Best camera for beginners

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Deciding which camera to buy these days if you're new to the photography can be really hard as there's so many models and platforms to choose from, whether it be a small compact point and shoot or a full blown digital SLR.

Using the whirlwire camera filtering system we've come up with a list of best ideal beginner cameras that we think that fits the requirements of someone who is a beginner. The idea is to have a camera that is full of features but easy to get around and step up the challenge to further your knowledge if needed. Ideal features include live view, GPS (for geo-tagging your photos) and a battery life greater than 250 shots on a single charge.

Whirlwire comparison chart
ProductsStylus Tough TG-830
Olympus Stylus Tough TG-830
Coolpix S810c
Nikon Coolpix S810c
Stylus Tough TG-3
Olympus Stylus Tough TG-3
Galaxy Camera 2
Samsung Galaxy Camera 2
Prices



Whirlwire Rating1199914546695412697
Video Features
FormatMP4
  • MOV
  • H.264
  • MJPEG
  • H.264
  • MPEG-4
  • H.264
MicrophoneMono Stereo Stereo Stereo
SpeakerMono Mono Mono Mono
Resolutions
  • 1080p @ 60fps
  • 720p @ 30fps
  • 480p @ 30fps
  • 180p @ 30fps
  • 1080p @ 30fps
  • 1080p @ 15fps
  • 720p @ 60fps
  • 720p @ 30fps
  • 480p @ 120fps
  • 480p @ 30fps
  • 1080p @ 30fps
  • 720p @ 30fps
  • 480p @ 30fps
  • 1080p @ 30fps
  • 720p @ 30fps
  • 480p @ 60fps
  • 480p @ 30fps
  • 240p @ 30fps
Storage
Storage Slot
  • SD
  • SDHC
  • SDXC
  • SDHC
  • microSD
  • SDXC
  • SD
  • SDHC
  • SDXC
microSD
Storage Slot Amount1 1 1 1
Storage Built-inN/A N/A 36 8GB
Sensor
Max Resolution4608 x 3456 4608 x 3456 4608 x 3456 4608 x 3456
Other Resolutions
  • 3264 x 2448
  • 2560 x 1920
  • 2048 x 1536
  • 1600 x 1200
  • 1280 x 960
  • 640 x 480
N/A N/A
  • 4608 x 3072
  • 4608 x 2592
  • 3648 x 2736
  • 2592 x 1944
  • 1984 x 1488
  • 1920 x 1080
  • 1024 x 768
Image Ratio
  • 4:3
  • 16:9
  • 1:1
  • 4:3
  • 16:9
3:2
  • 4:3
  • 3:2
  • 16:9
Megapixels16 16.0 16.0 16.3
Size1/2.3" (6.17 x 4.55 mm) 1/2.3" (6.17 x 4.55 mm) 1/2.3" (6.17 x 4.55 mm) 1/2.3
TypeCMOS BSI-CMOS BSI-CMOS BSI CMOS
ProcessorTruePic VI N/A TruePIC VII 1.6GHz Quad-Core Exynos
Screen / Viewfinder
Screen Size3.0 3.7 3.0 4.8
Screen Pixels460,000 1,229,000 460,000 1,036,800
Screen TypeOLED TFT LCD TFT LCD HD LCD
Live View
Touch ScreenN/A N/A
Physical
Weather Sealed N/A N/A
BatteryBattery Pack Battery Pack Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery ModelLithium-Ion Li-50B EN-EL23 lithium-ion battery LI-92B lithium-ion battery 2000 mAh
Battery Life (shots)300 270 330 400
Weight (grams)214 216 247 283
Dimensions109 x 67 x 28 mm 113 x 64 x 28mm 112 x 66 x 31 mm 133 x 71 x 19 mm
Waterproof depth (M)10 N/A 15 N/A
Optics & Focus
Autofocus
  • Contrast Detect (sensor)
  • Multi-area
  • Tracking
  • Single
  • Face Detection
  • Contrast Detect (sensor)
  • Multi-area
  • Center
  • Selective single-point
  • Tracking
  • Single
  • Continuous
  • Touch
  • Face Detection
  • Live View
  • Contrast Detect (sensor)
  • Multi-area
  • Center
  • Tracking
  • Single
  • Continuous
  • Face Detection
  • Live View
Digital Zoom4x N/A N/A
Lens MountFixed Fixed Fixed Fixed
Number of Focus PointsN/A 9 N/A N/A
Focal length minimum (mm)N/A 25 25 23
Focal length maximum (mm)N/A 300 100 483
Optical zoomN/A 12 4 21.0
Manual FocusN/A N/A N/A
Image
ISO Range100-6400 125.1600 100-6400 100-3200
ISO Minimum100 125 100 100
ISO Maximum6,400 3,200 6,400 6,400
White Balance Presets5 5 5 6
Custom White Balance
Image Stabilisation
File FormatJPEG JPEG N/A N/A
JPEG Quality LevelsN/A
  • Fine
  • Standard
Normal Normal
Features
Minimum shutter speed4 sec 4 sec 4 sec 16 sec
Maximum shutter speed1/2000 sec 1/4000 sec 1/2000 sec 1/2000 sec
Scene Modes
  • Portrait
  • Beauty
  • Landscape
  • Handheld Starlight
  • Night Scene
  • Night + Portrait
  • Sport
  • Indoor
  • Self Portrait
  • Sunset
  • Fireworks
  • Cuisine
  • Documents
  • Beach & Snow
  • Underwater Snapshot
  • Underwater Wide 1
  • Underwater Wide 2
  • Underwater Macro
  • Pet (Cat)
  • Pet (Dog)
  • Snow
  • Panorama
  • Backlight HDR
N/A N/A
Built-in Flash
Flash Range (M)3.3 5.60 N/A 3.8
Flash Modes
  • Auto
  • On
  • Off
  • Red-Eye
  • Fill-in
  • Auto
  • On
  • Off
  • Red eye
  • Auto
  • redeye reduction
  • Fill-in
  • Off
  • LED
  • Auto
  • auto w/redeye reduction
  • Fill-in
  • Slow Sync
  • Flash Off
  • redeye fix
Self-timer
Metering Modes
  • Multi
  • Spot
  • Multi
  • Center-weighted
  • Spot
N/A
  • Multi
  • Center-weighted
  • Spot
Exposure Compensation±2 (at 1/3 EV steps) ±2 (at 1/3 EV steps) N/A ±2 (at 1/3 EV steps)
Orientation Sensor
GPS
FPSN/A 8 5 N/A
Aperture PriorityN/A N/A
Manual Exposure ModeN/A N/A
Flash X Sync SpeedN/A N/A 1/200 sec N/A
Timelapse RecordingN/A N/A N/A
Shutter PriorityN/A N/A N/A
Connectivity
USB
HDMI
WirelessOptional N/A
Remote ControlN/A
HeadphoneN/A N/A N/A
Body Type
Body TypeCompact Compact Compact Compact


Olympus Stylus Tough TG-830 Vs Nikon Coolpix S810c Vs Olympus Stylus Tough TG-3 Vs Samsung Galaxy Camera 2 Vs Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS40 Vs Sony Cyber-shot DSC-HX400V Vs Nikon D5300 Comparison


Best camera for beginners