Top 8 Compact Digital Cameras Under $200

Because digital photography has become so widely popular, digital cameras are have become not only cheap, but chic. Point and shoot digital cameras have been getting smaller, less expensive and better looking. Modern digital cameras offer style as well as numerous practical benefits. For example, digital cameras have LCD panels which allow you to view your picture momentarily after you have captured it. For amateur photographers, this offers the ability of deleting and re-snapping any photo, assuring that all our special moments are captured to our liking. Another great benefit of the digital camera is that it requires no film. Therefore, you not only save money in not having to purchase film, you also save on developing costs. Digital cameras make it simple to upload photos to a computer, allowing you to edit the shots and share them with friends and family in minutes. There are a couple of options for printing photos taken digitally. Most drug stores and pharmacies that offer traditional film developing will also offer digital printing directly from your camera's memory card. If you prefer to save a trip to the store, there are many websites that offer to mail you prints of your uploaded photos. Purchasing a good quality photo printer is affordable and will allow you to print photos at your own convenience. Here are my top picks for the best compact digital cameras under $200.

1. Casio EXILIM 8.1 MP Digital Camera, Model: EX-Z80VP
Width: 3.5" Height: 2" Depth: 0.75" Weight: 3.5 oz
Cost: $179.99 at Best Buy and Office Depot
Available in various beautiful colors, this version of the popular Casio Exilim offers a 2.6" wide color TFT-LCD screen, 3x optical/4x digital/12x total zoom, as well as face detection technology which automatically focuses on faces, allowing for an amazing portrait affect. This particular digital camera is especially recommended for YouTube fans, as it offers a special feature which shoots videos at the optimum file size and quality for uploading to the site (an extra bonus is the iTunes compatible video feature.) The Casio Exilim EXZ80VP includes USB 2.0 interface, a rechargeable ion-lithium battery and an AC adapter. This is the most lightweight and compact camera on the list.

2.FUJIFILM FinePix 10.0 MP Digital Camera, Model: Z20fd
Width: 3.6" Height: 2.2" Depth: 0.8" Weight: 3.9 oz
Cost: $179.99 at Best Buy
At 10 mega pixels, this little camera is great for beautiful quality, high resolution photographs. The FinePix offers 3x optical/5.7x digital/17.1x total zoom and a 2.5" TFT-LCD screen, as well as 45MB internal memory. Built in IrSimple high speed infrared connectivity technology allows you to share photos and videos wirelessly. Camera includes USB 2.0 interface and A/V outputs.

3. Kodak EasyShare8.2 MP Digital Camera, Model: C813
Width: 3.6" Height: 2.6" Depth: 1.5" Weight: 4.8 oz
Cost: $99.99 at Best Buy
This Kodak digital camera is the least expensive and offers a few interesting advantages. The EasyShare 8.2 runs on two (2) AA alkaline batters. This is useful because AA batteries can be purchased practically anywhere, ensuring your camera never runs out of juice. Available in an array of beautiful colors, the EasyShare has a 2.3" LCD screen, 3x optical/5x digital zoom and 10MB of internal memory.

4. Nikon Coolpix 8.0 MP Digital Camera, Model: L18
Width: 3.7" Height: 2.4" Depth: 1.2" Weight: 4.6 oz
Cost: $139.99 at Best Buy
The Coolpix digital camera boasts about it's face-priority AF, which enhances the focus of the lens on faces, improving the portrait quality of your photos. Other cool features include a 3" TFT-LCD monitor, image stabilization and anti shake, and a 23MB internal memory card. The Coolpix also has a Zoom-Nikkor glass lens, with 3x optical/4x digital/12x total zoom, video mode, as well as a standard USB interface and A/V outputs. As if this package weren't enough, the Nikon Coolpix comes with software which can add special affects to your photographs!

5. Olympus 8.0 MP Digital Camera, Model: FE-340
Width: 3.8" Height: 2.3" Depth: 0.9" Weight: 4.1 oz
Cost: $179.99 at Best Buy and Office Depot
This digital camera is so slim, its sure to fit in every purse and pocket! The camera's 2.7" LCD screen includes an image rotating option and two steps of brightness adjustment as well as a backlight boost button. With a TruePic III image processor, you are guaranteed a lightning fast response time between taking pictures as well as a speedy start-up. This little camera also offers a whopping 43MB internal memory card, as well as an xD-Picture Card memory slot (media not included.) The Olympus also includes auto-connect USB 2.0 interface (simplifying connection to a computer by not requiring software), A/V outputs, video mode, 5x optical/4x digital/20x total zoom and included software for organizing and adding special effects to your images.

6. Panasonic Lumix 8.1 MP Digital Camera, Model: DMC-FS3A
Width: 3.7" Height: 2.1" Depth: 0.9" Weight: 4.2 oz
Cost: $149.99 at Circuit City
The Panasonic Lumix offers one thing none of the cameras on this list can; a Lecia DC Vario-Elmar (one of the most respected companies in the world) wide-angle 33mm lens, which allows you to capture larger photos in a single shot (think landscape.) The camera is also very user friendly, offering an Intelligent Auto (iA) mode to prevent common shooting errors such as hand-shake. The Lumix includes 3x optical/4x digital/12x total zoom, USB interface, A/V outputs, included software, and lots of storage space with a 50MB internal memory card.

7. Sony Cyber-Shot 7.2 MP Digital Camera, Model: DSC-W120/L
Width: 3.6" Height: 2.3" Depth: 0.9" Weight: 4.4 oz
Cost: $189.99 at Circuit City
This Sony Cyber-Shot may look sweet, but it holds a mean Bionz Engine which speeds up processing and helps to capture brilliant, vivid colors. Amasing "smile shutter technology" allows the Cyber-Shot to know when your subject is smiling or laughing, and shoot the photo at that precise moment. It also offers 4x optical/2x digital/8x total zoom, a 2.5" Clear Photo LCD monitor, 15MB internal memory and USB 2.0 interface. Picture Motion Browser software is included to edit, organize and enhance your photos.

8. Samsung 8.2 MP Digital Camera, Model: i8
Width: 3.6" Height: 2.3" Depth: 0.8" Weight: 4.1 oz
Cost: $199.99 at Best Buy (online only, not available in Best Buy stores)
Last but not least, this Samsung is my personal favorite for all of its dynamic functions. This camera features a built in portable media player, allowing it to function as a camera, camcorder, movie player, MP3 player, text viewer and voice recorder. The camera also has a 2.7" TFT-LCD monitor with image rotation, 3x optical/5x digital.15x total zoom, USB 2.0, A/V outlets and a 190MB internal memory card. An interesting bonus feature is the built in "World Tour Guide" which provides information on popular attractions of 25 countries (such as France, Germany, China, Russia, etc.)

Please don't forget that while all compact digital cameras include some internal memory space, it is usually not enough to capture an entire event, never mind a vacation. Therefore, you should probably purchase an appropriate memory card with your camera. Whether you are buying your camera in store or online, matching memory cards are never difficult to find. As with most electronics, digital cameras usually go on sale during holidays, so if you are looking to save even more I would suggest that you wait around until the next holiday sales event. Happy snapping!