Do you like taking photos of your life’s best moments? Or do you like different photography styles, such as landscape or urban photography?
Have you ever considered trying a compact camera to see what you can get from it?
In case you don’t know, compact cameras are those that have a fixed lens and you usually can hold them with one hand.
Compact cameras a.k.a. point-and-shoot cameras or P&S may not be as robust as Mirrorless or DSLR cameras, but they certainly have many benefits that those bigger ones can’t deliver! In this post you will discover the advantages of owning a compact camera even if it’s as an extra device to take with you on trips or similar moments, or as a complement for your smartphone camera or other photo device.
You can be a photography amateur or a photographer with any level of expertise (beginner, intermediate or advanced). Either way, a point-and-shoot compact camera will be a great investment.
Let’s see 6 reasons to have a compact camera.
1. Compact cameras are easy to carry around
The first great reason to invest in a compact point-and-shoot camera is its high portability. They are lightweight and small but don’t lose image quality for that. You can fit a compact camera in any bag, backpack, purse, pouch and travel bag.
This feature can be very useful when you’re on vacation, for example, or whenever you need to carry a lot of objects with you other than your camera. Imagine using a big DSLR camera in a case like that, it’s a lot harder!
Also, compact cameras are easy to handle and hold. They are great for photo styles like urban landscape photography which requires taking shots in public and usually in the middle of crowds.
Also, if you’re taking photos of natural landscapes or small animals like birds, a compact camera can be better to avoid scaring the animals away. With bigger cameras such as Mirrorless, you would have to stay farther from your focus subject (in the example, the bird) and use the zoom tool to take photos in discretion. With a compact camera, you can be closer to the photo focus subject!
A compact camera offers discretion and lets you focus more on your photoshooting than worrying about calling too much attention in some situations.
2. The shooting speed of a compact camera is unique
That’s right! Compact cameras have this advantage over other camera types: their shooting speed. That’s because a compact camera works with an automatic system to work up the photo settings all by itself. So you can simply point and shoot (hence the name point-and-shoot cameras).
With other camera types such as DSLRs, you would have to set up the photo by yourself before shooting. You would need to configure the zoom, the light exposure, the focus and other adjustments. Compact cameras take an overview of the shooting scene and set up the best settings possible automatically, so you can shoot on-the-go!
This leads us to the third reason to have a compact camera.
3. Compact cameras have a simple learning curve
A learning curve is how much time you need to master the use of a device or anything else. In this case, it is how long it takes to learn how to use a compact camera properly. And that is the third reason to invest in a point-and-shoot camera: they are easy to use and simple to learn!
If you like photography and want to practice it more and more to level up your photography skills, you can start with a compact camera. When you’re starting in photography, it can be a little overwhelming to learn how to use all the buttons and settings of a big Mirrorless Camera or a DSLR.
So you can choose a compact camera as your first photography device because it’s much easier to use its buttons, controls and settings: they are also “compact”, meaning they are simpler to understand.
4. Many compact cameras have Wi-Fi and Bluetooth®
It’s a lot easier to share your photos and videos on social media with a compact camera: they have built-in Wi-Fi connection! You can also share photos and videos with other devices via Bluetooth®, another cool feature of compact cameras.
Those connectivity tools allow you to save a lot of time: you don’t have to spend 30 minutes or so transferring all your photos/videos from the camera to a computer via USB cable to only then share them on social media. You finish it all up on the camera!
Also, there are compact cameras with built-in Wi-Fi that feature a built-in app that you can use to connect your smartphone to the camera and do things like: control the camera from your smartphone to make it shoot photos remotely and send photos from the camera to your smartphone. Cool, right?!
5. Compact cameras shoot great images
Even though they are smaller than other models, compact cameras also deliver High Definition images a.k.a. HD images. You can easily find a compact camera that shoots in 720p and in 1080p, the most common HD resolutions.
Some compact cameras have features like image stabilization to avoid shaky and blurry shoots, and those combined with a HD image quality is great both for photos and videos!
Also, there are some pretty advanced compact cameras that have built-in lenses simulating a DSLR lens or a Mirrorless Camera lens to reach higher zoom distances and even better images!
So image quality is not an issue when it comes to compact cameras.
6. Waterproof compact camera reach deeper waters
Let’s say you want to take photos or shoot videos underwater. Even though there are waterproof smartphones, sometimes it can be risky to take your phone to depths lower than 1 meter (which is not that deep) because they can be damaged and not handle the water pressure. More advanced waterproof smartphones can withstand depths such as 2 meters, 4 meters or 6 meters.
But compact cameras go even deeper. They can go down to 10 meters or even 15 meters, and have other features to combine with that: waterproof compact cameras are usually shock-proof and crush-proof, meaning that if they fall underwater (or outside water) they won’t crash or be damaged.
So when you’re traveling or having fun with friends and family and want to take photos underwater or near water, it’s a better option to have a waterproof compact camera that can handle lower depths, this way you protect your smartphone from crashing and still get great photos!
What’s next?
Cool! Now you can name 6 great reasons to invest in a compact camera!
It can be to begin with photography, to have fun with friends and family or to learn more about photo settings in an easier approach. Either way, having a compact camera is a great investment.
So don’t hesitate to choose one for you and start taking photos with it!
You can also share your thoughts in the comments below!
