Buyers Guide and Overview |
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 Hectic lifestyles and the rise of the shop-savvy female consumer have spawned a new generation of ultra-portable cameras that have beauty as well as brains. Known as lifestyle or ultra-compacts, they all have one thing in common: pocket-size proportions with larger than life features.
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Prices range from £100 to £400, and how much you pay depends on the quality of features, where you shop and the brand. For an ultra-portable your choice should be based on how it will fit into your life – it should look, feel and perform so well that you’ll never want to be without it, whether you’re on a night out, playing sports or at a family party.
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Know What You Want |
Familiarise yourself with the key specs. Megapixels refer to the number of pixels (measured in millions) a camera uses to build an image. Today’s ultra-portables typically feature between 5 and 10-megapixels, and although in-store salesmen may attempt to convince you otherwise, most users will only require a 5 or 6-megapixel model for high-resolution prints up to A4 in size.
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Lens |
Next up comes the lens. There are two categories of zoom: optical and digital. Only a camera’s optical rating actually refers to the power of the lens and is the rating that you should take notice of. Measured in multiples, standard zoom is 3x optical – which in practice means you can take pictures that allow you to zoom in three times closer to your subject.
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 Due to the diminutive dimensions of a lifestyle camera, lens size is generally small and although there are longer zooms available, 3x is a realistic and useful zoom. Many high-quality models now offer a folded lens design, which prevents the lens from extending during zooming – maintaining those all-important portable dimensions.
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Features and Controls |
All ultra-compacts offer automatic operation, with a selection of pre-set scene modes thrown in to help hone a camera’s performance in specific conditions. While all come complete with standard landscape, portrait and action settings, look out for useful additions that suit your lifestyle. Many cameras now offer highly specialist options such as night portrait (great for parties) and beach & snow (for travel lovers) which can help you take even better pictures.
Beyond scene modes there are varying degrees of manual control, from semi-automatic aperture and shutter priority modes, to features that give users comprehensive control over all settings. By equipping yourself with as much manual control as possible, you will be able to grow in expertise without having to frequently upgrade your camera.
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Low-Light Functionality |
One feature you’ll see mentioned more than most with ultra-portables is sensitivity. Measured in ISO numbers, this refers to the camera sensor’s sensitivity to light. The higher the ISO the more sensitive the sensor and high sensitivities mean you can use shorter shutter speeds and shoot without flash more often. The result is crisper, more ambient after dark images. The highest ISO available on ultra-portables is ISO 3200, but this is rare. A good maximum sensitivity is ISO 800 or 1600.
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Hidden Extras |
 Further essential enquiries should include the size of the LCD screen (2.5-inches is now considered a generous norm), the availability of specialist accessories (such as an underwater housing or a stylish case) and the presence of a viewfinder. Many slimline compact cameras do not feature a viewfinder, and this can prove a problem when bright conditions make seeing the LCD difficult. |
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