![]() ![]() The digital images captured by the Snap had reasonable levels of detail, but colors were rather flat. You frame the photos through a pop-up optical viewfinder, which also turns the camera on. The only buttons on the camera are the shutter, a 10-second delay shutter, the print button and a mode button that switches between normal color, vivid color and black and white. ![]() Images are stored on a micro-SD card and can be transferred to PC over the included USB cable. You get a fixed focus and focal length lens (no zoom), nor do you get an LCD screen or any way to view the 10MP images it captures. The Zink print paper it uses is also available in a variety of colors, so it's great for scrapbooking or for using as a pass-around camera at a party.Īpart from printing, it's a very basic camera. A pack of 30 pieces of the special photo paper it uses will cost you about $15, so each print costs less than 50 cents. Built into the Snap is a printer after you've taken a photo, a copy pops out of the side of the camera in about a minute. Be sure to check out all of our picks for the best rugged and waterproof cameras.Īs you might expect with the Polaroid name, the Snap is all about immediate gratification. The device doesn't float, so make sure you use the included wrist strap, or it could end up sleeping with the fishes. Still, they're acceptable compromises for a camera that can survive your adventures and won't bankrupt you if you drop it in raging rapids. The screen isn't great, either: it looks blocky and pale compared with more expensive cameras. The pictures it captures are good, but not great: the color was rather flat and became rather noisy in low light. The DMC-TS30 shoots 16.1MP images and includes a 4x optical zoom, good enough for group shots or picking out a pine marten on a branch. It's certainly the toughest option among our best cheap cameras picks. It will also keep shooting in the cold: Panasonic claims it will keep working in temperatures as low as to 14 degrees Fahrenheit, so it can handle all but the most hard-core skiing and snowing adventures. It's a tough little camera that can handle up to 26 feet of water and drops from up to 5 feet onto hard surfaces. If your adventures include the outdoors, the Panasonic Lumix DMC-TS30 might be for you. The images did get a little soft at the end of the zoom range, though. The W830 captured excellent images (apart from the dust), with strong color and good detail. The zoom control at the top of the camera back is small but well-placed for one-handed shooting - you can zoom using your thumb and still reach the shutter with your index finger to take a photo. Instead, you get a selection of buttons and sliding switches, such as a three-position slider for camera, panorama or video-shooting mode. The 2.7-inch screen on the back is clear and fairly sharp, but is rather hard to see in direct sunlight and lacks a touchscreen. In fact, our review model had a bit of dust stuck in the lens mechanism that showed up as a black shadow on zoomed-in images. The DSC-W830 also has gaps that could collect grains of sand or dirt, jamming the camera. When you turn it on, the lens telescopes out from the front into three sections, but the assembly feels rather fragile. If you have a few more bucks to spend, the Sony Cyber-shot DSC-W830 packs a surprising amount of features into a small package, including high-definition video, panoramic images and a long 8x zoom lens. However, that might not be the best option for you, so our picks for the best cheap cameras include both digital cameras and instant cameras, the latter of which will print out a photo just seconds after you take it, and all cost less than $160. After all, dropping a $70 camera down the side of a mountain won't bother you as much as losing a $700 phone.Īfter testing and evaluating a number of models, the Sony Cyber-Shot DSC-W800 is our pick of the best cheap cameras it costs around $100 yet turns out good-quality images using its 20.1MP image sensor, and has a 5X optical zoom (the equivalent of a 35-130mm zoom lens), which should help you get closer to the action. And of course they're a great option if you're going somewhere where you don't want to risk your pricy smartphone - or at least not risk taking it out of your pocket often. For instance, they can be a great option for kids or those learning about photography and they're also a great choice if you need rugged or underwater capabilities. ![]()
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