 mm	106x60x47 mm	111x61x46 mm	111x66x45 mm	106x60x42 mm
Weather sealing
Shockproof
	BUY
Buy	Amazon	Amazon	Amazon	Amazon	Amazon	Amazon	Amazon	Amazon	Amazon

1/2,3" compact cameras

From $350 to $550

We compared the most used 1/2,3″ compact camera models by long term travelers. We also included some cameras that are too recent to be included in our survey but are among the best sellers.

	Olympus Tough TG-6	Sony HX99	Canon PowerShot SX740 HS	Panasonic Lumix ZS70	Panasonic Lumix ZS60

	Buy
Price	$500	$470	$550	$400	$350
Buy	Amazon	Amazon	Amazon	Amazon
	OUR SURVEY
Number of respondents who bought this series (including older models)	11	11	6	2	2
Average rating on the following websites: Amateur Photographer, Camera Jabber, Camera Labs, Camera Race, Digital Camera World, Cnet, DP Review, Les Numériques, PCMag, Photography Blog, Tech Radar, UFC Que Choisir and Versus. These ratings are based on the evaluation at the time of the camera’s release. For older devices, the score may be slightly inflated due to the technological advancements of competing devices. Average rating from 13 specialised websites (out of 10) See all ratings
Release Year	2019	2018	2018	2017	2016
	SENSOR
Sensor size (mm)	6.17 x 4.55 mm	6.17 x 4.55 mm	6.17 x 4.55 mm	6.17 x 4.55 mm	6.17 x 4.55 mm
Number of megapixels	12 Mpx	18 Mpx	21 Mpx	20 Mpx	18 Mpx
Sensitivity : native ISO range	100 – 12,800	80 – 12,800	100 – 3,200	80 – 3,200	80 – 3,200
Sensitivity : extended ISO range	100 – 12,800	80 – 12,800	100 – 3,200	80 – 6,400	80 – 6,400
	LENS
Focal length (35 mm equivalent)	25 – 100 mm	24 – 720 mm	24 – 960 mm	24 – 720 mm	24 – 720 mm
Maximum aperture	f/2–4.9	f/3.5–6.4	f/3.3–6.9	f/3.3–6.4	f/3.3–6.4
Optical zoom	4x	30×	40x	30x	30x
	AUTOFOCUS
Contrast detection
Phase detection
Number of focus points	25	N/A	N/A	49	49
SHUTTER SPEED
Mechanical shutter speed	1/2,000 – 4 s	1/2,000 – 30 s	1/3,200 – 15 s	1/2,000 – 4 s	1/2,000 – 4 s
Maximum burst speed	20 frames	10 frames	10 frames	10 frames	40 frames
VIDEO
Video size	4K	4K	4K	4K	4K
Video: maximum size (pixels) and frame rate (fps)	3,840×2,160 / 30 fps 1,920×1,080 / 60 fps	3,840×2,160 / 30 fps 1,920×1,080 / 60 fps	3,840×2,160 / 30 fps 1,920×1,080 / 60 fps	3,840×2,160 / 30 fps 1,920×1,080 / 60 fps	3,840×2,160 / 30 fps 1,920×1,080 / 60 fps
VIEWFINDER
Type		Electronic		Electronic	Electronic
Number of points	–	638,400	–	1,166,000	1,166,000
SCREEN
Size	7.6 cm	7.6 cm	7.6 cm	7.6 cm	7.6 cm
Number of points	1,040,000	921,000	922,000	1,040,000	1,040,000
Touch screen
Screen type	Fixed	Tilting	Tilting	Tilting	Tilting
CONNECTIVITY
WiFi
NFC
Bluetooth
GPS
Microphone input
USB	USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)	USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)	USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)	USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)	USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
STABILISATION
Stabilisation	Sensor	Optical	Optical	Optical	Optical
OTHER SPECIFICATIONS
Built-in flash
Battery life (CIPA)	340 frames	370 frames	265 frames	380 frames	320 frames
PHYSICAL SPECS
Weight (CIPA)	253 g	242 g	299 g	322 g	282 g
Dimensions	113x66x32 mm	102x58x36 mm	110x64x40 mm	112x67x41 mm	112x64x38 mm
Weather sealing
Shockproof
BUY
Acheter	Amazon	Amazon	Amazon	Amazon

Ratings on 13 specialised websites

We aggregated the ratings given to compact cameras from 13 specialised websites. We converted them to a scale of 10 to calculate the average score. These ratings were given at the time of the camera’s release. For older cameras, the average score may be slightly inflated due to technological advancements.

Model	Prix du boitier nu	Price (body only)	Versus	Photo-graphy Blog	Camera Race	Digital Camera World	Amateur Photo-grapher	Tech Radar	Les Numé-riques	PCMag	DP Review	Camera Jabber	UFC Que Choisir	Cnet	Camera Labs
Fujifilm X100V	$1,800	2020	7.6	9	6.3	9	10	9	10	9	8.7	9	8.4	–	8
Sony RX100 Mark VI	$830	2018	6	9	5.8	–	9	9	8	8	8.3	10	8	8.8	9
Panasonic Lumix ZS200	$650	2018	5.4	9	5,1	9	–	9	10	7	8.1	10	7.6	8.2	9
Sony RX100 Mark VII	$1,300	2019	5.1	10	6.6	8	9	9	8	8	8.5	8	7.9	8.6	8
Sony ZV-1 Mark II	$900	2023	–	–	–	–	9	8	8	7	–	–	–	–	–
Panasonic Lumix ZS100	$500	2016	5.2	9	5.4	–	9	9	10	6	8.2	–	7.6	9	9
Sony ZV-1	$650	2020	6.1	9	5.9	9	8	9	8	7	8.5	9	–	7.6	–
Panasonic Lumix LX100 Mark II	$1,300	2018	5	9	5.5	8.4	9	9	6	7	8.2	10	7.9	8.8	8
Canon G7 X Mark III	$750	2019	6.8	9	6.2	8	–	9	6	7	8.1	8	7.9	–	8
Canon G5 X Mark II	$1,000	2019	6.4	8	6.1	8	8	7.8	6	8	8.2	8	7.8	8.2	8
Olympus Tough TG-6	$500	2019	5.4	8	5.2	9	8	8	8	8	7.6	8	6.5	–	8
Panasonic Lumix ZS70	$400	2017	5.3	8	5.1	8	–	7	8	–	5.3	10	7.2	–	9
Panasonic Lumix LX10	$600	2016	5.2	9	5.3	8	6	9	6	–	8.1	–	8	8	–
Panasonic Lumix ZS60	$350	2016	–	8	5.6	–	–	7	10	8	4.7	–	7.3	–	–
Sony HX99	$470	2018	5.9	9	5.5	–	–	8	8	6	–	–	6.7	–	–
Canon SX740 HS	$550	2018	5.8	8	3.3	7	–	7	6	–	–	6	6.8	5	8

Selection criteria

Sensor

The sensor is one of the most important parts of a camera. It converts light rays into electrical signals. A large sensor makes it possible to have a shallow depth of field (which in turn makes it possible to have a subject in focus and a blurred background) and offers better rendering in low or contrasting light.

The number of megapixels isn’t a determining factor when choosing a camera. All cameras sold today have enough megapixels to make satisfactory enlargements.

The higher the maximum ISO sensitivity, the more light the sensor can store and therefore take indoor photos without flash or photos of moving subjects.

Lenses

On compact cameras, the lenses aren’t interchangeable.

The focal length of the lens determines how much your subject will be magnified. Its maximum aperture is stated in this way: f/number(s).

The smaller the f, the larger the aperture, allowing you to take photos in low light, without needing to increase the ISO sensitivity or use your flash.

Size and weight

Compact cameras are smaller and lighter than other cameras. With the lens, they weigh between 14.1 ounces and 2.2 pounds (400 grams and 1 kilo). The bigger your camera, the more it’ll weigh down your bag and attract unwanted attention, and the harder it’ll be to get out to capture scenes from everyday life.

Video

Lots of compact cameras now shoot in 4K resolution (or UHD) which offers more detail, precision and clarity than shooting in Full HD. 4K also has the advantage of allowing you to crop. This is particularly useful for stabilising your image in the post-production editing process, since the software doesn’t need to insert pixels. But, be careful, as 4K requires a lot of storage space, as well as a high-performance computer if you plan on video editing.

Screen

The larger the rear screen and the number of megapixels, the easier it is to view photos and navigate. A rotatable screen also makes framing easier. A touch screen simplifies menu navigation and lets you scroll through photos, just like on a smartphone.

Speed

The higher the maximum shutter speed, the more blur-free photos you can take of moving subjects. However, the compact cameras that we compare here all have the same shutter speed: 1/2000s. Burst mode allows you to take several images in a row automatically. The higher the maximum burst speed, the more likely you are to get a good shot.

Connectivity

WiFi: this is the most common connection on cameras. It’s high-speed and is used for downloading your photos or displaying the viewfinder on a smartphone or tablet when controlling the device remotely. However, it’s energy-consuming and requires you to disconnect your phone from the Internet.
NFC: this is a limited-range and low-speed connection. It’s used to directly pair two devices without a password. With the arrival of Bluetooth Low Energy, the usefulness of NFC has become questionable.
Bluetooth: this connection consumes very little power and doesn’t require you to disconnect your phone from the Internet. It maintains a constant connection with a smartphone to synchronise the camera clock, automatically retrieve GPS coordinates to add to photos and continuously upload photos to your phone.
Built-in GPS: this lets you add GPS coordinates to photos. It’s not essential when the device has a Bluetooth connection (see above).
Mic input: this allows you to connect a better quality microphone than the one already built into the camera.
Flash bracket: this lets you attach an external flash or other accessories.
USB: a USB 3.0 connection is ten times faster than a USB 2.0 connection.

Stabilisation

With optical stabilisation, it’s the lenses that move in the lens so that the image follows the movements of your camera. 5-axis stabilisation combines optical stabilisation with mechanical stabilisation in the sensor to compensate for five different movements. Electronic stabilisation is usually the least efficient.

Battery life

Mirrorless cameras’ battery life is usually shorter than that on DSLRs. It varies a lot from one model to another. You could carry an extra battery and a portable charger to avoid running out of power. But, that’ll increase the weight of your gear.

Shockproof and waterproof

Some compact cameras, like the Olympus Tough TG-6, are designed to withstand drops from a person’s height and to be able to take pictures underwater, which can come in handy if you’re diving or snorkelling when travelling.