General
The compact camera has been with us for quite some time now. In recent times it seems to have been relegated a couple of places by the introduction of the newer APS and Digital cameras. The old fashioned compact though still has many things going for it and remains the purchasing choice for many enthusiastic photographers.

Typical Users.
Compact cameras probably remain the choice for photographers that like to take their photography at least semi seriously, but are happy for the camera itself to remain in control of the major photographic decisions. So for those of you who feel that an SLR camera is still a little daunting for you, but want to take photographs on a regular basis and still want to hold the printed end result in your hands a compact camera is still a good choice.

Compact Camera Advantages Over APS Cameras.
Despite the technical innovations of the APS camera, the compact still holds a few key advantages that you should consider.

Lens Quality.
Lenses of the same magnitude tend to cost less for compact cameras.

Wider Range of Films.
There is a full range of 35mm films available for use with a compact camera for both slide and print.

Cheaper Processing Costs.
Film processing is cheaper for 35mm film.

Higher Quality Results.
Higher Quality Results. Under close scrutiny pictures taken with a 35mm camera will show a sharpness and clarity over and above those produced by an APS camera.

Main Features.

Zoom Lens.
Not all cameras offer a zoom lens, but a decent range is around 35-100mm.

Viewfinder.
The viewfinder is where you look through to see the scene that you are going to take a picture of. The larger and clearer the viewfinder the better.

Automatic Flash.
The camera decides the level of flash required for a picture.

Fill in Flash.
This flash is very useful for outdoor photography, in daylight. If your subject is cast in shadow by strong light in the background, maybe bright sunlight, fill in flash will lighten you subject. This helps you to avoid pictures showing a dark subject with plenty of light in the background.

Red Eye Reduction.
The camera has the ability to lessen red eyed photographs taken with flash.

Macro Mode.
Allows close up photography closer than about one metre.

Continuous Shooting.
A feature that allows a rapid series of pictures to be fired off.

Infinity Lock.
Allows you to focus on subjects in the distance. This can also help when you are shooting pictures through glass.

Recommended Compact Cameras
Olympus MJU II Fully automatic compact. 35 mm lens F2.8. 6 flash modes. Accurate multi autofocus system. All-weather casing Quartzdate function for date/time imprinting (champagne gold colour model only).Optional remote control RC 200 Available in classic black and champagne gold colour. Street price around £75
Minolta Riva Zoom 115 3.1x Zoom Lens, High-Quality Lens Optics, Multi-Beam Autofocusing, Auto Depth Mode, Autoflash (in low light), Autoflash (with red-eye reduction), Fill Flash, Auto Depth (with red-eye reduction), Night Portrait (with red-eye reduction), Landscape/Night View, red-eye reduction, and flash-cancel modes. Street price around £100.
Nikon Lite Touch Zoom 120ED 38-120mm zoom. Five mode Speedlight - Auto, Anytime, Flash Cancel, Slow Sync and Red-Eye Reduction. Antifog eyepiece. Multi-layer coated viewfinder. Self-timer. Optional remote control. Lens cover. Panoramic Facility. Street price around £140
Samsung Vega 170S Massive 38 - 170mm zoom lens. Snap, portrait, panoramic, landscape, bulb and macro modes. Fill in flash, flash off and red eye reduction. Backlight control, continuous shooting, slow speed synchro flash mode. Multi autofocus, self timer, caption printing and remote shooting. Street price around £160.

Compact Camera Advice Centre