For many people, photography is a business necessity. In markets such as real estate, insurance and law there is an increasing emphasis on visual documentation – an archived record of people and property – and there’s only so much you can do with your smartphone. Yet, few of us have the skills to adjust white balance and aperture – or even know what aperture is. Luckily, these new models will make it easier to get the job done.

CANON POWERSHOT SD4000 IS

This 10-megapixel model has two unique features for business use. One is that, for indoor shots common at the workplace, the camera uses a powerful noise reduction technique that works well in low-light conditions. Another is that you can use the camera to create shots in rapid succession, helpful for those times when you need to capture photos at a work site or to record a company event.

OLYMPUS STYLUS TOUGH 8010

A rugged design is vital if you tend to shove your camera in with your laptop and lunch, or need to use it in potentially messy situations, such as on a construction site. The Stylus Tough 8010 is one of the best portable rugged cameras for those who do not want to think about protecting their gear. It’s shockproof up to 2m, waterproof to 10m, and withstands up to 100kg of pressure. Thankfully, it also takes outstanding 14-megapixel shots.

POLAROID POGO INSTANT DIGITAL CAMERA

In business, working in the field means you rarely have access to a printer. The Polaroid PoGo Instant allows you to not only snap the photos you need – say, at a construction site or at remote office – but then print the 5cm x 7.6cm images directly from the camera itself. This 5-megapixel device has a 7.6cm screen, 4x digital zoom and prints on a sheet withembedded ink.

KODAK EASYSHARE M580

A brilliant pocket camera that takes exceptional 14-megapixel photos – with hardly any effort – the Kodak M580 goes one step beyond other mobile pro models. For example, say you need to take a photo of every new employee in the office, the M580 has the ability to automatically upload the picture to either a social networking site like Facebook or directly to Flickr. Images can be “tagged” with, say, the employee’s name as well.

PANASONIC LUMIX DMC-ZS7

Part of taking photos on the job is knowing where you took them. For insurance agents, those in construction and other field work, this model from Panasonic automatically adds the GPS coordinates to any photo. You can then correlate the shots on a map and find the precise location. Like many Panasonic pocket cameras, the DMCZS7 has a 12x optical zoom for extreme close-ups and a wide-angle lens.

SONY NEX-5

One of the challenges of photography is that few of us have time to learn the mechanics of a professional camera, with its removable lens and high-grade optics. The NEX-5 is essentially a compact point-and-shoot that acts more like a pro device. Its CMOS sensor captures extremely crisp images, and bring that office party to life, while an interchangeable lens system means you can snap close-ups and wide-pan shots.