Sometimes all you need is a camera that can do the job. Point-and-shoot cameras have made amazing technological leaps in terms of quality and capability in recent years. Many consumer-level cameras are capturing high-resolution images and videos while maintaining good color rendition. While there are a still lots of technical drawbacks to using these cameras, they are a great option for journalists who know little about photography or simply need a backup in case a breaking news even occurs.

• Very easy to use, fully automatic features
• Very small and compact. Less intrusive to some sources
• Cheap(er) than advanced point-and-shoots and SLRs.
• Does video, consumer features sometimes not found on higher end cameras
• Drawbacks include sluggish usage when taking pictures, lots of shutter delay
• Limited zoom, you are forced to get near a subject
• Tiny flash that has maximum effectiveness of only 5-10 feet away
• Limited capability in controlling exposure, focus or other aspects of the photo

In the point-and-shoot category, we recommend choosing brands of cameras that have historically worked in photography. These brands include Nikon, Canon, Olympus, and Leica. There are a few other companies that have traditionally built video cameras, and are industry standards in the broadcast world, but also make decent cameras. These companies include Sony and Panasonic. We do not recommend electronic companies or photographic film companies that have ventured into the still photography market due largely to quality and durability issues. These companies we do not recommend include Casio, Fujifilm, Kodak, Hewlett-Packard and various off-brand companies.