The 4 Best Point-And-Shoot Cameras - Spring 2024 Reviews

The Sony RX100 VII is the best point-and-shoot digital camera we've tested. This premium option is loaded with more features than a Swiss Army knife, including an excellent 1-inch sensor that captures great image quality for its class. The sensor's stacked design allows for quick 20 fps burst shooting, and despite its pocketable size, the camera has some neat extra features like a pop-up electronic viewfinder and a pop-up flash.

Though its zoom lens isn't the sharpest or fastest, it has a fairly wide-ranging full-frame equivalent focal length of 24–200mm, giving you a lot of flexibility with framing and allowing you to capture faraway subjects. Add in a fantastic autofocus system, and this is one of the most full-featured point-and-shoots on the market. No wonder it's on its seventh iteration and counting. And if the price is too steep for you, you can still find older generations on the used market at a lower cost.

If image quality is your top priority, consider the RICOH GR III. It uses a larger APS-C sensor than the Sony RX100 VII, capturing photos with better overall image quality and more dynamic range. Its bigger sensor and fairly fast prime lens also make it better suited to low-light situations. Despite the larger sensor, the camera's sleek, minimalist design makes it one of the most portable options on this list, too, so it's a great fit for street and travel photos.

That said, the GR III is aimed more at those seeking a "pure" photography experience with fewer bells and whistles. Some may find its fixed screen and lack of viewfinder limiting. Its fixed focal-length lens is also less suited to casual snapshots than the zoom lens on the Sony, though it'll also force you to get more creative with your framing and composition. If you're not a fan of the 28mm full-frame equivalent lens on the GR III, the RICOH GR IIIx is a tad pricier but comes with a 40mm equivalent lens for a more natural field of view.

For those who don't want to spend a small fortune on a point-and-shoot, the Canon PowerShot G5 X Mark II offers a good balance of performance and features at a slightly lower price point. Like the Sony RX100 VII, it uses a 1-inch sensor, so image quality is solid, even if it doesn't match up to large-sensor compacts like the RICOH GR III. Its built-in zoom lens has a 24–120mm equivalent focal length, so it's fairly versatile overall.

Beyond that, the camera is super portable and, like the RX100 VII, has a pop-up viewfinder for sunny days when the screen is harder to see. Though its subject tracking isn't the most reliable, its autofocus is still generally decent and gets the job done in most situations. Finally, if ergonomics are a priority for you, its small handgrip is one of the most comfortable we've tested among compact cameras.

If you want a compact vlogging camera, look no further than the Sony ZV-1. It's small, lightweight, and designed specifically for vloggers, with features you won't find on more photography-oriented cameras like those above. While the ZV-1 doesn't have a viewfinder, it's the only camera on this list with a fully articulated screen, making it easy to monitor yourself while recording. It also comes with a detachable windscreen for its microphone to help cut down on ambient noise. Sony has since released the Sony ZV-1 II, with a wider-angle lens ideal for walk-and-talk vlogs. Still, the original ZV-1 is an even better deal now that its successor is out, and it has some advantages, like optical stabilization.

The camera uses Sony's ever-reliable autofocus and even includes specialized modes like 'Product Showcase,' which automatically shifts focus to any object held up in the frame rather than prioritizing your face, which is ideal for product and beauty vloggers. Like most point-and-shoots, battery performance is limited, especially if you're recording in 4k. However, the ZV-1 is tough to beat if you need something compact for vlogging or video.