Compact cameras that shine in the dark

I'll begin with a caveat: snapshot cameras simply don't perform well in low light. Read through the user opinions of any model and you'll see complaints referring to graininess, poor color, colored dots, fuzzy photos, and so on--all different ways of describing how noise manifests itself in digital images.

That said, some cameras are better than others, especially if you understand their limitations. Rule No. 1: don't use Auto ISO in dim light. The camera will automatically crank it up to one of the highest sensitivity settings (so that you can use a relatively fast shutter speed) and the photos will likely look awful. I mean really bad. You're far better off raising the ISO sensitivity setting to its highest usable level, turning on hardware image stabilization where available, and remembering to stand very, very still because the shutter speed will likely be very, very slow.

Of all the snapshot cameras we've tested recently, these are the models that fare best at ISO 400; the Canon PowerShot SD870 IS, SD950 IS and SD790 IS can even be pushed as high as ISO 800. (Ironically, several old and out-of-production Fujifilm F-series models had excellent low-light photo quality for their class, proving the rule that newer is not necessarily better.) If you're still not happy with your nightclub or school play photos, then your only recourse is to spring for a digital SLR. Unfortunately, as your low-light demands increase, so does the price of the camera.