Top 10 point and shoot cameras under Rs 30,000

Find out what suits your budget.

Often when we speak of cameras, we imagine the big, burly, expensive professional DSLRs that most photographers carry around these days. They are capable of capturing dozens of images a second, and operating in rugged conditions. Some of them are even capable of capturing HD video that is being used more and more in film production.

While point and shoot cameras may not offer that level of visual quality, they still represent a great value for money for amateur photographers and general consumers. These cameras are for those who don’t want to worry about overly customising their shots and settings.

Check out our top 10 of point and shoot cameras under Rs 30,000 (from lowest to highest) to find the right one for you.

1. Samsung PL120
Price: Rs 6,490

Samsung's point and shoot camera possesses some interesting features. It has a 14.2 megapixel, CCD sensor, with 5X optical zoom and an f/3.3 to f/5.9 aperture.

The focal length is from 26-130 mm, and it has a fill-in flash for low light photography.

ISO range is from 80-3200, while the camera itself weighs only 130 grams. There is also a 2.7-inch LCD screen, along with a smaller display on the front for making self-portraits easier.

It can capture HD videos at a resolution of 1280x720.

2. Nikon Coolpix S3300
Price: Rs 6,742

Nikon's Coolpix series has become incredibly reliable for those seeking an excellent point and shoot camera. The S3300 has NIKKOR lens with a 16 megapixel CCD sensor, 6X optical zoom and 4X digital zoom, and HD recording.

It has an f/3.5 to f/6.5 aperture with a focal length of 26-156 mm and ISO range of 80-3200.

Nikon EXPEED C2 image CPU helps in processing images quickly and it features a 2.7-inch LCD screen as the viewfinder.

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3. Nikon Coolpix S6300
Price: Rs 9,650

Despite being slightly costlier, the S6300 features a good enough feature set to justify the price. It has a 16 megapixel BSI CMOS image sensor. It also features an EXPEED C2 image processor, but also has 10X optical zoom along with 4X digital zoom.

The camera is also capable of full HD video recording at 30 frames per second.

It has an aperture of f/3.2 to f/5.8, a focal length of 25-250 mm and an ISO range of 125-3200. The viewfinder is a 2.7-inch LCD display.

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4. Canon PowerShot SX160
Price: Rs 9,695

Canon's point and shoot solution features a 16 megapixel CCD sensor with 16X optical zoom and 4X digital zoom, with f/3.5 to f/5.9 aperture.

It can capture videos at HD resolution (1280x720) with a focal length of 28-448 mm and an ISO rating of 100-1600. The LCD viewfinder is 3-inches and features an HD resolution.

The SX160 is capable of capturing images at a maximum resolution of 4608x3072.

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5. Canon PowerShot SX260
Price: Rs 15,515

Despite having a lower 12.1 megapixel sensor, the SX260 benefits from CMOS technology and also has 20X optical zoom and full HD recording for videos. It has an aperture of f/3.5 to f/6.8 with a focal length of 25-500 mm.

ISO range is from 100 to 3200 and it has a 3-inch TFT display for a viewfinder.

The SX260 benefits best from the DIGIC 5 image processor, which is even used in Canon's DSLRs for processing images.

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6. Olympus SH-25MR
Price: Rs 15,990

The Olympus SH-25MR has a CMOS, 16 megapixel sensor with an f/3.0 to f/5.9 aperture and 12.5X optical zoom.

It also has a 3-inch LCD viewfinder with a 1920x1080 resolution and a focal length of 24 to 300 mm. The camera is also capable of capturing full HD videos.

ISO ranges from 80-6400 depending on the setting and images can have a maximum resolution size of 4608x3456.

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7. Fujifilm FinePix F500EXR
Price: Rs 15,999

This point and shoot camera from Fujifilm is part of the company's FinePix F series, and has a CMOS image sensor with 16 megapixels and 15X optical zoom along with 5X digital zoom.

It has an aperture of f/3.5 to f/5.3 and a focal length of 24 to 360 mm. The EXR CPU within helps in image processing and quality, besides assisting in the full HD video recording.

It also has 3-inch viewfinder with a 1920x1080 resolution. ISO range is from 100 to 12800.

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8. Nikon Coolpix S800c
Price: Rs 16,442

As one of the mid-tier models, the Nikon Coolpix S800c brings a good number of features to justify its price.

It features the company's NIKKOR lens with contrast detect auto focus and a focal length of a 25-250 mm. The 16 megapixel CMOS sensor also comes with 10X optical zoom and 4X digital zoom along with f/3.2 to f/5.8 aperture and an ISO range of 125-1600, with ISO 3200 in auto mode.

It features full HD recording and has a 3.5-inch OLED viewfinder with a 1920x1080 resolution.

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9. Samsung GC100 Galaxy
Price: Rs 24,500

Samsung's vaunted Galaxy Camera brings Android integration into the point and shoot range of cameras. However, it also features a powerful 20.9X optical zoom, 16.3 megapixel BSI CMOS sensor, focal length of 23-481 mm and support for full HD video recording.

It also features a 4.77-inch HD Super Clear Touch viewfinder display and an ISO range of 100 to 3200.

The addition of Android 4.1 Jellybean OS allows users to easily share and upload pictures to social sites, and also send to friends.

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10. Sony Cyber-shot DSC-HX300
Price: Rs 25,500

Count on Sony to deliver a powerful solution for photography, even if it is for a point and shoot camera. The DSC-HX300 features 50X optical zoom along with Sony's Exmor R CMOS image sensor which helps in low light photography and Carl Zeiss Vario-Sonnar T lens.

It has a 20.4 megapixel sensor with a focal length of 24-1200 mm and an aperture of f/2.8 to f/6.3.

ISO range is from 80 to 12800 depending on the settings.

The LCD viewfinder measures 3-inches with a 1920x1080 resolution and feature wide viewing angles.

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