If you don’t have the time to read this whole post and you need to know which of these cameras I’d recommend the most, it’s the CANON IXUS 185, but I’d really recommend reading about all 4 below to find out why I thought they were the best budget cameras for your upcoming holiday, and why each one might be right (or wrong) for you.
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The Best Budget Cameras
As always, I’ll be ranking these in price order, from the lowest to the highest price. There’s one stand out camera I would say is the one I recommend the most, but really it all comes down to personal taste and what you’re looking to get out of a camera. At the end, I’ve mentioned one camera that didn’t quite make it onto the top 3 (you’ll soon see why) but is still one I’d highly recommend for the UK or abroad because of how fun it makes taking photos.
Sony Cyber-Shot DSC-W800
This might be the cheapest camera on this list, but it’s packed full of features and perfect for beginners looking for great quality pictures with minimal fuss. It’s small enough to fit into a pocket or bag, and it looks gorgeous. Keep in mind that the brushed metal appearance is actually painted plastic though, so it’s prone to scratches.
The Sony Cyber-Shot DSCW800 Camera Specs You Need To Know:
– Battery Life = Around 200 Shots
– Autofocus – Yes
– Camera Type – Digital Compact
– Touch Screen – No
– Waterproof – No
– Wifi Enabled – No
– Lens Aperture – f3.2 – f6.4
– Megapixels – 20.1MP
– Maximum ISO – 3200
– Zoom – 5x
– HD Recording? – 720p
At this price range you know you’ll be making compromises – you’re not going to get DSLR standard from a budget compact camera. But what you do get is quite impressive; high quality pictures in bright light (it can struggle a bit in low lighting though), a smart auto mode which will give you great focus and good exposure without having to fiddle around in the settings, and 720p video.
Another added bonus which I liked, but you might not – you recharge it through a USB cord. That doesn’t sound like a huge feature, but one of the pet peeves I have with my own camera is constantly having to remove the battery to recharge it. Although charging it through USB takes a little bit longer, the battery life is pretty good, and you can squeeze a few more than 200 pictures out of it if you limit your use of flash.
And as a final plus, the price is so low that if you’re taking little ones away who are desperate to get in on the holiday snapping action, you can hand them the camera without being too worried about any knocks or scrapes. I’m not saying you should treat this like a disposable, I’m saying accidents happen with little hands and I’m sure you’d much rather that happen on a £59.95 Sony camera from John Lewis than a £1000 DSLR.
CANON IXUS 185
Just like the others, this Canon IXUS 185 camera is aimed at beginners or casual users rather than anyone comfortable with shooting pictures. It’s compact enough to fit in your pocket, but there’s a few extra features to give it the edge (including the larger 8x zoom).
There are also a lot of special effects, including Mirror, Fisheye, Miniature and Toy for a bit of family fun. It is so easy to use that none of the family will be left out.
The Canon IXUS 185 Camera Specs You Need to Know:
- Battery Life = Around 210 Shots / 240min Playback
- Autofocus – Yes
- Camera Type – Digital Compact
- Touch Screen – No
- Waterproof – No
- Wifi Enabled – No
- Lens Aperture – f/3.2 – f/6.9
- Megapixels – 20MP
- Maximum ISO – 1600
- Zoom – 8x
- HD Recording – 720p
The most noticeable differences compared to the previous camera are the zoom (8x rather than 5x) and the battery life. It has a few basic art filters you can apply straight from your camera if you want to be a little more adventurous with your pictures, but none that could help as much as editing them on your computer.
It’s quick to take photos with Easy Auto, which offers point and shoot simplicity, so you won’t be wasting time between shots. The battery life is generous, so you should get plenty done whilst out and about (though I’d always recommend taking a second battery and SD card with you wherever you go, so you’re never left without a working camera).
Again, another cheap and cheerful little device which is definitely one of the best budget cameras to take on your 2018 holiday.
NIKON COOLPIX A10
- Battery Life = 200 shots with alkaline/730 shots with lithium/500 with EN-MH2
- Autofocus – Yes
- Camera Type – Digital Compact
- Touch Screen – No
- Waterproof – No
- Wifi Enabled – No
- Lens Aperture – f/3.2 – 6.5
- Megapixels – 16.1MP
- Maximum ISO – 1600
- Zoom – 5x
- HD Recording – 720p
Still under the £100 mark, this Nikon model has a powerful image sensor, so it can be ready to take photos at the best time. The 5x zoom gives you plenty of scope to take photos of your family and friends at the beach, or when you’re out and about for nature photography and to capture the culture.
There are 15 auto scene options, including Landscape, Night and Close-Up. They optimise the settings to get the right lighting and exposure, so you don’t have to.
Bonus – FujiFilm Instax Mini 9
Now I’m not going to get into the specifications of this camera, it’s on this list as a fun extra. Remember the instant polaroid you had as a kid that printed out the pictures as soon as you took them? There’s something so much more special about not being able to edit a picture, or delete it, once you’ve taken it. Just press the button and out pops a 1.8″ x 2.4″ print of your subject, ready for you to keep forever.
This is one of the best budget cameras for your next holiday because whether you’re young or old, you’ll just enjoy it more. Not only is it lovely and colourful, it’s fun to use and brings people together. Give it to children and they’ve instantly got a holiday project, especially if you tell them they’ve only got 20 shots and that’s it. No wasting them, they’ll want all 20 to be perfect!
That is one of the downfalls with this cute little camera though; you’ll have to pay for refills, and they don’t come cheap. It’s around £14.99 for an extra 20 shots (ouch, I know right?), but that just means you’ll be saving it for special occasions rather than every single holiday snap.
Another small downfall is not having anything but the viewfinder to look at; no screen, and certainly no way to take a great selfie. You can get around this by getting a Fujifilm Instax Mini 8 Accessory Kit in whichever colour your camera is, which for around £29.99 gives you a matching camera case, a mini photo album to fit in those tiny prints, and a close-up lens and selfie mirror so that you never have to worry about not being in shot.
Although these little extras add up to make the Fujifilm Instax Mini 9 much less of a cheap camera, it’s still fun to use and nice enough to leave on display at home.
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