Which Digital Camera is the Absolute Best Pocket or Purse Camera?

Find the perfect camera for your needs!

The 3 Recommendations for Best Pocket/Purse category are:

Sony Cybershot DSC W220
or
Canon PowerShot SD1200 IS Elph
or
Panasonic Lumix DMC-TZ5

Sony Cybershot DSC W220

This little Sony W220 has gotten consistently high reviews by all but one buyer, and that person was disgruntled by the lack of battery life (which could have possibly been solved by replacing the battery)

Sony-acs (those who are addicted to Sony digital cameras... you know who you are) and anyone else looking for a great all-purpose camera that will not break the bank, will LOVE this camera! The available camera controls give quite a bit of versatility while still allowing for simple Point-and-Shoot capability(after all, why are we buying a point and shoot camera?) with fantastic results.

Product Details:

• 12.1-megapixel Super HAD CCD image sensor
• 2.7" LCD
• Carl Zeiss 4x optical zoom lens (30-120mm)
• Dimensions: 3.7x2.2x0.9 (5.2oz)
• BIONZ image processor delivers speed and precision
• Face Detection for up to 8 faces
• Smile Shutter technology
• Optical Image Stabilization
• Double anti-blur image stabilization helps you to take a blur-free photo
• Available in black, blue, silver, and pink
• Note: No Memory Stick DUO Media or adaptors are included unless noted.

My friends at Image-Resource.com have given this camera a great review. Check it out HERE.

The folks who purchased the Sony Cybershot W220 at Amazon have posted reviews totaling an impressive 4.62 average. (40 user reveiws)

You can purchase at Abe's of Maine by using this $10 off any $75 purchase at Abe's of Maine. Use code LOYALTY10 on any products and save.
Also, save up to $300 on Digital Cameras at B&H Photo and Electronics.

*Note: you will definitely need to purchase a storage card with this camera - 8GB is recommended for video recording.

Canon SD1200 IS Elph

Check out all the specs

The Canon SD1200 IS Elph has been on the market only a short time, yet it is #4 in Amazon's top seller list. That alone says plenty. It is the smallest and lightest of the recommended pocket/purse cameras.

The specs:

• 10 Megapixel Resolution
• 3x Zoom (38-114mm)
• Optical Viewfinder (I mention this because they are becoming less available, but in my estimation, they are invaluable, especially on a bright day when you can't see the LCD panel)
• 2.5" LCD
• dimensions: 3.4x2.2x0.9 (4.2 oz)
• 80-1600 ISO
• Video clips at 640x480
• Smart auto - automatically selects the proper settings for you.
• Face detection self-timer allows the camera to detect an increase in the number of faces and make the appropriate correction, thus the photographer can come into the scene and the camera will adjust to get her in focus too.
• No aperture or shutter priority control

Amazon user rating is 4.35 (out of 5) from 153 users
DPReview does not have enough ratings to compare yet.

*Note: you will definitely need to purchase a storage card with this camera - 8GB is recommended for video recording.

**See the comparison between the Canon PowerShot SD 1200IS and the PowerShot SD 780IS

Panasonic Lumix DMC-TZ5

Check out all the specs

• 9 megapixel image sensor
• 10x optical zoom
• dimensions: 4.1x2.3x1.4 (8.6 oz)
• 3.0" LCD screen with outstanding resolution
• aperture and shutter control (the other two do not have this much control)
• 28mm wide angle leica DC lens (widest of this group giving more landscape or group photo width)
• Advanced Intelligent Auto Exposure makes it easy for the most camera challenged individuals to get a great photo - no need to make manual settings adjustments
• video recording at 720p High-definition. The memory card can be inserted into a Panasonic Viera HDTV memory slot.
• Face Detection
• Continuous AF

The Lumix DMC TZ5 is just a tad larger in size and body weight, but it is still a pocketable camera, and it is simply a great camera with a lot of power packed into a nice small package.

Amazon User Rating is 4.47 (out of 5) from 465 reviewers
DPReview User Rating is 4.42 (out of 5) from 50 unique reviewers

The TZ5 ships without a memory card (the camera has 50MB of internal memory (not much), so make sure you order a Memory Card for PANASONIC LUMIX DMC-TZ5 and maybe an extra battery if you plan to use your camera while traveling.

The Bottom Line

This is a tough call because I really like the Panasonic TZ5's popularity and performance. However, from the standpoint of the category "pocket/purse" I am putting my $$$ on the Sony Cybershot DSC-W220. The Carl Zeiss lens and 12MP are both winners in my book.