Which Camera is the Top Rated Compact Digital Camera?

Of course you know that the answer is conditional, right?

The answer is based on who it is that’s buying the camera. Even if price is not an issue, there are so many to choose from. So, the condition is: what is it you want from your camera? Once that is established, an answer is available.

I love photography, and I am very interested in the advances in technology related to cameras. I have spent countless hours searching the internet looking at experts’ reviews based on the technology used and the quality of the user’s experience with digital cameras. I have also spent hours looking at users’ reviews of those same digital cameras. These are reviews by people who have actually slapped down their hard-earned cash to purchase a camera. With all this research, I have come up with a short list of categories and the camera or cameras that rise to the top in each category.

So here are some conditions with the choices you should consider.

Best Budget Camera - a digital camera with plenty of megapixels and user options that also takes great pictures for less than $125.

And the winner is… Panasonic Lumix LZ8 IS.

Best Mid-Range Camera - qualifications here are picture quality, ease of use, a variety of wide angle and zoom ranges, and of course price (around $250).

The Winner… it’s a tie between Canon Powershot SX110 IS and Panasonic Lumix DMC TZ5.

Best Over All Compact Digital Camera - this is the camera that the pros would choose for quality and control. Megapixels are important, but more important are the features that give the user the same options that more expensive DSLR cameras have. Actually the only major difference between this camera and the DSLR is the ability to change lenses. Price here is around $500-$550.

Best Choice… Panasonic Lumix LX3 (highly recommended by every user and review web site). Runner up in this category would be the Canon G10.

There are definitely other categories, but these cover the main reasons to buy a digital camera.

As mentioned above, I have made it my goal to find the very best camera choices based on reviews by professionals and users. You can see much more about my research findings at http://www.squidoo.com/top-digital-cameras