That digital camera to give as a gift or put under the holiday tree is more affordable than ever. Even in this smartphone era, when many consumers find the photos on their cellphones are good enough, camera sales remain strong.
"Tablets and smartphones have captured the consumer zeitgeist," says Chris Chute, an analyst with research firm IDC. "But cameras are still selling."Depending on the format you prefer, camera options abound:
Point and shoots
Many of the latest models sell for $300 and $400, though there's no reason to pay that much for a good point and shoot. Many full-featured, but slightly older, models are available for under $200.
Amazon has Panasonic's DMC-ZS9, with a 14-megapixel sensor and a wide-ranging 16x zoom, for $129.99. Best Buy will sell you the 12-megapixel Canon PowerShot 100, with a larger-than-usual 4x zoom, for $109.99.
Mirrorless cameras
Many consumers are looking to step up to this new format, which is smaller than a single lens reflex (SLR) camera but bigger than a point and shoot. The advantage: These models from Samsung, Nikon, Olympus, Sony and Panasonic are easy to tote on vacation, with a sharper image than point and shoot, thanks to the better lenses. The lowest prices this holiday are offered from Olympus and Panasonic. The Panasonic DMC-GF2, with a 14-42mm lens, is $374.95 at Adorama. Costco has the Olympus Pen E-PL1 with two lenses, 14-42mm and 40-150mm, for $399.99. By comparison, the new Nikon J1 is $599 at Amazon, where the new Samsung NX200 is $799 and Sony's NEX-C3 is $549.