There is a growing market for point and shoot cameras and the best cameras in this category are now competitively priced with almost all models being priced in the $300-$400 range. These cameras offer professional features in increasingly small sizes.
This is a smart move by camera makers who have to compete with smartphones which have good picture taking capability and are connected to the net for easy sharing. The Lumix LX5 is one of such cameras with a 10.1MP sensor and with an aperture of f/2.0 which is very much suitable for indoor and low light shooting. It retails for $350 and has many manual shooting modes and Lumix has launched accessories which allow for wide angle and telephoto lenses.
The competition for the Lumix LX5 is the Canon Powershot SX150 IS which is a gem in this line of cameras. For a price tag of just $250, it boasts of a 14.1MP sensor and also includes a mode for discreet shooting.