While the smartphones are becoming better in their camera quality, it’s the advanced point and shoot segment which is getting more interesting through the years. And even in 2014, companies in this segment released upgraded and new cameras in the market what created ripples in the camera world. One of the main features that were seen was the presence of an in-built wireless adapter and NFC chip inside the cameras. The emphasis on using faster lens having wide maximum aperture range and speedy focus was the common thread among the advanced compact cameras launched this year. Let’s quickly take a peek and find out who won the show in the compact camera segment this year.
Sony emerges the winner in the category
The recently launched Sony RX100 III of Sony (SNE, Financial) is an improved version of the RX100 II which in itself was a great point and shoot camera. It’s not only the iterative update of the previous series, but also have several added features such as a speedier lens, and a dedicated viewfinder which could appeal to those who love to work on documentary photography.
It’s light weight and compact allowing the user to carry it in the back pocket. The image quality is also spectacular, giving images with natural colours with image sharpness maintained at the centre as well as around the edges. It has an excellent shooting feature which is well portrayed through the ability to resolve distant and fine objects at regular ISO levels, having ISO performance up to ISO 3200. Video output is also decent with ample scope for casual as well as semi-pro work. It also supports the high bitrate XAVC S format, but for using the format, the user would require an SDXC card.
Nikon appears the closest competitor
Not too far behind Sony, Nikon’s (NINOY, Financial) Coolpix series does offer an impressive performance in still images. The Nikon Coolpix P340 is indeed an ideal camera for the pocket friendly who urge to go street shooting and want complete manual control. It has an extended wireless functionality which would aid to share images as soon as they are shot.
It has a fast f/1.8 lens that would ensure that the user does not need to use very high ISO settings and its ISO performance up to ISO 800 is good. However, its video performance does not confirm as its strength.
But looking at its speed as well as its usability, image quality and ISO performance it did represent a good buy for photographers wanting more features for reasonable prices.
Last word
In this technological era, people are aiming to get more visual gadgets which are sleek, easy to carry, are high in quality and reasonably priced to fit their budget. These two launches by Sony and Nikon did create vibes in the photography market after their respective launches and testified this above statement as the companies’ latest offerings satisfied all the requirements of their prospective customers. Also, the companies were able to keep their loyal purchasers happy with the quality of the new offerings and surely there will be many more new camera features upcoming as we enter the new year.
