A Brighter Picture For Point-And-Shoot Cameras

The point-and-shoot camera makes an unlikely comeback as a party accessory

- Evan Ortiz

With the advent of the smartphone, the point-and-shoot camera would seem redundant. The whole idea, after all, is a device that’s small enough to fit in a pocket and requires you only to “point and shoot.” The category is nonetheless having a creative renaissance after years of declining sales. At the two most recent Met Galas, musician Frank Ocean and model Kendall Jenner brought along their ’90s-era Contax T3s to document the festivities. Think of the new point-and-shoot as Gen Z’s version of the vintage Polaroid, but one that’s lighter, can take high-definition video, and elevates the quality of your images in the quickest and most space- effective way. Many new models can even be paired with phones, so you can have your shot and Instagram it, too. We road-tested the latest offerings from Ricoh, Fuji, and Panasonic—plus a few classics of the genre—and present six compact cameras that deliver, whether it’s for a splash-prone pool party or a gala of your own.

1. The Status Purchase