Best Compact Cameras for Night Photography

I realized how rare it is to find a compact camera that performs well in low light conditions. It’s only after I reviewed a ton of them, I found a handful that performed well in our night shot test. It’s quite a shame, since using your camera’s flash in low-light conditions can make all those potentially gorgeous pictures appear practically flat.

On the other hand, a camera that captures details well in night-shots using prolonged exposure without generating too much noise, can make for some truly visceral pictures that leave those who see it in awe. If you wish to awe-strike others (or yourself) with great night-shots, here are a few cameras to help you do so.

Samsung WB500
Rating: 4 / 5
Price: Rs. 19,000 (approx.)
Click here to read the review.

The Samsung WB500 is a feature packed bulky beast. The build is huge for an ultra camera, and compared to other compacts it’s a bit heavy as well. If you can get past its size and weight, the WB500 is a brilliant performer in every aspect and pushes its specifications (did I mention it has 10x optical zoom?) without compromising on performance, which is something you cannot say about most cameras in the spec sheet rat-race. I’s build quality is magnificent, although it’s not recommended for those who want to carry it around in their pockets, since - as I said earlier - it’s quite a fatty.

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Although the camera doesn’t boast of the best ISO sensitivity - images get high on artifacts post ISO 200 - the camera’s night mode is amongst the best of breed. Unlike many cameras on the block, the WB500’s night mode picks the lowest usable ISO setting and uses prolonged exposure to stumble past its average ISO performance, and deliver close-to-perfect results. The resulting image is high on detail, but since it uses prolonged exposure, it stays low on artifacts, yielding truly beautiful results.

Fujifilm FinePix F200EXR
Rating: 3.5 / 5
Price: Rs. 20,000
Click here to read the review.

Unlike the WB500, the Fujifilm FinePix F200EXR is compact and relatively light weight (measures 98 x 59 x 23 mm, and weighs 205 grams). It has a sexy looking black metallic-powdered-finish exterior along with ample silver metallic looking plastic parts, giving it more personality than most cameras out there. With pretty good overall performance, including a decent macro mode, well detailed images and accurate auto-white balance and color reproduction, the F200EXR gives you nothing to really complain about. It’s portable too, so it fits in your pocket perfectly.

The camera’s ISO performance is pretty good, and shots taken up to ISO 400 were better than average. This gives the camera’s night mode more leeway, since it can go up to ISO 400 without producing artifacts. Night shots taken were nothing short of impressive, with well captured details, with even terribly lit areas well captured. Colors picked up by the sensor in night mode were vivid too, and not bland or slightly desaturated like most other ultra compacts. The only issue is that there were a few illuminated pixel artifacts sprinkled over the place, but thankfully there weren’t too many of them, so it’s nothing that can’t be dealt with.

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Samsung NV9
Rating: 4.5 / 5
Price: Rs. 13,000 (approx.)
Click here to read the review.

Yep, another Samsung camera’s entered the list, thanks to the fact that the sensor they use works very well the way their night mode’s programmed, to give incredible results in low light shots. The NV9 has a really compact frame (95 x 60 x 21 millimeters) and weighs just 180 grams, making it incredibly convenient to carry around. It hones a black metallic finish plastic body that’s sturdy, and some aesthetically pleasing features such as two analog dials on its top side to display battery life and available memory. The camera performed brilliantly in all areas, making it an extremely good camera for its price.

Its ISO performance is good since it does well till ISO 400, producing minimum artifacts. The camera’s night mode’s excellent and this economical little critter managed to capture a great level of detail. It reproduced color accurately and featured minimum image noise. If you’re looking for a cheap solution that performs extremely well in all areas, especially in night shots, the NV9 is for you.

Canon Digital IXUS 980 IS
Rating: 4.5 / 5
Price: Rs. 24,000 (approx.)
Click here to read the review.

If you don’t mind shedding out more dough for a real winner, the Canon Digital IXUS 980 IS makes a great companion. First off, it looks absolutely hot with a completely curvy, yet slim body that’s made up of smooth, tough, black plastic. The camera’s loaded with features such as a high megapixel count (14.7), a plethora of pre-shot effects, and a mode for every possible shot. Apart from this, it features a good amount of manual functionality, making it great for the enthusiast that wishes to dabble his way to amateur photography.

It’s got an optical viewfinder, which is fantastic for night shots when the actual scene lighting is too low to be displayed on the screen correctly. While the ISO performance is not the best, its average and shots till 400 ISO stay low on artifacts. The night mode/low light mode is spot on and captured details even where lighting was minimal. If you’re looking for a really high quality ultra compact camera and don’t mind spending lavishly, the IXUS 980 IS makes a great buy for all you nocturnal photographers.