Top 5 Ultra Compact Travel Cameras - Digital Cameras for the Road

Ultra compact digital cameras weigh in at less than 5 ounces--but pack a punch with high resolution picture output. We've selected some tiny cameras you won't mind carrying around on your vacation. Some of our top picks have special features you'll want to check out--wireless printing and downloading, anti-shake technology, and weather proofing. Take a look at the top ultra-compact digital cameras for travel.

1. Canon Powershot SD430 - Digital IXUS Wireless Ultra Compact Digital Camera

Hate that tangle of wires around your computer? If you have the right printer (Canon SELPHY or PIXMA Photo Printer) and recent operating system you can print, upload and even control the camera from your PC with the SD430. About the size of a deck of cards, the Canon SD430 weighs in at 4.6 ounces and provides a 3x optical zoom and 5.3 megapixels of resolution.

2. Nikon Coolpix S5

Cool design in an ultra compact camera, reasonably priced, 4.8 ounces light, with a 3x optical zoom. No optical viewfinder, but a large LCD so you can compose easily. Great macro close focusing--1.6 inches from the lens--great for flowers and bugs. Has a "blur warning" system that also allows you to trash blurry pictures--but no anti-shake.

3. Nikon CoolPix S6 Ultra Compact Digital Camera

For a little more money than the S5 above, the S6 features cable-free printing, enabling images to be sent directly to PictBridge-compatible printers. With IEEE 802.11b/g support, you can send images wirelessly to a computer as soon as they are taken or to transfer all images stored in memory to computer at one time. Otherwise, the same as the S5.

4. Olympus Stylus 710 Ultra Compact Digital Camera

Innexpensive, and features anti-shake technology along with a weather proof body that weighs in at only 3.6 ounces. Video with audio (via an internal microphone). 7.1 megapixels. A great value in an ultra-compact camera. (Weather proof means you can use it in the rain, but you can't submerge it.)

5. Sony DSC-T9 Digital Ultra Compact Camera

The credit card sized DSC-T9 weighs in at 4.7 ounces. Includes optical image stabilization for low light situations and shaky hands. Zeiss 3x zoom lens, internal focus so the lens doesn't stick out of the camera like other 3x zooms. Good flash performance and macro (close focusing) performance for an ultra-compact.