Definition: An ultra compact digital camera is a beginner-level model that is extremely thin and usually controls all settings for shooting the photograph automatically, such as deciding whether to fire the flash or increase the shutter speed. Ultra compact models usually are less than 1 inch in thickness, and usually are among the most affordable types of digital cameras.
In addition to being thin, ultra compact digital cameras usually are stylish and colorful. They're similar in size to a deck of playing cards. A newcomer to digital photography should be able to pick up an ultra compact model and immediately begin capturing digital images of a reasonable quality. Some ultra compact models allow the photographer to manually control a few settings, but the cameras are meant to be used mainly in automatic mode. Ultra compact models should have easy-to-use menus and should make sharing photographs easy.
