Whether you’re looking to improve your interior home security, or want a high-quality, connected camera to keep an eye on kids and pets, the Google Nest Cam is one of the best security cameras you can use. It offers high-quality, 1080p video, two-way audio, and its night vision is impressively robust, making it easy to watch over any part of your home day or night. • If you just want something, simple, quick and cheap, try our guide to the best point and shoot cameras. These don’t cost a lot, they come with zoom lenses and they have simple controls that anyone can master. The SQ6 has a nice Instagram-come-to-life aesthetic and is available in seven different colors. The camera produces prints that are 2.4 inches square about 90 seconds after snapping the shutter release.
If it’s mainly video rather than stills that you’re looking for from a compact camera, then the Sony ZV-1 is the best option around. Not that it isn’t also very capable at shooting still photos – it has the same sensor and processor as Sony’s latest RX100 series cameras, after all – but the ZV-1’s main strength are its video powers. These include class-leading autofocus powers, which helps it tenaciously lock onto people and moving objects in your frame, and impressive video quality from its 20.1MP 1-inch sensor. It also performs well at high ISO values, with excellent noise handling when shooting in RAW, so you can take photos in more dimly lit conditions or recover shadow detail without introducing too much digital noise.
It’s weatherproof, compact and has a built-in battery that can last up to six months between charges. You can detach it from its install base with the press of a single button, and it charges using the included magnetic USB cable. The best security cameras aren’t just great for keeping criminals away. They’re also useful for keeping an eye on pets when you’re out of the house, checking in on sleeping babies, or looking out for courier deliveries. One of the best measures you can take to protect your home and property is to set up one of the best security cameras.
In every other way, though, the Nikon Z6 is what we hoped its full-frame mirrorless all-rounder would be. With several more native lenses also available, it’s the one to beat. The only real downside of the Nikon Z6 compared to a DSLR like Nikon’s own D750 is battery life. It gives you around 310 shots from a charge, so it’s worth carrying a spare if you like to rattle off a lot of frames. The Z6’s 3.6-million dot viewfinder is one of the best we’ve seen, giving you a clear, bright view of the scene. The tilting touchscreen is also very handy for shooting from awkward angles and navigating menus.
Its lens has a max 200mm full-frame equivalent focal length, so you can take wider angle shots or zoom in on subjects that are farther away. It also has a remarkable autofocus system that reliably keeps moving subjects in focus, whether taking photos or shooting video. That said, it’s not as comfortable to use since it lacks a handgrip and has a more convoluted menu system. It has a disappointing battery life and suffers similar overheating issues, depending on settings and usage.
One particularly welcome trick is being able to double-tap the screen for a 100% view to quickly check that you’ve got perfect focus. Key features here include an all-new in-body image stabilisation system to limit motion blur when shooting handheld, making it ideal for video and weddings. An alternative to the Fujifilm Quicksnap Marine, that also gives you a fully waterproof camera that you can take diving with you. This one is good down to depths of 50 feet which would even make it attractive to the scuba diver.
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Nikon Z6 Ii
Jon spent years at IPC Media writing features, news, analysis and other photography content for publications such as Amateur Photographer and What Digital Camera in both print and digital form. The Panasonic Lumix TS30 isn’t the newest waterproof digital camera here, and doesn’t quite offer any best-in-class specs, but what it does offer is commensurate with its very reasonable asking price. It’s also pleasingly slim enough to fit in a snug jeans pocket or similar, although this does come at the cost of a secure grip; you might want to invest in a wrist strap to ensure the TS30 doesn’t get away from you. Provided you keep hold of it, the TS30 is a solid and versatile waterproof camera that should prove well-suited to recording your aquatic adventures – in stills form, anyway.
The lack of in-body image stabilization counts against it, but otherwise it’s an impressive option in an increasingly crowded space. Measuring 43.8 x 32.9mm, the 51.4MP sensor inside the Fujifilm is 1.7x the size of those in full-frame cameras. It means that each of its pixels has huge light-gathering potential, which helps it to deliver superb-quality images. Its main camera’s 108MP Nonacell sensor bins pixels 9-to-1 producing wide dynamic range in both good light and at night and this latest generation also makes for sharper photos.
Pixel 6 Pro
And there are specialty lenses out there as well, like macro lenses that you can use to take close-up photos of very small subjects. It depends; if you’re perfectly happy with your kit lens, probably not. But when you find that you simply can’t capture a photo you are trying to shoot, you’ll know you’re ready to buy a new lens.
It has the same 26-megapixel sensor and many of the same features as the awesome X-T3, but is smaller, lighter, and much less expensive. Sometimes you’ll need to look beyond the spec sheet and into real world experience. One example, 20fps continuous shooting might sound impressive for action, but if the camera slows up after a second, that mode is of no real use. A true pro camera for action should just keep going without slowing up. If you are moving from photography to video, there will be some acclimatization with a number of handling quirks in the 6K Pro, while its EVF is an expensive optional extra.
There’s even auto-zoom and tracking that can follow potential security risks so that they’re always in focus. The Nest Cam can integrates well with Alexa and Google Assistant, giving you the option of vocal commands and links with existing smart home network devices like Nest Protect and Nest Thermostat. This little camera is easy to set up and has robust mobile applications for hands-on control. You’ll need a monthly subscription for recording and event flagging, but it’s only a few dollars a month for the base package, and that can be used over multiple Nest cameras in your home. • If you’re just getting started in photography but keen to learn, you need a camera that’s simple enough for a novice to pick up and use, but powerful enough to grow with you as you try out more advanced techniques. We’ve got examples in this guide but check out the best cameras for beginners too.
There’s an 11.1-megapixel (f/2.2) selfie camera on the front and support for 4K video at up to 30fps on the front camera and up to 60fps with the rear lenses. There’s a 12-megapixel (f/2.2) TrueDepth camera on the front for selfies, while the rear camera is capable of capture HDR video at up to 4K/60fps with Dolby Vision and up to 4K/30fps in Apple ProRes. The iPhone 13 Pro and the iPhone 13 Pro Max are the best camera phones available in 2021. The two phones offer very similar specs, with the Pro Max being slightly smaller and coming in at a lower price than the Max. These days, many mirrorless cameras perform as well or better than DSLRs in just about every category.
A price hike does mean it’s no longer an entry-level full-frame camera like its forebear, but a Bionz XR processor powers solid performance that broadly justifies the extra expenditure. We’ve gone really left-field with this suggestion, but the DJI Pocket 2 could be a great travel/vlogging camera. It wouldn’t be the first choice for stills, but its 16MP stills are likely to be better than a smartphone’s and it can shoot programmable multi-row panoramas stitched in-camera, too. There’s even an optional wide-angle add-on for spectacular interiors and architecture. Its star turn is its video, though, with an in-built gimbal that provides a smoothness bigger cameras can only dream of. It comes with a dinky controller for powered pan and tilt movements and has a trio of ‘follow’ modes, just like a proper gimbal.
If you don’t have the funds to fork out for the latest GoPro, it’s worth considering an older model. The GoPro Hero 7 was the first camera to feature GoPro’s HyperSmooth stabilization which enables smooth, steady, handheld video. Before the GoPro 7, it was really hard to get usable footage and HyperSmooth has completely changed that. You can create time-lapses while moving with TimeWarp and increase speed up to 30d for short, shareable clips.
Samsung changed that in August with the Z Flip3 – a landmark smartphone, costing less than a top-tier iPhone while delivering a foldable screen and a design that felt solid in the hand. The Mi 11 Ultra proved that as well as making the best budget camera phones like the Redmi Note 10 Pro, it could also hold its own against the very best phones in the business. It’s only a matter of time before a budget/mid-range phone company tries breaking into the flagship sector – after all, that’s where the big profit margins are. April 2021 marked the point at which Xiaomi made the leap from a budget brand with an unpronounceable name to a genuine rival for the likes of Apple, Samsung and Google. The standout feature of the Xperia Pro is that it was designed to be a two-in-one smartphone and field monitor for videographers.
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