Compact and Slim

If you have a skinch of room in your top pocket or tight-fitting jeans, you have enough space to carry a capable compact camera that's ready to grab any unexpected photo opportunity that pops up.

How small are we talking about? Depth is the key spec here, and there are many cameras that measure less than an inch from front to back. The Sony Cyber-shot DSC-T900 is one of the sveltest we've put to the test, at just 0.66 inch thin, and weighing a mere 5.1 oz. Yet this skinny model still manages to shoot 12-megapixel images and high-def 720p video, with stereo sound no less.

The lesson is not to underestimate the capabilities of an ultra compact camera – though you should expect a premium price as the cost of miniaturization. We're talking $300 plus in this category, unlike your modest $150 point-and-shoot. However, you often get more than just good looks in the bargain. The Sony, for example, offers a high-res 920,000-dot touch-screen control (versus the typical 230,000-dot camera display) and comes complete with a docking cradle for connecting to an HDTV set.

The Fujifilm F200EXR offers an advanced image sensor that allows it to reproduce detail in shadowy areas more effectively than other compact cameras.

And the Canon Powershot SD780 IS, with its extremely small size and curvy slip-in-your-pocket edges, still includes an tiny optical viewfinder, a rarity among compact cameras at any size and price today, and useful on sunny days when the LCD turns into a solar reflector.

Other than price range and modest dimensions, ultra compact cameras don't have a lot in common. Lab tests in key categories such as resolution, color accuracy and image noise don't show a clear pattern based on camera size.

These featherweights tend to be light on manual controls, but there are exceptions. The 5.9-ounce Panasonic FX580, for example, includes program, aperture-priority, shutter-priority and full manual exposure controls.