Gallery: Gift Guide: 12 Awesome Cameras for Every Budget
Canon0101-Canon-PowerShot-SX710-HS-(manufacturer-photo)
For back-of-the-room zoom: [Canon PowerShot SX710 HS](https://www.usa.canon.com/internet/portal/us/home/products/details/cameras/point-and-shoot/long-zoom-cameras/powershot-sx710-hs/) ($250) As good as your smartphone is, it's a lousy long-distance shooter. That's because smartphones don't have optics built to capture faraway scenes. Canon's PowerShot SX710 HS is a pocket camera with an 30x optical-zoom lens (25mm to 750mm), letting you capture close-ups of the football game or the school play from the cheap seats. Optical stabilization keeps those shots sharp, and the camera is quick enough to capture six shots per second.
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For places that'd destroy your phone: [Olympus Stylus Tough TG-4](http://www.getolympus.com/us/en/digitalcameras/tough/tg-4.html) ($300) Your phone isn't made for snorkeling, blizzards, and beach tumbles. This rugged Olympus camera is rare, as it's one of the few water/shock/freeze-proof cameras with the features and performance to make it a serviceable everyday shooter. We're talking an f/2.0 lens, mechanical stabilization, RAW shooting, neat tricks like focus-stacking and -bracketing, and built-in Wi-Fi. Not bad for a pocket camera you can also take 50 feet underwater.
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For great image quality on a budget: [Nikon Coolpix P340](http://imaging.nikon.com/lineup/coolpix/p/p340/) ($350) By now, you've probably heard of Sony's RX series of cameras. They're wonderful, but they're also really expensive. If you want similar image quality out of a very compact camera—especially in low light—consider the Nikon Coolpix P340. Its sensor isn't as big as the Sony models, but neither is its price tag. You get a bright f/1.8 lens, manual exposure controls, manual focus with focus peaking, RAW shooting, and Wi-Fi for hundreds of dollars less.
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For extreme athletes and drone pilots: [GoPro Hero 4 Black](https://shop.gopro.com/hero4/hero4-black/CHDHX-401.html) ($500) There are a lot of GoPro cameras out there, and they're all pretty damn good. If you want the cream of the crop, opt for the Hero 4 Black edition: It shoots 4K video at 30fps and 24fps, 1080p video at 120fps, and 720p video at a pudding-smooth 240fps. There are still very good reasons to opt for the step-down Silver model, though. Unlike the Black, it has an LCD screen—and it's $100 cheaper.
Sony0505-Sony-Cyber-shot-RX100-II-(manufacturer-photo)
For the best pocket camera under $600: [Sony Cyber-shot RX100 II](http://www.amazon.com/Sony-DSCRX100M2-Cyber-shot-Digital-Camera/dp/B00DM8R866?tag=ciq00041-20) ($550) Now that there are four of them, it's hard to pick the ultimate Sony Cyber-shot RX100 camera. In terms of sheer firepower, the newest RX100 IV is tops—but it costs around $1,000. The step-down RX100 III goes for $800 or so. And while $550 is still pricey, it's a fair price for the second RX100 in the series. You get an adjustable LCD screen, 1080p video at 60fps, a light-slurping f/1.8 lens, a 10fps burst mode, Wi-Fi, and jaw-dropping image quality for a camera of its size.
DXO0606-DXO-One-(manufacturer-photo)
For a plug-in upgrade to your iPhone camera: [DxO One](http://www.dxo.com/us/dxo-one) ($600) It's no surprise DxO Labs' first piece of hardware churns out excellent image quality; you'd expect nothing less from a company that makes pro photo software and tests high-end sensors. The DxO One modular camera plugs right into an iPhone's Lightning port, shuttling great-looking photos and video from its 1-inch sensor to your photo roll. Its sidecar software gives you manual exposure controls and turns your iPhone screen into an amazing viewfinder.
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For the best compact camera under $1,000: [Panasonic Lumix LX100](http://www.panasonic.com/uk/consumer/cameras-camcorders/lumix-digital-cameras---point-and-shoot/premium-compact-cameras/dmc-lx100.html) ($700) The Lumix LX100 is the best LX camera Panasonic has ever made, which is really saying something. This one outshines its predecessors for several reasons. For one, its Micro Four-Thirds sensor is massive for the camera's size, and coupled with its f/1.7 lens, that translates to excellent low-light photos and beautifully shallow depth-of-field. It also shoots 4K video, captures 11 shots per second, and has all the manual controls you'd expect for the price.
Canon0808-Canon-EOS-Rebel-T6i-Video-Creator-Kit-(manufacturer-photo)
For the renaissance man/woman: [Canon EOS Rebel T6i Video Creator Kit](http://shop.usa.canon.com/shop/en/catalog/eos-rebel-t6i-dslr-18-55mm-is-stm-lens-rode-videomic-go-shotgun-microphone-video-kit) ($800) Despite the evolution of small-but-powerful cameras, DSLRs will continue to sell. They have an arsenal of legacy lenses, and in recent years, they've become wonderful video-capture devices to boot. The Rebel T6i is the latest in a long line of easy-to-use, high-quality Canon DSLRs for consumers, and this "Video Creator Kit" throws in a lens, a 32GB SDHC card, and a microphone for around the same price as the body-only configuration.
Fujifilm0909-Fujifilm-X-T1-18-55mm-lens-(manufacturer-photo)
For step-up shooters that want to take control: [Fujifilm X-T1 with 18-55mm lens](http://www.fujifilm.com/products/digital_cameras/x/fujifilm_x_t1/) ($1,400) We basically can't shut up about the Fujifilm X-T1. In the mirrorless interchangeable-lens landscape, it feels just right: It has the same APS-C size sensor as a consumer DSLR, with all the controls laid out for quick access, and it shoots images as distinctive as they are impressive. The X-T1 isn't the best choice for novice shooters, but the rich colors and beautiful portraits captured by its unique X-Trans II sensor are well worth the learning curve.
Sony1011-Sony-Alpha-A7S-(manufacturer-photo)
For night owls: [Sony Alpha A7S II](http://www.sony.com/electronics/interchangeable-lens-cameras/ilce-7s) ($3,000 body only) One of the benefits of a large sensor is how well it performs in the dark, and the Sony Alpha A7S II takes low-light shooting to new heights. It squeezes the most out of its full-frame sensor in low-light situations by using a low pixel density (12 megapixels), a five-axis stabilization system, and ISO settings that ramp up to 409,600. It also shoots 4K video, but it'll cost you: Its $3,000 price tag doesn't include a lens.
Nikon1110-Nikon-D4S-(manufacturer-photo)
For rapid-fire night owls: [Nikon D4S](http://www.nikonusa.com/en/nikon-products/product/dslr-cameras/d4s.html) ($6,000 body only) If that Sony camera's low-light prowess sounds enticing but you need a camera with a little more giddy-up, look no further than the 16-megapixel Nikon D4S. This full-frame professional camera also tops out at ISO 409,600, but it has a much faster continuous-shooting speed of 11fps—and that's with autofocus enabled. The only real tradeoffs are that it costs twice as much for the body only, it doesn't shoot 4K, and it's a much bigger beast.
Leica1212-Leica-M-P-Typ-240-(manufacturer-photo)
For very rich street photographers: [Leica M-P Typ 240](http://us.leica-camera.com/Photography/Leica-M/Leica-M-P) ($7,000 body only) The Leica M-P is our pick for the best sub-$7,001 rangefinder camera with no logo on it. Unlike every other camera on this list, part of its exorbitant body-only price doesn't go toward an autofocus system. You'll have to focus everything manually by lining up images in its peephole, but the results are beautiful. And you didn't think $7,000 would get you a kit lens, did you? We'd recommend more-than-doubling-down on the $10,000 f/0.95 Noctilux-M 50mm. It's pretty good.
