Ultracompact cameras offer high-quality images in an extremely portable package.
Compact cameras are so called because their small size and light weight make them extremely portable and easy to carry. A subset of compacts, known as ultracompacts, takes this portability to the next level by packing the familiar features and options into a smaller, thinner camera body. While some cameras would seem to fit this category, such as the small, cheap department store "webcam" types, a true ultracompact provides high-quality images in a pocket-sized package. No one camera fully embodies the title of the "thinnest" and "smallest," as the measurements differ by mere millimeters from one dimension to the next.
Canon
Canon, a digital camera heavyweight, offers two small, thin ultracompact digital cameras, both offering 12.1 megapixels and roughly the same size. The ELPH 100 HS offers a 3-inch LCD screen and measures just 3.66 inches by 2.2 inches. It casts a slim profile of only .79 inches thick. The ELPH 300 HS offers a slightly smaller LCD screen of 2.7 inches, and measures 3.62 inches by 2.2 inches. It also boasts a slim .79 inch thickness.
Nikon
Nikon's smallest contributions in the ultracompact category are two Coolpix series cameras, both offering 14.1 megapixels. The S3100 measures 3.7 inches by 2.28 inches, includes a 2.7-inch LCD screen and boasts a slim profile of .71 inches. The S4100's LCD screen offers a larger viewing area of 3 inches, with the body measuring 3.74 inches by 2.24 inches and a thickness of .79 inch.
Sony
Sony's Cybershot series of cameras contain many options of portability, with the company's smallest ultracompact models both offering 16.2 megapixels and 3-inch LCD screens. The Cybershot DSC-WX9 measures 3.74 inches by 2.2 inches, with just a .79 inch thickness. Measuring a little longer at 3.78 inches by 2.2 inches, the Cybershot DSC-TX10 beats its sister camera by offering a .71 inch thickness.
Panasonic
The Lumix series of Panasonic features compact digital cameras in a variety of colors and options, with their two smallest measuring 3.7 inches by 2.13 inches and .75 inches thick. Both ultracompacts offer a 2.7-inch LCD screen, but the DMC-FH2 boasts a 14.1 megapixel sensor while the DMC-FH5 offers 16.1 megapixels.
Olympus
Olympus' smallest ultracompacts range from the 12-megapixel VG-110 to the 14-megepixel VG-120. The VG-110 measures 3.62 inches by 2.13 inches with a thickness of only .79 inches and offers a 2.7 inch LCD screen. The VG-120's LCD screen is slightly bigger at 3 inches, with the whole camera measuring 3.78 inches by 2.24 inches and a thickness of .75 inches.
Tags: inches inches, inches with, measures inches, measures inches inches, both offering