The Best Ultra-Compact Camera of 2006

Sleek, stylish and sexy are but few of the adjectives I often use to describe ultra-compacts, and for a good reason — they make the regular compact cameras look like dinosaurs in comparison. Of course, a pro photographer may find using an ultra-compact as embarrassing as — say, wearing spandex and a towel around his neck in public. But egos aside, the cameras in this category have tremendously advanced in functionality, usability and overall performance to command respect from us and the masses.

We'll take a look at our favorite three ultra-compacts that 2006 had to offer.

Second Runner-Up

Canon Digital IXUS i7

A 7.1 megapixel camera in a body that's smaller than a lot of cell phones these days — now that's a 'Mission Accomplished' for ultra-compact cameras! The Canon Digital IXUS i7 not only comes in a sleek and tiny body, but it also packs enough punch to give you sharp results, with colors that that will add new life to... well, life.

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The IXUS i7 does however have a couple of drawbacks that kept it out of our top spot. It's not too hot at macro shots and it's high noise levels at higher ISO sensitivity settings. Negatives aside, the i7 is still a great camera with some pretty good features and shooting modes that make it totally worth it's price.

First Runner-Up

Sony Cyber-Shot DSC-T10

Sony's T series of digital cameras had a pretty good year with 2006, but the most notable one in the series will have to be the T10. The compact size, multiple color options and the sliding lens cover design gave the camera a good universal appeal. Apart from just looking attractive, it also functioned great as a point-and-click model, thanks to its high quality auto mode and great results under most light conditions.

The Best Ultra-Compact of 2006

Casio Exilim EX-Z1000

This little ultra-compact thinks big. It's got a big resolution of 10.1 megapixel and to accompany that it also has a large 2.8 inch LCD display, which is the biggest I've seen in an ultra-compact. But besides those specs, the camera excels in image quality under most lighting conditions and without much user input.