Point-and-shoot camera

They are popular for vernacular photography by people who do not consider themselves photographers but want easy-to-use cameras for snapshots of vacations, parties, reunions and other events.

Most compact digital cameras use small 1/2.3-type (“1/2.3-inch”) image sensors, but since 2008, a few non-interchangeable lens compact cameras use a larger sensor such as 1.0-type (“1-inch”), APS-C (e.g. Fujifilm X100 series), or even full frame (e.g. Sony RX1 series).

To overcome market shrinkage, compact camera manufacturers began making higher-end versions with a stylish metal body.

They may have special lamps or pre-flash systems designed to reduce red eye in flash pictures of people.

Some manufacturers have found a way around this limitation, often by splitting the image into two just before reaching the viewfinder eyepiece.

Mirrorless interchangeable lens cameras (MILCs) lack a mirror but in many ways can be used the same as DSLRs.

[7] Small cameras, including digital ones, encourage the occurrence of photographic orbs – unexpected, typically circular artifacts that occur in flash photography – where the short distance between the lens and the built-in flash decreases the angle of light reflection to the lens.

[9] At the end of 2012, more than one brand offered point-and-shoot cameras with 24x optical superzoom[10] as compensation of sales decline and in later years longer zooms became commonplace.

In the UK point-and-shoot predominantly means a fully automatic camera, regardless of size or shape.

The use of "point-and-shoot" to mean a small or compact camera regardless of automation capabilities has long been predominant in the US, and in the 21st century it began spreading elsewhere.