Compact Pocket Camera Recommendations

[AMac]

Hi guys,

I am just in the process of selling my Canon 20D, 550D and 77D cameras.

A year ago I bought a Pixel Pro 7 and decided to go a year just using that as my main camera, basically because its always in my pocket.
Now and again I wish I had my "better" camera with me for that where I wonder if I might have got a better quality shot.

Most of my photography now is travel type from the travel holiday we take, landscape, street and buildings.

So I was thinking of getting a compact pocket camera, to use where I think the phone might struggle or something I might print for the wall.

I have started looking reading reviews, its been a while since I bought anything so I am a bit behind on all the info.

I just wondered if anyone had any recommendations, to narrow things down a bit.

Also, how much importance should I put on sensor size/type, the biggest I think I would ever print would be 40cm x 50cm.

I think a zoom might be useful, but only something like an equivalent 28-100mm nothing too mad.

Well, I thought I would pop by and ask

Thanks for any help or suggestions,
Alex

 

[woof woof]

I have a Panasonic TZ100, 1" sensor, built in evf and 25-250mm equiv zoom. There's a TZ200 out too. Others prefer the Sony RX100.

 

[Nod]

I have an RX100 (actually, I have 2 - a Mk 1 and a Mk 6) as well as a TZ 100. The RX 100 (6) is the one that gets taken on holiday since (IMO & E) it gives nicer photos than the Panasonic. Both slip nicely into a shirt pocket. TBH, if I hadn't had a play with a mate's Sony, I'd possibly still be using the Panasonic but having compared the photos (as similar as possible), there was no real competition!

 

[AndrewFlannigan]

Hi guys,

I am just in the process of selling my Canon 20D, 550D and 77D cameras.

I have Nikon, Panasonic and Sony system cameras.

They're all excellent machines with 20 to 24 MP sensors and very good lenses. However, some of the pictures that I'm most pleased with are those from my 18 year old Canon Ixus 70 with its tiny 7MP sensor. Why? Because it lives in the little pouch on my belt and it's always present when when I see something I want to record. I'm not saying that it's what you need or want but just remember the primary rule of photography: "the very best camera in the world is the one that's in your hand, when the picture's in front of you".

 

[LongLensPhotography]

I have Nikon, Panasonic and Sony system cameras.

They're all excellent machines with 20 to 24 MP sensors and very good lenses. However, some of the pictures that I'm most pleased with are those from my 18 year old Canon Ixus 70 with its tiny 7MP sensor. Why? Because it lives in the little pouch on my belt and it's always present when when I see something I want to record. I'm not saying that it's what you need or want but just remember the primary rule of photography: "the very best camera in the world is the one that's in your hand, when the picture's in front of you".

View attachment 451669
View attachment 451670View attachment 451671

To be honest even midrange phones today will be easily better than this

 

[realspeed]

Alex
I have gone over to panasonic four thrds cameras from Nikon DSLR. Maybe a mention on your price range might help as well. I have also the lumix TZ 95 but now no longer sold as new.



I see camera phones mentioned above. they can never ever compete with a dedicated camera and I would not ever ever use one.

For example my little TZ95 can pan and auto stitch several frames together


as well as video in MP4 or AVchd in 8 different formats even high speed video. Ihe menu is extensive so needs time getting used to
On mine there arfe also 3 settings you can program what you want into them,

 

[d00d]

I have a Canon G7X, not used it in a couple of years since getting my little Ricoh.

Looks like it's dusty, but no.

 

[AMac]

Hi guys, thanks for taking the time to reply, I will go and have a better look.
That’s kinda my dilemma, if I spend £800-£1000 in a compact , will it be thst much better than my phone.
Thanks again Alex.

 

[AndrewFlannigan]

That’s kinda my dilemma, if I spend £800-£1000 in a compact , will it be thst much better than my phone.

That will depend on you. If you're a pixel peeper, the £1,000 camera should be far better than your phone, depending on what you use it for and how you use it. My current phone is an iPhone 16 and it's very good for night shots, though not, in my opinion, as good as that old Ixus for many of the images I want to capture.

To be honest even midrange phones today will be easily better than this

Everyone has different requirements and people who make bald statements about image quality may be completely failing to understand what others consider important.

 

[d00d]

Hi guys, thanks for taking the time to reply, I will go and have a better look.
That’s kinda my dilemma, if I spend £800-£1000 in a compact , will it be thst much better than my phone.
Thanks again Alex.

If you're happy with 'used', you can find an ex-cherished compact for less than half that.

Personably, I dislike phone camera results, and think there's no competition. But I know not everyone agrees.

 

[woof woof]

Hi guys, thanks for taking the time to reply, I will go and have a better look.
That’s kinda my dilemma, if I spend £800-£1000 in a compact , will it be thst much better than my phone.
Thanks again Alex.

I've never yet seen any picture taken with a phone which stands up to anything like close viewing on a larger laptop or pc screen. A 1" sensor camera will be a step up in quality plus even with a compact camera you'll at least get some attempt at ergonomics which are let's be honest completely absent from 99% of phones in existence and absent from 100% of the phones I've seen and of course with a camera you can have an evf and dials for aperture and shutter speed.

 

[droj]

or something I might print for the wall

This to me is the pivot point. And it is possible to make a phone pic work, just as people make Polaroids or pinholes work in that arena, but the balancing act is up to you. It needs a certain gift of vision & process.

This is a debate where there's hardly a black & white, an either / or. I think you just have to dive in at an almost random point, & get on with it. The recipe, in the end, must be your own. Take a chance - life's an experiment!

Resolution to me isn't the arbiter - it's more about how tones are rendered (less can be more).

What camera? I haven't a clue! But much is to do with how you use it.

 

[Hogboy]

[url=https://flic.kr/p/2r15jmF]463668134_10160392983787727_7376076263010799680_n by Ian, on Flickr[/URL]Phone cameras can be great in good light, last year we spent 2 weeks travelling around Japan with a Z6ii and A6700, took thousands of photos, but also had a Samsung S24 Ultra, which took a to of pics, one of my fave pics was taken with the phone.
If i were buying a compact today it would deffo be the RX100vii.

 

[JohnMcL7]

Hi guys, thanks for taking the time to reply, I will go and have a better look.
That’s kinda my dilemma, if I spend £800-£1000 in a compact , will it be thst much better than my phone.
Thanks again Alex.

It's a difficult question and one that's hard to answer without trying a compact camera option.

I previously used an RX100m4 as a pocket camera but I gradually found it fell out of favour in preference to phone cameras. The RX100 had better image quality but for the sort of images I was taking I was content with the phone camera.

More recently I've wanted to get back to that point and have a decent dedicated camera with me again and spent a long time deliberating. I quite fancied a Sony E-mount with the 16-50mm pancake lens but it was just too big for a jacket so I decided on a 28mm fixed lens APS-C compact which I didn't get on with. After asking on here I thought I'd try the RX100M7 since I wasn't convinced of the usefulness of the longer, slower lens but after a few months with it I am pleased with the camera. While mobile phone cameras can produce decent images at 28mm they're no good at longer focal lengths where the RX100m7 really shines and the camera is still small enough to fit in a pocket and be used one handed. The little 1in sensor is clearly a long way behind the bigger sensors but there's still a decent amount of latitude in the files to process them as you want and with newer software the files can clean up nicely. I was taking images in low light where the slower lens is a bit weaker but was glad to have the RX100 over the phone since I was able to work with the files to get the output I was wanting.

 

[LongLensPhotography]

That will depend on you. If you're a pixel peeper, the £1,000 camera should be far better than your phone, depending on what you use it for and how you use it. My current phone is an iPhone 16 and it's very good for night shots, though not, in my opinion, as good as that old Ixus for many of the images I want to capture.

Everyone has different requirements and people who make bald statements about image quality may be completely failing to understand what others consider important.

Take a good objective look at what you have posted in a reasonably small web format as if they were not yours. Does that chroma noise, dynamic range and softness still look acceptable in 2025? even 2015? My £240 phone seriously does a better job and I ABSOLUTELY HATE using phones for snapping with passion.

I've never yet seen any picture taken with a phone which stands up to anything like close viewing on a larger laptop or pc screen. A 1" sensor camera will be a step up in quality plus even with a compact camera you'll at least get some attempt at ergonomics which are let's be honest completely absent from 99% of phones in existence and absent from 100% of the phones I've seen and of course with a camera you can have an evf and dials for aperture and shutter speed.

The trouble is that 2024 and 2025 models completely bend the conventional norms. 1" sensor can be found in some flagship phones like Xiaomi 15 Ultra and some others. That also gives you a wide prime with fast aperture so you are less stuck in low light. 1/1.3" are still very good for what lay people may need or want. This is essentially DJI MINI 4 PRO quality in your pocket. Not my favourite but very acceptable particularly for video. And even smaller ones can still perform reasonably in bright light. I managed to get a clean A4 print of a tower in my local park for POCO X7 PRO. that's lower end midrange. Pixel 8 will only be better. I accept that not many people will shoot RAW, and bother with even basic processing and default google app does an absolutely terrible job with overkilling everything. But gone are the days when my 2020 phone, or my 2021 clients iphone delivered only crappy results no matter what. And this really pains me to say that because these phones + AI are killing what I and many of you do.
Most phones will only give you 24-28mm equivalent and some digital zoom, and a very rudimentary 13mm equiv. Premium ones will throw in a more basic 50 / 70mm equivalent and this is where it gets even more problematic for us. However the sooner we can admit the problem, the sooner we can look for solutions.

But for someone looking for a pocket camera device this becomes an easy choice. Gone are the days when 1/2.5" sensor compacts with tiny had any use.... Even 1" devices have a hard time justifying themselves. DJI Pocket 3 is a very special 1" camera. You have to do that and more to stay relevant. Otherwise just get 15 Ultra or equivalent.

 

[realspeed]

Alex does it have to be a compact camera? have you considered a four thirds camera instead? for example the panasonic G9 used? https://www.wexphotovideo.com/panas...61df5093333a07677b8c25f6751bf72&utm_source=aw

add a 12 -60mm lens (24-120mm in FF) and you have a much better camera well within your price bracket and a lot lighter than a full frame camera. one immediate advantage is having 2x SD card slots that can be used for similtanious or follow on photos.
I have one after P/X heavy Nikon FF frame cameras and lenses, and what a difference it has made to my photographic life. I am fortunate enought to have enough money left over from the P/x to also get the G9ii later version..

 

[AndrewFlannigan]

Take a good objective look at what you have posted in a reasonably small web format as if they were not yours. Does that chroma noise, dynamic range and softness still look acceptable in 2025?

For my needs, they are acceptable. To you they aren't. Other people will have other opinions but you appear to think that only your opinion is of importance, which, if such is the case, strikes me as both foolish and arrogant.

 

[Nod]

Hi guys, thanks for taking the time to reply, I will go and have a better look.
That’s kinda my dilemma, if I spend £800-£1000 in a compact , will it be thst much better than my phone.
Thanks again Alex.

The law of diminishing returns does kick in but the pictures from pretty much any compact will look much "better" on a computer screen than a phone shot. Whether it's worth the extra cost TO YOU, only you can answer!

 

[redhed17]

I have always had a compact camera alongside a larger camera, Fuji to Canon to Sony, and have been happy with the Fuji and Canon to a certain point, when the technology was surpassed. Then I got a Sony RX100M3 used here, and it was a huge improvement over the Canon S95 in every way, but the biggest upgrade was to get an popup EVF, which was why I waited to get a RX100M3. I wouldn't get a compact camera without an EVF.

I then got a RX100M5 4-5 years later, used on eBay, for mainly the improvement in the AF and fps. After getting that, and been blown away by the AF, IMHO, it would have been wasted in the limited number of fast moving subjects that would have needed to be close enough to take advantage of the AF and high fps, so I got used RX100M7, again on eBay, and it is amazing. The large focal range covers most situations.

I think I lucked out when I got it, because prices seem to have gone up in the last few years since I bought it. It amazes me that something so capable, in many situations, can be in such a small package. And sadly, in this form factor, I doubt it will be bettered.

 

[LongLensPhotography]

For my needs, they are acceptable. To you they aren't. Other people will have other opinions but you appear to think that only your opinion is of importance, which, if such is the case, strikes me as both foolish and arrogant.

Looks like you may be the one that cant take a different opinion

 

[AndrewFlannigan]

Looks like you may be the one that cant take a different opinion

I'm only going to point out that, to me, all opinions are equal opinions.

Yours are as valid as mine and vice versa.

 

[woof woof]

Take a good objective look at what you have posted in a reasonably small web format as if they were not yours. Does that chroma noise, dynamic range and softness still look acceptable in 2025? even 2015? My £240 phone seriously does a better job and I ABSOLUTELY HATE using phones for snapping with passion.


The trouble is that 2024 and 2025 models completely bend the conventional norms. 1" sensor can be found in some flagship phones like Xiaomi 15 Ultra and some others. That also gives you a wide prime with fast aperture so you are less stuck in low light. 1/1.3" are still very good for what lay people may need or want. This is essentially DJI MINI 4 PRO quality in your pocket. Not my favourite but very acceptable particularly for video. And even smaller ones can still perform reasonably in bright light. I managed to get a clean A4 print of a tower in my local park for POCO X7 PRO. that's lower end midrange. Pixel 8 will only be better. I accept that not many people will shoot RAW, and bother with even basic processing and default google app does an absolutely terrible job with overkilling everything. But gone are the days when my 2020 phone, or my 2021 clients iphone delivered only crappy results no matter what. And this really pains me to say that because these phones + AI are killing what I and many of you do.
Most phones will only give you 24-28mm equivalent and some digital zoom, and a very rudimentary 13mm equiv. Premium ones will throw in a more basic 50 / 70mm equivalent and this is where it gets even more problematic for us. However the sooner we can admit the problem, the sooner we can look for solutions.

But for someone looking for a pocket camera device this becomes an easy choice. Gone are the days when 1/2.5" sensor compacts with tiny had any use.... Even 1" devices have a hard time justifying themselves. DJI Pocket 3 is a very special 1" camera. You have to do that and more to stay relevant. Otherwise just get 15 Ultra or equivalent.

Maybe but the lenses are likely not what we'd hope and the pictures may still suffer a ton of software. I stick by what I said I've yet to see anything taken on a phone stand up to anything like close viewing from a geeky amateur photographer type. And then there's the ergonomics and jabbing at an oblong box in front of your face.

 

[AndrewFlannigan]

I've yet to see anything taken on a phone stand up to anything like close viewing from a geeky amateur photographer type.

"geeky amateur photographer types" were always a minority among camera purchasers and users.

Now, they are even fewer, mostly replaced by geeky cameraphone types. For the vast majority of users and potential users, cameraphones are the tool of choice for photography...

Source: https://petapixel.com/2024/08/22/the-rise-and-crash-of-the-camera-industry-in-one-chart/

 

[saltireblue]

I've had a Sony RX100 mk7 for almost a year now and it gives me the results I want and am very happy with. 28-200 range and Sony's renowned auto-focus capabilities.
Three close friends who also do photography have the same camera as their 'slip in the pocket, go everywhere' camera when just want to have a camera with them.

 

[ancient_mariner]

My wife used to use a Panasonic TZ compact (not the 1" sensor job) and even in bright light 10 years ago colours were wonky and results disappointing. We replaced it with an Olympus M43 type and pancake 14-42 lens which was barely larger, and the quality improved enormously. I'd recommend something like this because as well as being pocketable if you ever want a camera with more versatility then it's just one lens change away.

 

[swanseamale47]

I find myself using the Panasonic TZ80 more and more. It fits in my pocket and gives pretty decent images, and it's got a long optical zoom which my phone lacks.

 

[John_M]

FWIW I see a lot of my phone pictures, as well as camera ones, on a 50" 4K TV because they appear on the screensaver. I can't always tell which are which at a glance. What tends to give the phone shots away is the amount of processing rather than innate sharpness. I just checked the default settings on the phone, and "AI Enhancement" and "Automatic HDR" are both on! The pictures themselves generally appear as sharp as those from the cameras (usually Pana LX3 or D750).

Perhaps this is not totally surprising as a 4K TV has 'only' about 8 million pixels, fewer than either phone or cameras.

The phone is a moderately cheap Motorola Edge 40. It has 2 rear cameras: a 13MP f/2.2 for wide angle and a nominally* 50MP f/1.4 for a 'standard' view. If I zoom in from a wide view, it will switch from the 13MP to the 50MP rather than cropping the 13MP image. I presume it just digitally zooms from there. I've never taken much technical interest in how it works and whilst it does have 'manual' settings I rarely look at them.

*I think the 50MP sensor uses pixel binning because the recorded images are about 10MP.

Sometimes I just enjoy using a camera, especially one with a viewfinder if outdoors. But truthfully the phone pictures for e.g. family outings, scenery and car shows of which I do a few are usually more than good enough for viewing on any screen, which is generally the limiting factor in resolution anyway, and they are certainly more likely to be taken because the phone is in pocket, not in car, bag, or at home.

TTL flash, even built-in, changes the game of course when taking pictures of people. In that sense the phone is more of a recording instrument than a creative one.

 

[AMac]

Hey guys,
Thank you all for taking the time to reply and all the information, and views.
Everyone had kinda covered all the conflicting thoughts going through my head
In fairness my Pixel Pro 7 is pretty good, when all the light conditions are good.
It gets a bit rubbish when the light is low, or something is back lighted, but you can frame around that.
If its hazy in the sky, I dont get great results.
The longer lens is not great, as I think it bumps up the ISO to get the shutter speed, which makes it as grainy as hell

When the conditions are good, it does a pretty good job in jpeg.
I have it set to raw+jepg so when it rubbish or overprocessed I use the raw in Lightroom.
All thou, I dont seem to get it as good as a decent jpeg out of the phone, but I think thats my Lightroom edit skills

Thanks again, it was worth , for me asking the questions, as it confirmed its not a black and white answer and I need to make my mind up myself..


I think I will use the money from my camera gear selling and give something ago, then see how it all compares.

Cheers for all the input and views,
Alex

 

[AndrewFlannigan]

I find myself using the Panasonic TZ80 more and more. It fits in my pocket and gives pretty decent images, and it's got a long optical zoom which my phone lacks.

I agree.

The Panasonic and Sony pocket superzooms are excellent, both in value for money and in their ability to provide images that would otherwise require much bigger and heavier kit. This picture, of a robin on a branch, is a good example of what the older TZ40 could achieve. While I'm sure one of the "sharpness is all" persuasion will come forward and complain about "quality", there's very little else you can carry in your pocket and get a usable image with, from 50 feet away!

 

[Nod]

Not sure that's really "useable" apart from (perhaps) as the basis for one of the nasty PS conversions to "watercolour" or similar.

 

[ancient_mariner]

Not sure that's really "useable" apart from (perhaps) as the basis for one of the nasty PS conversions to "watercolour" or similar.

OTOH it's an excellent example of the sort of quality one might expect from that type of camera - hopefully the OP can decide if it's good enough or not for him.

 

[AndrewFlannigan]

Not sure that's really "useable" apart from (perhaps) as the basis for one of the nasty PS conversions to "watercolour" or similar.

Of course it's usable.

There are no absolutes in photography and the only valid comment anyone can make about an image is whether they like it or not.

 

[swanseamale47]

One from last nights walk shot on the Panasonic TZ80. Pretty much full zoom and the Izoom switched on (didnt think to look at the time of the focal length) Anyway I'm not even in the cricket ground, I'm on the railway bridge nearbye. So not bad considering.

 

[AndrewFlannigan]

So not bad considering.

Very much not bad!

 

[woof woof]

"geeky amateur photographer types" were always a minority among camera purchasers and users.

Now, they are even fewer, mostly replaced by geeky cameraphone types. For the vast majority of users and potential users, cameraphones are the tool of choice for photography...

I doubt too many people reading this forum don't care about IQ. People who don't care are probably on another forum talking about phones or Playstations or half drunk in a pub somewhere.

Andrew. The following is not an insult... You've posted some of the most technically awful pictures I've seen on any photography forum and this must show that IQ just isn't important to you and good luck to you if you're happy but I'd guess that most people on photography forums are looking for a move up both in IQ and probably in ergonomics and fun too, Phones might be fun, I hate them, but IQ wise they are limited and the ergonomics are none existent.

 

[AndrewFlannigan]

I doubt too many people reading this forum don't care about IQ. People who don't care are probably on another forum talking about phones or Playstations or half drunk in a pub somewhere.

You are, of course, entitled to your opinion.

Andrew. The following is not an insult...

Of course it is but I'm used to your behaviour by now.

You've posted some of the most technically awful pictures I've seen on any photography forum

Well, thank you kindly sir.

and this must show that IQ just isn't important to you and good luck to you if you're happy but I'd guess that most people on photography forums are looking for a move up both in IQ

There are many reasons why people record things with a camera and an obsession with sharpness seems to me to be a very minor reason for doing so.

 

[woof woof]

Firstly, sharpness isn't everything and I didn't bring it up. I agree on that and I've never gone overboard on sharpness and indeed I have posted a lot of pictures taken with both old and new lenses which others wouldn't touch which should prove that it's not too important to me but sharpness is the least of the problems with some pictures which brings me on to...

You're wrong on my attitude to you Andrew and it's not an insult. I'm honest enough to be direct and clear with you and I don't like your trolling and poking of me and others but I take each post on merit and here you're getting my objective honesty and even a little respect for keeping pictures I would have binned. Take it or leave it. Amateur photography should be a wide church and there should be room for people ready to accept what others see as poor IQ if only in certain circumstances or when pushing the limits. I am ready to accept poor IQ if the picture means enough to me but I will try and improve it if possible, I even started a thread on rescued pictures but maybe you missed it as it didn't get a lot of replies, hardly any actually.

However. I do believe that most people who visit photography forums have higher expectations than the IQ you sometimes post especially when the picture is probably less meaningful to them. As you'll possible take this post in the wrong spirit, but you shouldn't, I'll make it my last reply to.you today and on this subject.

 

[AndrewFlannigan]

I'll make it my last reply to.you today and on this subject.

Excellent.

Could you make it your last reply to me, ever?

 

[JohnMcL7]

Hey guys,
Thank you all for taking the time to reply and all the information, and views.
Everyone had kinda covered all the conflicting thoughts going through my head
In fairness my Pixel Pro 7 is pretty good, when all the light conditions are good.
It gets a bit rubbish when the light is low, or something is back lighted, but you can frame around that.
If its hazy in the sky, I dont get great results.
The longer lens is not great, as I think it bumps up the ISO to get the shutter speed, which makes it as grainy as hell

When the conditions are good, it does a pretty good job in jpeg.
I have it set to raw+jepg so when it rubbish or overprocessed I use the raw in Lightroom.
All thou, I dont seem to get it as good as a decent jpeg out of the phone, but I think thats my Lightroom edit skills

Thanks again, it was worth , for me asking the questions, as it confirmed its not a black and white answer and I need to make my mind up myself..


I think I will use the money from my camera gear selling and give something ago, then see how it all compares.

Cheers for all the input and views,
Alex

The main camera in the Pixel 7 Pro has an f1.9 lens with a 1.3in sensor but the telephoto uses slower f3.5 lens with a smaller 1/2.55in sensor which explains what you're seeing. It's worse on my phone which has a decent main sensor but the telephoto option uses an F2.4 lens and much smaller 1/4in sensor so the telephoto quality is a big step down, it's not even that much of a zoom in the first place.

I think you're right you need to make up your mind yourself which is often the case with camera gear, it be frustrating wasting money on gear that doesn't work out for you but then it also be frustrating when you buy gear you wish you'd had sooner.

 

[ancient_mariner]

Excellent.

Could you make it your last reply to me, ever?

You could put him on ignore and then your wish would come true. Or I could ban you, and that would also ensure it was his last post to you.

Unfortunately as a mod I don't feel able ignore some people, so I have to see posts from everyone.