Compact camera or system camera - a comparison
Related Videos: Best Compact Cameras in 2019 - Which One Is The Easiest To Carry Around? (May 2024).
Great photos can be taken with a compact camera or system camera. But which of the two camera types is best suited for whom? We will explain it to you in our comparison.
Compact camera: Especially suitable for beginners
Small, handy and powerful: compact cameras offer enough equipment for amateur photographers to take simple pictures. The cameras belong to the lowest quality group of cameras and are now easy to replace with smartphones. However, compact cameras are ideal for simple souvenir photos and are therefore suitable for almost everyone.
- Sensors: Compact cameras are built with relatively small sensors, but still deliver good image quality. However, you have to keep in mind that many pixels on small sensors cause a high sensitivity to light, high noise, high resolution of the lens and more diffraction. Here you have to accept some compromises in the image quality.
- Lens: Compact cameras are equipped with a fixed lens, which is therefore not interchangeable. This means that you also need few accessories, which, however, limits the range of functions of the camera.
- Equipment: Digital compact cameras that have a large resolution and a good zoom are sufficient in most cases. Some cameras also offer motif programs for experimental users. The camera can automatically select the correct mode, which is a great advantage for beginners.
- Price: The prices for compact cameras range from 50 to around 500 euros - this means that compact cameras are already available at significantly cheaper prices than system cameras. You can find many models for less than 100 euros in our price comparison.
Digital cameras in the test
1
Panasonic Lumix DC-FZ1000 II
final grade
1.1
Very good
Review
- Image quality (1.1)
- Equipment / handling (1, 0)
- Speed (1.5)
price
from € 749.99
price estimate
Acceptable (2.8)
price comparison
price comparison
TO THE SHOP
(Neckermann)
TO THE SHOP
(Neckermann)
2
Sony Cyber-shot DSC-RX100 VII
final grade
1.1
Very good
- Image quality (1.0)
- Equipment / handling (1, 2)
- Speed (1, 2)
price
from € 1, 139.00
price estimate
Expensive (3.9)
price comparison
price comparison
TO THE SHOP
(Photo cook)
TO THE SHOP
(Photo cook)
3
Sony Cyber-shot DSC-RX10 IV
final grade
1.1
Very good
Review
- Image quality (1.3)
- Equipment / handling (1, 0)
- Speed (1.0)
price
from € 1, 599.00
price estimate
Very expensive (4.7)
price comparison
price comparison
TO THE SHOP
(Calumetphoto)
TO THE SHOP
(Calumetphoto)
4
Sony Cyber-shot DSC-RX100 VA
final grade
1.2
Very good
Review
- Image quality (1.0)
- Equipment / Handling (1.4)
- Speed (2.1)
price
from € 733.19
price estimate
Acceptable (2.8)
price comparison
price comparison
TO THE SHOP
(Rakuten)
TO THE SHOP
(Rakuten)
5
Sony Cyber-shot DSC-RX10 III
final grade
1.3
Very good
Review
- Image quality (1.1)
- Equipment / handling (1, 2)
- Speed (2.9)
price
from € 1, 099.00
price estimate
Expensive (3.9)
price comparison
price comparison
TO THE SHOP
(Saturn)
TO THE SHOP
(Saturn)
To the complete leaderboard
System camera: Small all-rounders
Whether you are a hobby photographer or a professional - the system camera offers many functions to meet even higher demands. The new camera class can be classified between compact cameras and SLR cameras. System cameras are generally significantly more expensive than compact cameras, but they are usually somewhat cheaper than SLR cameras. However, this differs from model to model.
$config[ads_text5] not found- Sensors: The sensor area is larger than that of compact cameras. The larger the image sensor, the better the possible image quality. Noise is reduced and the image quality increases rapidly.
- Interchangeable lens: In contrast to compact cameras, you can change some lenses. Please note that system cameras are also a bit larger. Nevertheless, they are significantly more flexible than compact cameras.
- Equipment: Here, system cameras are close to the camera class of the SLR cameras, which leads to improved image and video quality. The range of accessories is significantly more extensive than that of the compact camera. High contrast, better resolution and electronic viewfinder, with which you can recognize the image result before the picture is taken, stand out clearly from the compact cameras.
- Price: Due to their larger configuration, system cameras usually have a significantly higher price than compact cameras. However, there are also occasionally models for less than 300 euros. You can get an overview in our photo gallery.
In the next practical tip, we will explain what you can do if your camera microphone is noisy.