These Budget Digital Cameras are Feature-Rich

Review by Joshua Fienberg

I’ve gone through two expensive digital cameras already this year.  The first camera to succumb to my recklessness took a wet and wild ride in my washing machine. I parted ways with my second camera in the backseat of a New York City cab in a rush to get to JFK airport. Cameras are almost disposable commodities these days, but with most upwards of $200, I can’t afford to continue destroying & losing them!

 

With that in mind, I set out to find the best digital cameras under a hundred bucks.

Note to Readers:  There are a lot of "toys" and junk out there in the sub $100 digital camera market.  The cameras that made it to this review are certainly not toys, nor are they junk.  In order to be considered for review, each camera met a certain performance threshold, is manufactured by an established company, and is backed by a minimum 30 days manufacturer’s warranty.

Everyone’s idea of what makes the "best" camera is different. Some folks value ultra-portability over picture quality.  Others may prefer a camera that is simple to use over one that is jam-packed with features. I took this into consideration when evaluating digital cameras that cost less than $100, and established five (5) "best-of" categories. The categories are: The Cheapest, The Most Rugged, The Simplest, The Best Photo Quality, and The Easiest to Fit in Your Pocket.

 

1. THE CHEAPEST

 

Vivitar ViviCam 8018 The Vivitar ViviCam 8018 is quite a snappy package at $59.95.  The ViviCam 8018 does not have "optical zoom" but is equipped with 8x digital zoom.  The Vivicam 8018 has a black brushed-chrome case, and  delivers  an 8.1 megapixel picture. The lens is a fixed (no optical zoom) 7.23mm lens capable of producing bright, sharp photographs up to 13"x19" prints.

To my surprise, the Vivicam 8018 offers image-enhancing features usually found on more expensive cameras, such as Face and Smile Detection, Red-eye Reduction, AntiShake technology for capturing sharp pictures under low-light condition, a Movie Mode, and 16MB of built-in memory. Additional memory is available by using SD memory cards.

I played around with this camera in several lighting conditions, and found that it works best in outdoor settings.  The indoor and low-light image quality isn’t the best, but at $59.95, it’s a great worry-free camera to tote along with you to the bars when you’re out with your buddies.

Image quality isn’t the best, but it does take decent shots under the right conditions.

The Vivitar ViviCam 8018 does not include a rechargeable battery and is powered off a set of 3 AAA batteries.

Price: $59.95

Pros: It’s Dirt Cheap, and Takes Decent Pictures.
Cons: No optical zoom.  Pointless decorative elements on the camera casing.  1.8" LCD screen is small.

Where to Buy:

B&H Photo Video – $59.95 with same-day shipping.

 

 

2. THE MOST RUGGED

 

Vivitar ViviCam 5399 Another Vivitar makes the list, and this time for the Most Rugged camera under $100.  The  Vivitar ViviCam 5399 is a compact digital camera that is water resistant to a depth of 49 feet.  This camera can take a beating, and is great for swimming, snorkeling, and getting beer splashed on it at parties. The ViviCam 5399 features a 5-megapixel CMOS sensor, an 8.25mm (approx 50mm equivalent) fixed-focal length lens.

The ViviCam 5399 digital camera is really quite a step up from the Vivitar ViviCam 8018 discussed above.  The LCD screen on the back of this model is 2.4 inches, compared to the 8018′s 1.8 inches.  Images can be composed and viewed post-capture on ViviCam 5399′s 2.4" TFT color LCD screen. Like the camera discussed above, the ViviCam 5399 can also capture AVI video clips for viewing on your computer or uploading to YouTube and other online applications. Unlike the Vivitar ViviCam 8018, however, this ViviCam 5399 comes with 32Mb of built-in memory (compared to only 16), and accepts SD/MMC memory cards up to 2GB capacity.

The Water Resistant Vivitar ViviCam 5399 includes AntiShake technology, built-in flash with Red-Eye Reduction, USB 1.1 connectivity, and 32Mb of built-in memory.

The Vivitar ViviCam 5399 comes with a copy of PhoTags Express software, which enables you to catalog and archive your photos (and prevents file duplication), crop them, make color and tonal adjustments, add captions, and other image editing functions.

This camera feels like it can be tossed around without a hitch.  It doesn’t feel solid, but it does feel light weight and simple.  If you like pool parties, the beach, bar hopping with your buddies, and outdoor activities, and you want a camera along with you for ride, then the ViviCam 5399 might be the right choice for you.

Price: $74.95

Pros: It’s a Water Resistant Digital Camera that is less than $100.  Enough Said.
Cons: No optical zoom. Smallish size aperture/lens delivers mediocre image quality.

Where to Buy:

B&H Photo Video – $74.95 with same-day shipping.

 

 

3. THE SIMPLEST DESIGN and EASIEST TO USE

 

Samsung SL30     The Samsung SL30 Digital Camera is the easiest digital camera, irrespective of price, that I’ve ever used.  This 10.2 megapixel digital camera has a very useful 3x optical zoom lens, which  delivers a 35-105mm focal range, great for wide-angle and short-telephoto shooting.  The Samsung SL30 tops the list in price for great sub $100 cameras, coming in at $99.99, but if ease-of-use and good picture quality are priorities, then this is the camera for you.

What I like most about the Samsung SL30 is the no-nonsense simple design.  There aren’t any superfluous buttons or design elements on the exterior casing.  What’s more, the camera is designed to make taking beautiful pictures, straight-out-of-the-box, a snap.  The default settings will have the user up and running in seconds.  There are very few "fancy" features to muddle things up.  The SL30 feature that I found most useful is a Digital Image Stabilization system that helps deliver sharp images, even in low-light conditions. The system compensates for the shaking of your hands in an effort to eliminate motion blur. The camera’s Face Detection system is a nifty feature that automatically focuses on faces, helping you to take better face pics of you and your pals.  This is a great feature if you want a camera to take simple, good quality shots for facebook, myspace, etc.

The Samsung SL30 ‘s large rear 2.5" LCD screen allows you to easily accurately compose and review images. The SL30 also has a  very useable and handy movie mode, which records video in MPEG4 format.  The sound quality isn’t great, but it is acceptible.

Dimensions: 2.5 x 3.7 x 1" (94.1 x 62.7 x 25.2mm)

Pros: Good picture quality.  Simple to setup and use. Sleek design.
Cons: Uses up AA batteries faster than the others. 

Where to Buy:

B&H Photo Video – $99.99 with same-day shipping.

J&R Electronics – $99.99 with same-day shipping.

 

 

4. THE BEST PHOTO QUALITY

 

Panasonic Lumix DMC-LS80 The Panasonic Lumix DMC-LS80 has fewer megapixels than most of the cameras on this list, yet has the best picture quality.  Megapixels aren’t everything.  In fact, when measuring the quality of photos that a digital camera is capable of taking, it falls pretty low on the totem poll.   Megapixel ratings are good for marketing, but not that important for bottom-line performance. The reason why the Panasonic Lumix DMC-LS80 is the best on this list for photo quality is because of the superb quality of the lens.

Panasonic Lumix digital cameras are known for their great performing "Leica" brand lenses.  The 3x optical zoom Lumix DC Vario lens featured in this sub $100 camera is no slouch, and provides a wide equivalent focal length of 33 – 100mm on a 35mm film camera, but the 4.8x extra optical zoom and 4x digital zoom provide tremendous image flexibility for this digital..

The Panasonic Lumix DMC-LS80 Digital Camera features 8.1 megapixel resolution and offers superb image detail due to the excellent quality lens. Other features include the Panasonic Intelligent Image Stabilization system with MEGA O.I.S. (Optical Image Stabilizer) and Intelligent ISO Control compensates for the effects of hand-shake and subject movement, making it possible to capture clear, crisp photos indoors, at night, during action shots, or when taking macro close-ups.

The exterior casing of the Panasonic DMC-LS80 has a sleek ergonomic design and feel that makes taking quality shots easier.  The camera simply looks great anf feels even better in your hands.  The 2.5 inch LCD is quite bright, and makes it easy to frame and view your images and videos in all lighting conditions. The DMC-LS80 is powered by two simple AA batteries and the camera also accepts large-capacity SDHC memory cards, giving users more flexibility in shooting and recording.

Dimensions: 2.5 x 3.7 x 1.2" (62 x 94 x 30mm)

Pros: Superb picture quality.  Lots of features. Ergonomic design.
Cons: A little on the bulky side.  Not a comfortable fit in your pocket.

Where to Buy:

B&H Photo Video – $90.95 for silver, 94.95 for black – with same-day shipping.

 

 

5. THE MOST COMPACT – EASIEST TO FIT IN YOUR POCKET

 

Casio Exilim Z80    The Casio Exilim Z80 is last year’s model, but can be yours at a significant discount at J&R (www.jr.com).  Originally $149, it’s now on sale for $99, and has because of this recent price reduction, it has earned a place on the top 5 digital cameras under $100 list.  The camera offers pretty good image quality, and has an 8.1 megapixel CCD.  But what is most impressive about the Casio Exilim Z80 is its size.

At only 0.7" thick, 3.53" wide, and 2.03" high, it fits easily into your shirt or jeans pocket.

The Casio EX-Z80 features an 8.1 megapixel sensor and Casio’s Exilim Engine 2.0, which "delivers sharper photos and higher-quality videos using less energy than ever before-and at faster speeds, thanks to an improved signal processor." There’s a 2.6-inch monitor, face and smile detection technologies, an interesting auto shutter feature, a 3x optical zoom lens, a little over 12 MB of internal memory, and an ISO sensitivity range of 64 to 1600. The camera accepts SD, SDHC, MMC and MMCplus memory media and Casio includes a rechargeable lithium ion battery, battery charger with AC power cord, USB and AV cables, a wrist strap, CD-ROM, and basic reference material with each camera.

Dimensions: 2.03" x 3.53" x 0.7" (62 x 94 x 30mm)

Pros: Very compact and truly pocket size. Good picture quality.  Rechargeable battery.
Cons: Tiny included memory is worthless.

Where to Buy:

J&R Electronics – $99.95 – with same-day shipping.

Amazon.com – $99.95