Everyone knows, that technology shrinks everything, and digital camera technology is no exception. The small, the better . . . right? Wrong! Smaller is not necessarily better, it's just smaller. Consumers have a preoccupation with small though. Ever since Captain Kirk said "beam me up Scott" and Dick Tracey started sporting his little video phone wrist watch, people have been fascinated with technology gone small. Digital photography continues to follow the trend, and I can't help but tag along.

Featuring upwards of 20X optical zoom, these are impressive cameras, and can be the perfect camera for certain situations. Like when you show up late for the wedding, and get stuck in the back pews. With these cameras you'll be able to still get great shots of the bride and grooms big kiss, without being mistaken for the official wedding photographer. As a general note for all these cameras, image stabilization is a gotta-have, unless you happen to have the rock steady hands of a surgeon.

There are quite a few to choose from in this category, as all the big manufacturers like to play in this retail sandbox. Canon, Sony, Nikon, Pentax, Olympus and Kodak all have some nice models here. One of the most popular, has to be the Canon SD1000 Digital Elph Camera. It's been the number one ultra compact with many of the online retailers for some time now. The Olympus Stylus 790SW brings an interesting twist to this niche with a freeze proof, water proof, and shock proof camera. As if that wasn't enough, it's also available in black, lime, blue, orange, and boring old silver. Its not only tough but fun too.

Canon Powershot SX10 IS. Canon is one of my personal favorite brands, and this camera is one of the reasons why. This Canon is comparable in price (around $350) to the previously reviewed Panasonic Lumix, but with 20X zoom, instead of just 18. Even a few die hard SLR owners I've hear from, swear from this camera. A lens range of 28-560mm is nothing to sneeze at. Especially with the clarity, and noise free pictures produced by this camera, even at higher ISO settings.

You can of course, get better clarity and image sharpness with a good SLR, but your also going to spend at least double the price to get there. Not to mention haul a lot more gear around for a SLR. The other nice thing about this camera, is the ability to capture video files, even if they are in the somewhat more obscure .mov Apple format.

As a final note, don't just order a ultra compact digital camera online, without holding one in your grubby little paws. Small cameras especially need to be held and tried out to make sure they feel comfortable and usable for perspective buyers.

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5. he best cheapest digital camera can cost as little as $100. You might think you can only get something low quality at this price, but there are still some options out there that The Choice In Digital Cameras Can Be Overwhelming