Below we have gathered a list of point and shoot cameras for macro photography.

 

Pentax XG 1

The Pentax XG1 posses a 16 MP sensor along with 52X telephoto zoom lens. The zoom lens has 35 mm equivalent focal length and a variable aperture of f/2.8-5.6. The 16MP sensor is decent enough to capture high resolution pics which you can preview on a 3.0 inch LCD screen. Using the camera, hand held is not a problem with its sensor shift shake reduction algorithm.

With 52x zoom the camera also provide great macro capabilities with focus range as close as 1 cm. The pictures captured by the camera have a great saturation, with sharp and crisp details, however on higher zoom, there is a bit of distortion. Those of you who don’t shoot at manual, this gives some great results even at auto settings. Besides all these the camera will beat a Point and Shoot, but you should also keep expectations low since its not a DSLR.

We found this great macro image captured using this at, www.ricoh-imaging.co.uk

More technical info and pricing of Pentax G1 can be checked here.

 

FujiFilm FinePix S2940

 

Fujifilm S2940 features a 14MP sensor with 18X optical zoom. The camera features a macro distance of 2cm.  The camera has a powerful zoom of 18X and 6X digital zoom. While using zoom at such values you have to make sure that you use tripod, else the images might be blurry and you will blame the camera. The camera even performs good at high ISO range and can take some decent sharp shots even in the dark.

The camera is not bulky and can be carried easily in hand. The camera features face and smile detection and can snap pics when the subject smiles. Performance wise the camera performs well even at high zoom, and there is no sign of the purple fringe along edges.

Below are some of the sample shots that we found on flickr:

 

For more details you can check Amazon.

 

Fujifilm X 100

The Fujifilm X 100 offers a good image quality with this 23 mm F2 lens and APS-C sensor. It has a 16.3 MP CMOS sensor , similar to the X-Pro1 and X-E1.
The Fujifilm Finepix X100S is practically similar in appearance to the X100

The X100S joins the short rundown of conservative cameras that utilizes an APS-C sensor, which is around 10x greater than those found in many compacts, furthermore bigger than those in most smaller framework cameras. It guarantees to convey picture quality near to that of DSLRs.

X100S gives you a chance to bring the edge of the lens as close as 3.9 inches from a subject. Centering as that close can truly change point of view and make some exceptionally fascinating shots that you can’t make with most different cameras.

The Fujifilm Finepix X100S’s lens has a quick opening of F/2.0, which in conjunction with the expansive APS-C sensor makes it simple to toss the foundation out of focus and accomplish some decent bokeh impacts, helped by the 9-cutting edge a-spherical lens.

Get more technical details and pricing here.

Pentax Optio RZ-18

Pentax RZ18 is a 16 MP compact camera, that can record videos at 720p. It posses a 18X wide lens, and focal length of 25-40 mm. RZ18 is a light 200g camera, not having tons of features and loaded with only essentials.

The camera has a Dual-Shake reduction system, dynamic range setting, and some great artistic features. RZ18 fits well in your hand and has a good grip.

The camera takes some impressive images with its 35mm lens, the colour and contrast are prefect.Its macro mode, which tops out at 4cm, is quick to get a fix and renders plenty of detail.  We checked some of the user reviews regarding macros, they were happy with the quality of images that it took.

More technical details can be found here.

 

Sony Cyber-shot DSC-HX5V

The HX5V captures some stunning low light pics and features an “Exmor R” sensor. Besides that it can record a full HD video and can capture shots even at 10 frames per second. It consist of a 3-inch anti reflective LCD display.

It contains a sweep panorama feature to capture interesting nature landscape. The camera has the potential to take some stunning images, thanks to the Intelligent Scene Recognition mode. It comes with some preset modes also like Twilight, Portrait etc and even Macro.

With a macro focus range of 5cm, this gets included in our list, read more about this at below link.
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Fujifilm FinePix XP20

This digital camera features protection from water, shock, cold and dust, so you can take it on outdoor adventures. The rubber grip helps ensure you’ll always have a firm hold on the camera. The 2.7″ LCD is easy to see even in bright conditions.
Captures high-resolution images up to 4320 x 3240 pixels.
Captures 720p high-definition movies at 30 fps.
For improved image capture in low-light conditions.
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Canon PowerShot G16

The Canon PowerShot G16 Compact Digital Camera, with built-in Wi-Fi, is an advanced point-and-shoot camera featuring a 12.1 megapixel 1/1.7″ high-sensitivity CMOS sensor and DIGIC 6 image processor to produce high quality still imagery and full HD 1080p video. Together they form the Canon HS SYSTEM, which helps to improve the image quality of dimly-lit shots by reducing noise and enhancing the overall clarity. Additionally, the processor offers a range of speed-related assets throughout the camera as well as a High Speed AF system for maintained sharpness in a variety of shooting conditions. The built-in Canon 5x optical zoom lens provides a 35mm-equivalent focal length range of 28-140mm, covering wide-angle to telephoto length perspectives. For instant sharing and transferring of photos and movies, built-in wireless connectivity is available and helps to expedite sending imagery directly to an Android or iOS mobile device through the use of the free Canon Camera Window app.
Detailed description here

Panasonic LUMIX DMC-LX7K

The Panasonic LUMIX DMC-LX7 10.1-megapixel digital camera is a more portable solution than a DSLR, without limiting your creativity or optical performance. The DMC-LX7 boasts a newly developed 24mm ultra wide-angle LEICA DC VARIO-SUMMILUX lens with F1.4 brightness at the widest end and F2.3 at the telephoto end. The large aperture gives you the power to make photos with a shallow depth-of-field. You’ll make portraits with gorgeous, soft backgrounds, as well as capture low light scenes you might miss with another camera. Breathtaking landscapes, environmental portraits, cityscapes, or shooting in a tight space is a breeze with the 24mm ultra wide-angle lens. The DMC-LX7 delivers an advanced lens system making it easy to produce beautiful, high-resolution photos with minimal distortion and a pleasing, soft-focused background. More

Olympus XZ-2 

The XZ-2 uses a large 1/1.63 12MP resolution BSI-CMOS image sensor that provides enhanced low light performance and image quality over its predecessor 24-96mm f/1.8-2.5 i.ZUIKO DIGITAL Lens (35mm Equivalent): The i.ZUIKO DIGITAL lens is a compact version of the Olympus ZUIKO DIGITAL interchangeable lenses and is designed specifically for compact cameras like the XZ-2 3.0 Swivel Touch Screen LCD Display: Not only does the XZ-2 have a 3.0 touch-screen display, but the LCD also swivels – flipping out from the camera to provide better viewing angles while shooting Olympus iHS Technology: The XZ-2 uses Olympus’ iHS technology for greatly enhanced picture quality & super-fast camera response time. It combines the powerful TruePic VI image processor with backside illuminated CMOS sensor for high image quality & processing speed while keeping noise levels low TruePic VI Image Processor: The camera’s high resolution image quality is supported by the TruePic VI image processor, as it renders images similar to what your eyes see and is faster than the previous versions of TruePic processors. More

Canon PowerShot S100

The S100 does a pretty nice job shooting video as well, and one of the enhancements over the S95 is the ability to use the zoom during shooting, which it does quietly and unobtrusively. The video is sharp if somewhat oversaturated (you can set it to a neutral color setting if that bothers you), and the audio sounds good. There’s a slow-motion recording mode–you capture normally and it plays back at 240 or 120fps and saves out an MP4 file of the slow motion playback. It’s better than some because it doesn’t limit the capture time, but it also records at small 320×240- or 640×480-pixel sizes depending upon the frame rate. More