Best Digital Cameras Under a $300 Budget

The D20 has some strong waterproof features, including the ability to work in up to 33 feet of water depth. It also can survive a fall up to 5 feet, and it can work in temperatures as low as 14 degrees Fahrenheit. You'll appreciate the underwater macro mode in the D20.

The photography features found in the PowerShot D20 aren't too bad, either, with 12.1MP of resolution in a CMOS image sensor, full 1080p video capabilities, a 3.0-inch LCD, and a 5X optical zoom lens.

The D20 is available in blue, yellow, orange, or silver camera bodies with black, curved trim, depending on your location in the world.

Finding a good-looking, compact camera with a large zoom lens isn't always easy, but Canon's recently announced PowerShot SX230 HS camera looks to fit in this area of the market.

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 part of Canon's "high sensitivity" system (HS), which aims to improve low light performance. The TIPA award-winning SX230 also has a popup flash unit. It's available in black, red, or blue.

Read Review

The Canon PowerShot SX260 HS provides some very impressive features for a point and shoot camera, giving both beginner and intermediate photographers a model that's going to give them some nice options.

You'll find 12.1 megapixels of resolution, a 20X optical zoom lens, a 3.0-inch high-resolution LCD, and full HD video options with the SX260 HS.

In addition, the PowerShot SX260 HS features a built-in GPS unit and a popup flash unit. It's an expensive camera, but it has quite a few features that you won't find in other point and shoot models, making this camera well worth considering.

Read Review

Fujifilm has excelled for quite a few years at building slim cameras with large zoom lenses. The latest camera in this category, the Fujifilm FinePix F750EXR, is another very strong model.

The F750EXR has 16 megapixels of resolution, a 3.0-inch LCD, and can shoot video at full HD.

However, the star feature in the F750EXR likely is its 20X optical zoom lens, which is impressive in a camera that measures only 1.4 inches in thickness. The F750EXR is available in red, black, or silver camera bodies.

The Fujifilm FinePix Real 3D W3 can shoot both still images and 720p HD video in 3D. The 3D camera can connect to a 3D TV to display the images through an HDMI connector, or you can see the images on the camera's 3D, 3.5-inch LCD without 3D glasses. Fujifilm's camera makes use of two 3X optical zoom lenses and two 10 MP image sensors, blending the two images to create a sense of depth. You can shoot in 2D as well.

I wrote about Fujifilm's prototype 3D camera a while back, so it's pretty cool to see this concept make it to the market.

Nikon has paired style with a powerful zoom lens in the Coolpix S9100 point and shoot camera.

You'll find a 12.1-megapixel CMOS image sensor with the S9100. In addition, this camera carries an 18X optical zoom lens, which is a feature rarely found in a camera measuring only 1.4 inches in thickness. The S9100's 3.0-inch high-resolution LCD screen is impressive, and this camera can shoot full 1080p HD video.

Nikon is offering the S9100 in three colors -- black, silver, or pink/red -- although a gold-colored S9100 is available in some parts of the world.

Read Review

The Olympus E-PL1 DIL camera is the least expensive of the PEN models to date. It'll differ from the PEN E-P1 and PEN E-P2 in camera body color, too, as the E-PL1 is available in black, champagne gold, and slate blue. In addition, the E-PL1, which is a slightly older camera that made my list of the best cameras for 2010, offers a built-in, pop-up flash unit, which was not available on the other PEN models. Thanks to its mirror-less, DIL design, part of the award-winning E-PL1's appeal is its small camera body (at least compared to other advanced cameras) measuring only 1.63 inches in thickness.

The image quality in the E-PL1 DIL camera is really good, and it's a good value for a DIL camera.

Read Review

Advanced digital cameras have been popular in 2011, and Olympus has come up with one of the most interesting models with its SZ-30MR.

The Olympus SZ-30MR includes a 16MP CMOS image sensor, which reduces noise in low-light photos. You'll find a 24X optical zoom lens, a 3.0-inch LCD screen, and a camera body that measures only 1.6 inches in thickness. Most impressively, the SZ-30MR can record 1080p HD video and 16MP still photos at the same time. 

Read Review

Panasonic has paired a wide-angle, high-quality lens with Wi-Fi capabilities in the Lumix DMC-FX90. This camera allows photographers to upload photos immediately to social networks, thanks to its Wi-Fi connection (which works with the 802.11g, 802.11b, and 802.11n standards).

Additionally, the FX90 features a high-resolution, 3.0-inch LCD, a 12.1MP CCD sensor, full 1080p HD video, and a 5X optical zoom lens, which includes good wide-angle capabilities. The F2.5 lens should yield very good image quality.

The Lumix FX90 is available in black only.

Read Review

Pentax has long been famous for its high-end film SLR cameras and now its Pentax DSLR cameras. However, since its acquisition by Ricoh, Pentax has been trying to branch out with a few different models, including some DIL models, as well as some advanced point and shoot models.

One of the latest cameras from Pentax is an ultra zoom model that looks like a DSLR but is actually a fixed-lens camera, called the Pentax X-5.

The X-5 offers a 26X optical zoom, 16MP of resolution, a 3.0-inch LCD that swivels, and 1080p HD video capture.

You'll find the X-5 will offer a pretty good value versus other ultra zooms. The K-5 is available in a black or silver camera body with black trim.

Samsung's TL320 is another strong model worth consideration in the sub-$300 price range. The TL320 includes a very easy-to-use menu structure that offers several "help" features, which is great for beginning photographers. The camera's shooting features are nice, too, with 12.2 megapixels, a 5X optical zoom lens with limited wide angle capabilities, and a 3.0-inch AMOLED screen, which provides brighter images and better power management than LCD screens. The TL320 includes gauges (shown here) -- that look like old-time gas gauges in vehicles -- with a needle that reveals the amount of battery power and storage space remaining.

Read Review

If you're someone who just can't decide between a point and shoot camera that provides great telephoto capabilities or one that can shoot wide angle images, Samsung may be ready to come to your rescue.

Samsung's recently released WB850F provides a 21X optical zoom lens, while it also can shoot at a wide angle of 23mm, providing photographers with the best of both worlds. In addition, it only measures a little over 1.3 inches in thickness, although the main portion of the camera body is less than an inch in depth.

The WB850F has a built-in WiFi capability, which is a nice feature for uploading a photo quickly to social networking sites, as well as built-in GPS.

The WB850F's other photography-related features include 16.2MP of resolution, a 3.0-inch high-resolution AMOLED screen, and full HD video capabilities.

Read Review