In this post I will share the top 10 Point and Shoot Digital Cameras – as voted by the readers of this site.

When I recently asked readers of DPS what digital cameras they use the array of cameras being used was quite amazing and yet there were some definite themes that I thought I’d summarize in 2 posts (this one looking at Point and Shoot Digital Cameras and tomorrow looking at DSLRs – update: check out the Top DSLRs post here).

Also at the bottom of this post I want to look at two other aspects of the results:

1. The breakdown between DSLRs and Point and Shoot Cameras
2. Brands of Point and Shoot Cameras

What Point and Shoot Models are Most Popular?

Before revealing the list let me make a couple of observations:

I was surprised on two fronts:

1. Despite there being 75 point and shoot cameras mentioned one camera completely dominated the list

2. The top of this 10 list was dominated fairly heavily by super zoom cameras (the top four all had 12x optical zooms with image stabilization). Only 4 of the top 10 were compact digital cameras.

Top 10 Point and Shoot Digital Cameras as Used by DPS Readers

I’m not going to list each camera mentioned but here are the top 10 (listed in order of popularity):

1. Canon PowerShot S3 IS – a 6 megapixel camera with a 12x optical zoom and image stabilization – pictured right
2. Canon Powershot S2 IS – a 5 megapixel camera with a 12x optcial zoom and image stabilization
3. Panasonic DMC-FZ50 – 10.1 megapixels with 12x optical zoom lens and image stabilization
4. Sony Cybershot DSC-H5 - 7.2 megapixles with 12x optical zoom and image stabilization
5. Canon PowerShot SD800 IS - a 7.1 megapixel compact camera with a 3.8x wide angled optical zoom and image stabilization – pictured right



6. Canon Powershot A620 – 7.1 megapixels and a 4x optical zoom (more of an entry level than others in the list)
7. Canon PowerShot S5 IS - 8 megapixels, 12x Optical Zoom and Image Stabilization
8. Fujifilm Finepix S5200 - 5.1 megapixels, 10x optical zoom and image stabilization
9. Canon Powershot SD550 - 7.1 megapixels and a 3x optical zoom
10. Nikon Coolpix 5400 – 5.1 megapixels with a 4x optical zoom

It is worth noting that the number 1 ranking point and shoot camera (the Canon PowerShot S3 IS ) outranked all of the others significantly. In fact as many people owned it as all of the other 9 cameras in the above list put together! Obviously Canon are onto a winner with that model – it’ll be interesting to see if the newer Canon PowerShot S5 IS gets as popular.

I recently made a fairly significant addition to my digital camera kit – a Canon EOS 5D. Ever since I’d tested the camera for a few weeks last year I had been dreaming of getting one of my own (and saving my pennies) so when I had enough money saved up I grabbed one.

Also rounding out the purchase was a new Flash and a Battery Grip.

While I thought long and hard about buying the camera body and the new flash the Battery Grip was something of an impulse buy. I’d previously always invested any spare money into new lenses and hadn’t thought about a battery grip – but there was an option to throw in the grip (and an extra battery) for only a little extra and so I decided to give it a go – thinking that I’d probably only use it if photographing an event like a wedding.

Having had the new camera, flash and grip for a six weeks not I can honestly say that I’m extremely pleased with each of the purchases. The 5D is a dream to use. My only complaint is the slower frame rate in burst mode. I’m also loving the ability to go extra wide with my 17-40mm lens now that I have a full frame camera. I’m also starting to wonder if I should buy a lens with a longer range than 200mm (as it has less impact on the full frame sensor than it had on my old 20D). I’m also loving the flash – it’s producing some great results and now I have the ability to set it up in a slave setup with my old flash I’ve been experimenting with some interesting lighting for portraits.

So the 5D and the new flash are great – but what has surprised me most is that I am really loving the battery grip. In fact instead of just attaching it to my camera for special events, I’m finding that I’m using it all the time.

My wife thinks I do it because it makes my camera bigger (and boys like to have big things – hmmm…. that didn’t quite come out right) and that I’m just showing off. Perhaps she’s got something there, it does make the camera look more professional – however I there’s a few other reasons that I love my new battery grip:

One of my favorite type of posts here at DPS is when we open things up for discussion with a reader question.

While a few weeks ago we asked you about your favorite DSLR Lens – today I want to turn our attention to the actual camera that you own.

What is your Digital Camera?

Please tell us the digital camera’s manufacturer and the model number and more importantly take a couple of moments to share with us a brief description of what you like (or don’t like) about it. Is it a certain feature, price, size, suitability to a certain type of photography….

If you use more than one digital camera feel free to include more than one answer.

PS: I’ll kick things off by simply pointing you to my recent review of my camera, the

…

The Canon EOS 5D made waves when it was announced as the first DSLR with a full frame sensor that wasn’t priced in the Pro range. While it’s still not priced in the reach of most digital camera owners it is an incredible camera that bundled with the 24-105mm L Series lens has tempted many serious amateurs and Pros alike.

The Canon EOS 5D is a very solid camera (with the 24-105mm lens you’ll really feel it around your neck after a day of carrying it around) with magnesium alloy construction. This is of course when you compare it with the 20D and 30D – however when you look at the next cameras up in Canon’s Pro DSLR range this is actually pretty light and portable option.

It is obviously aimed at the serious photographer as it doesn’t have any shooting modes beyond what a pro would use (ie no portrait, landscape, sports modes) and has no integrated flash (unlike it’s little brothers the 20D and 30D have).

Image quality is superb. I spent a month with this camera last year and was constantly amazed by the sharpness, smooth tones and wonderful contrast that this camera’s 12.8 megapixel sensor produced. Giving it back to Canon at the end of my time with it was no easy thing.

In fact I loved it so much that the day I handed it back I decided to start saving for my own and in the last couple of months made my purchase – I’ve not looked back since.

What I love about the Canon EOS 5D

There’s a lot to love but let me mention just a few things:

• Viewfinder and LCD – the first two things I noticed about the 5D after it’s weight were the size and clarity of the viewfinder and LCD. They make taking and reviewing images a breeze.
• Resolution – having upgraded from the 8 megapixel 20D I’ve come to love the resolution that the 12.8 megapixel sensor in the 5D has to offer. Pictures are consistently sharp and have low noise – even when bumping up ISO.
• Full Frame Sensor – I’ll be honest, it’s taken a while to get used to and shooting with wider angle lenses has taken some adjustment but I’m coming to love the full frame sensor and what it opens up when I’ve got my 17-40mm lens attached at the 17mm end of things.
• Spot Metering - this was something I always missed on the 20D
• 50 ISO – stepping ISO back to 50 instead of 100 is a nice luxury to have.
• Construction – this camera really feels like a serious camera. It’s solid and feels so nice in the hand.

What I don’t like about the Canon EOS 5D

One of the first books that I bought on the topic of Digital Photography was Ben Long’s Complete Digital Photography. It’s currently in it’s fourth edition (I bought the third originally but have since seen the latest edition and will base this review upon it).

Book Rating: 4.5 out of 5

I bought it on the recommendation of a friend who told me that it was one of the most comprehensive books that he’d written on Digital Photography and that while there are many ‘light’ and ‘fluffy’ books on the topic out there (light and fluffy were his words) that Ben’s book was a much more comprehensive introduction and exploration of the topic.

I’ll be honest here, my first impressions of Complete Digital Photography were not great, when the book first arrived from Amazon I pulled it out of the package and my first thought was ‘text book’. This is not the sexiest looking digital photography book going around (note, the new version has some improvements in this).

However I resisted judging the book on it’s cover and began to read. I’ve not stopped reading it since.

As my friend said in his recommendation – Ben Long has put together a very comprehensive guide to digital photography.

The information contained in this 576 page epic is solid and very helpful. It covers everything from talking readers through how a camera works to how to buy one, to shooting tips (composition, sharp images etc) through to post production and photo editing.

Ben has the ability to explain some of the more complicated aspects of photography simply and more importantly in a way that readers will be able to apply as they explore their hobby.

I would especially recommend Complete Digital Photography for anyone transitioning from film to digital – Ben explains a lot of ‘digital speak’ into a language that film photographers will understand. I guess it’s first edition was written primary for this audience.