fbpx
Features

Five Cameras for the Person Stepping up From a Point and Shoot

Chris Gampat
No Comments
07/09/2013
3 Mins read

Chris Gampat The Phoblographer Sony NEX 3N product photo (1 of 1)ISO 1601-200 sec at f - 2.0

Not everyone has a DSLR, but there are many that are trying to step up to one. But guess what: you don’t necessarily have to. You can instead move up to any other type of interchangeable lens camera. The advantage of most DSLRs is that they have an optical viewfinder. But if you don’t necessarily need that and you just want to keep the package small and the image quality big, then you’ll want to take a look at some of our favorite options.

 

Canon Rebel SL1

Canon Rebel SL1

Canon designed their new Rebel SL1 for the person who knows nothing about photography but who probably wants to learn. As a result, it is small, basic in its functionality, and delivers quite good image quality in the right situations. We believe that the amateur and the novice photographer will surely find something worth getting excited about with this camera. Plus, you’ve got all those excellent Canon EF mount lenses that you can upgrade to.

We’ve used the Rebel SL1 extensively, and we’re very impressed by its overall performance–and it’ll drop your jaw, too.

Buy Now: Amazon B&H Photo Adorama

Sony NEX 3N

924677

Compact, stylish, and functional: those are the words that we would use to describe the new Sony NEX 3N. The NEX 3N isn’t a Micro Four Thirds camera–but another smaller interchangeable lens camera using a bigger sensor than the Micro Four thirds standard. The other advantage is that Sony has managed to make their cameras smaller than many Micro Four Thirds options. In fact, the sensor in this camera is as large as the one in most DSLRs.

The big deal about the 3N is the zoom rocker switch around the shutter release–which emulates the same experience that you’ll have with many point and shoots. Therefore, it makes operation of this camera much more straight forward.

Check out our full review, and see why we gave it an Editor’s Choice award.

Buy Now: Amazon B&H Photo Adorama

Olympus EPM-2

epm2

With the body, looks, and styling of many traditional point and shoot cameras characterizing the Olympus EPM-2, users stepping up from a point and shoot camera will love the EPM-2’s image quality. It has the same sensor as Olympus’s flagship OMD EM-5, the fastest focusing in its class of cameras, and a very compact size with equally small lenses to complement it. Though its sensor is smaller than the one in most DSLRs, that hasn’t stopped the performance of it from winning Editor’s Choice awards and winning the hearts of many.

If you’re looking for the overall most compact camera that you can get with a lens, this is your best option without sacrificing image quality. You’ll want to check out our review for sure.

Buy Now: Amazon B&H Photo Adorama

Fujifilm XM-1

xm1

When you think of Fujifilm’s cameras as of late, you think about the quality of the images and the sexy retro styling to them. The XM-1 is Fujiflm’s attempt to win over the heart of the more entry level crowd. And as a result, they’re putting the same sensor from their flagship X Pro 1 into this itty bitty body.

They’re also giving this camera faster autofocusing performance than the X Pro 1. But the real reason why you spring for this camera is because of its image quality. You’ll find that the performance is similar to that of some higher end professional DSLRs.

Buy Now: Amazon B&H Photo Adorama

Nikon 1 S1

IMG_297342

Though the pros scoff at the Nikon 1 series cameras, we have to admit that they’ve got some impressive image quality, are truly pocketable, and have a menu interface that most people that know nothing about photography will mostly enjoy. Granted, you won’t get the image quality that you will from the other cameras on this list, but you won’t be complaining either.

There are some very good reasons why the Nikon 1 series cameras sell out across the nation–and Nikon is surely doing something right with them.

Buy Now: Amazon B&H Photo Adorama

Please Support The Phoblographer

We love to bring you guys the latest and greatest news and gear related stuff. However, we can’t keep doing that unless we have your continued support. If you would like to purchase any of the items mentioned, please do so by clicking our links first and then purchasing the items as we then get a small portion of the sale to help run the website.

Also, please follow us on Facebook, Flickr and Twitter.

Cameras Canon Rebel SL1 dslr fujifilm interchangeable lens micro four thirds NEX nikon olympus sony tech
Shares
Written by

Chris Gampat is the Editor in Chief, Founder, and Publisher of the Phoblographer. He provides oversight to all of the daily tasks, including editorial, administrative, and advertising work. Chris's editorial work includes not only editing and scheduling articles but also writing them himself. He's the author of various product guides, educational pieces, product reviews, and interviews with photographers. He's fascinated by how photographers create, considering the fact that he's legally blind./ HIGHLIGHTS: Chris used to work in Men's lifestyle and tech. He's a veteran technology writer, editor, and reviewer with more than 15 years experience. He's also a Photographer that has had his share of bylines and viral projects like "Secret Order of the Slice." PAST BYLINES: Gear Patrol, PC Mag, Geek.com, Digital Photo Pro, Resource Magazine, Yahoo! News, Yahoo! Finance, IGN, PDN, and others. EXPERIENCE: Chris Gampat began working in tech and art journalism both in 2008. He started at PCMag, Magnum Photos, and Geek.com. He founded the Phoblographer in 2009 after working at places like PDN and Photography Bay. He left his day job as the Social Media Content Developer at B&H Photo in the early 2010s. Since then, he's evolved as a publisher using AI ethically, coming up with ethical ways to bring in affiliate income, and preaching the word of diversity in the photo industry. His background and work has spread to non-profits like American Photographic Arts where he's done work to get photographers various benefits. His skills are in SEO, app development, content planning, ethics management, photography, Wordpress, and other things. EDUCATION: Chris graduated Magna Cum Laude from Adelphi University with a degree in Communications in Journalism in 2009. Since then, he's learned and adapted to various things in the fields of social media, SEO, app development, e-commerce development, HTML, etc. FAVORITE SUBJECT TO PHOTOGRAPH: Chris enjoys creating conceptual work that makes people stare at his photos. But he doesn't get to do much of this because of the high demand of photography content. / BEST PHOTOGRAPHY TIP: Don't do it in post-production when you can do it in-camera.
');
You might also like