Not too many years ago, choices in camera colors were pretty limited, usually to black or silver. However, with the advent of thin point and shoot cameras, manufacturers quickly figured out that they could create some additional sales by providing multiple colors.
One of the more popular colors for digital cameras is blue, thanks in part to the multiple shades of blue that are available. You can find just the right shade to make a blue digital camera a great gift, such as for Father's Day.
Read on for my list of the best blue cameras.
1. Canon PowerShot ELPH 100 HS
Canon
Blue sub-$200 cameras have been a staple of Canon PowerShot cameras for a few years, and the PowerShot ELPH 100 HS camera follows that formula. The ELPH 100 is part of Canon's new "HS System," short for high sensitivity, meaning the HS cameras will work well in low light.
For a camera in its price range, the ELPH 100 includes some nice features, including a 3-inch LCD screen and full 1080p video capabilities. You'll find a 12.1MP CMOS image sensor with the ELPH 100, further improving low light performance. It would be nice if the ELPH 100 had a larger optical zoom lens than 4X, though.
Canon is offering the ELPH 100 in four body colors other than blue -- gray, pink, orange, and silver.
2. Canon PowerShot ELPH 520 HS
Canon
The sharp-edged design of the Canon PowerShot ELPH 520 HS gives it an interesting look for a point and shoot camera. The solid color of the camera is very nice, available in blue, red, silver or black, depending on where you live in the world.
And it has some good photographic features to match its cool design, as I found in my review, when the ELPH 520 HS made my list of the best 5-star cameras.
The ELPH 520 HS includes a 12X optical zoom lens, which Canon claims makes the 520 HS the world's thinnest 12X zoom camera. The ELPH 520 HS measures 0.76 inches in thickness.
In addition, the ELPH 520 HS uses a 10.1MP CMOS image sensor, which should improve low light photography. It has a high-resolution 3.0-inch LCD and can shoot full HD video.
3. Canon PowerShot SX230 HS
Canon
Finding a good-looking, compact camera with a large zoom lens isn't always easy, but Canon's PowerShot SX230 HS camera looks to fit in this area of the market. With three colors available -- blue, red, or black -- you have some popular options from which to choose.
With the SX230, you'll find a 14X optical zoom lens, a 3-inch LCD, full 1080p video capabilities, and a 12.1MP CMOS image sensor. Additionally, the PowerShot SX230 is a good performer in low light, hence the "HS" designation. The TIPA award-winning SX230 also has a popup flash unit.
4. Casio Exilim EX-Z550
Casio
The Casio Exilim EX-Z550 is available in black, pink, red, silver, and, of course, blue, as pictured here.
When you can find 14.1 megapixels of resolution in a bargain-priced camera, as you can with the Z550, it's a good time to be shopping for a camera. The Z550 will include a 4X optical zoom lens with limited wide angle capabilities. It has only a 2.7-inch LCD, which is smaller than many new cameras.
However, the Z550 is very inexpensive, so this can be a nice bargain model with some colorful options.
5. Nikon Coolpix S3100
Nikon
For a sub-$150 camera, Nikon's Coolpix S3100 digital camera provides a nice set of features that will appeal to beginning photographers. It's also a sharp looking model that measures only 0.8 inches in thickness. Nikon is offering the S3100 in seven body colors: Blue, black, pink, purple, red, silver, and yellow.
The S3100 includes a 5X optical zoom lens, 14 megapixels of resolution, 720p HD video recording through a dedicated video button, and a 2.7-inch LCD screen.
6. Panasonic Lumix DMC-G2 DIL
Panasonic
DIL cameras are more commonly found in non-traditional colors than their DSLR counterparts, but blue isn't the most common DIL model. Panasonic's Lumix DMC-G2 camera is one that does feature a blue camera body, though.
The G2 offers touch-control shooting. When Panasonic announced the G2, it was the world's first interchangeable lens camera that allowed shooting photographs by touching the LCD.
The G2 includes 12.1 megapixels of resolution and a high-resolution 3.0-inch LCD screen. You can use any Micro Four Thirds system lenses with the G2, which also includes an EVF. The G2's mirror-less design means it is not a DSLR camera; you can call it a DIL or EVIL camera instead.
7. Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS10
Panasonic
At first glance, the Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS10 looks like many of the other point and shoot cameras. It is a thin model (1.31 inches in thickness) that's available in many body colors beyond blue, including black, brown, red, and silver.
This camera's features really make the ZS10 stand out from the crowd. Panasonic included a built-in GPS with the ZS10, allowing you to easily track the location of all of your photos. In addition, the ZS10 offers a 16X optical zoom lens, something that's rarely found with such a thin camera, and a 3-inch high-resolution, touch screen LCD.
8. Pentax K-X DSLR
Pentax
It isn't often that you'll find a DSLR camera that's available in blue, but that's what's available in the Pentax K-x. The Pentax K-x is an attractive advanced camera for those on a tighter budget.
It has 12.4 megapixels of resolution, and it does offer an 720p HD movie mode. Image quality, even at low light, is superb and the K-x easily keeps up with, and sometimes surpasses, its rivals.
This camera is among the smallest and lightest of all beginner-level DSLR cameras, which will certainly appeal to those who like to travel light! The only slight drawback with this camera is that, while it has 11 autofocus points, these aren't viewable in the viewfinder. If this isn't a concern to you, though, the K-x is a fabulous camera.
9. Sony Cyber-shot DSC-H70
Sony
If you commonly experience problems with motion blur and camera shake ruining your still images and videos, Sony hopes its recently released Cyber-shot DSC-H70 digital camera can help you fix those issues. Sony has included two special modes to help with camera shake and motion blur.
During my H70 review, I found that this model is especially good in low light photography.
Beyond the blue H70 pictured here, this model is also available in black, red, or silver. In addition, the Cyber-shot H70 offers a 10X optical zoom lens, 720p HD video capabilities, and a sweep panorama mode.
10. Sony Cyber-shot DSC-TX1
PriceGrabber
Even though the Cyber-shot DSC-TX1 is a slightly older camera, there's a lot to like about this camera from Sony, including a very stylish design and a CMOS sensor.
The blue TX1 pictured here is a popular option, but this camera is also available in pink, silver, or gray.
Beyond its interesting looks, the Cyber-shot TX1 carries a 3.0-inch touch-screen LCD, 10.0 megapixels of resolution, and a 4X optical zoom lens. It can record HD video, and it measures only 0.555 inches in thickness.
You may have to shop around a bit to find this older camera, but it should be available at a pretty good price.
