Compare the Best Digital CamerasOctober 2018

Compact cameras pack an incredibly large amount of technology into a tiny design that will easily fit inside your pocket. Compact cameras produce better quality images than mobile phones mainly because they have much bigger lenses which allow more light and more detail to be received by the camera's sensor. They also feature zoom lenses which let you get close to the action without any loss in image quality that comes with the digital zooms found on phones.

Bridge cameras are designed to bring many of the features found on a DSLR camera, into an easy to use design. The often feature very powerful optical zooms that extend from very wide angle (which is great for architecture) to over 40x times zoom (which is ideal for wildlife and sport photography). They often feature an image stabiliser which will allow you to take photos with a long zoom without using a tripod.

System cameras are similar to bridge cameras in that they offer many of the features found on a DSLR, but in a smaller and easier to use form. They differ from system cameras in that you can change the lens on a system camera, which gives you far greater creative control. Many different lens types are available from ultra zoom lenses that get really close to the action, to macro lenses which allow you to photograph small objects really close up.

Digital SLR cameras give you outstanding image quality through very high quality components, large image sensors and a great range of lenses. You have full creative control by being able to adjust every aspect of the camera's exposure settings. Optical viewfinders let you see exactly what the camera sees and make it much easier to frame the shot in bright sun light conditions.

Charge Coupled Device (CCD) sensors have been around for over a decade and produce high quality low noise images. However they consume a lot of power and struggle with burst photography (taking lots of photos in quick succession). CCD sensors are still found on some cameras but most manufacturers have now switched to CMOS sensors.

Complementary Metal-Oxide Semiconductor (CMOS) sensors are a newer technology that is commonly found on the latest cameras. They consume very little power so your battery lasts longer and can take many shots in quick succession. When first released CMOS sensors had problems with image noise, but technological developments have completely elimated these concerns.