Digital SLRs are the pro photographer's choice, but point-and-shoots make nice presents for family and friends.

We're moving towards that time of the year when turkeys write their wills. We don't have Thanksgiving here in Europe, but on this side of the Atlantic we too are starting preparations for Christmas—a celebration equally unforgiving to our wallets, to our waistlines and to our avian friends.

So, for those photographer-readers who are thinking about a gift to a person close to them; or a camera for the gift season's gatherings, I recommend the digital credit-card sized compact camera. These little critters are getting better and better every year. In fact, when compared to my 16MP Canon SLR they have quite a few unique strong points:

Availability: a flat or small camera always gets the shot—because it's there. It comes to the party in your pocket. Aren't you tired of lugging around that 3-pound SLR with the huge zoom lens?

Safety: Paradoxically, these tiny things run little risk of getting stolen or smashed because they're in your pocket when not in use. No more leaving the camera behind for safety, checked into the hotel safe!

Flash: These pocket critters all have built-in flash units. And that's really useful during the winter indoor social season. Strangely enough, pro digital SLRs do not come with flash.

Macro: The teeny snappers can do extreme closeups, and even take decent macro-flash pix. Here in Paris, I often see Japanese tourists snap a plate before they eat it. And they get quite appetizing images!

Lendability: The compacts are truly point-and-shoot. So you can hand one to auntie or kiddie, and they can take pictures of you.

Nikon swings back at Canon's digital SLR. Click here to read more.

Now, here are some point-and-shoot models I like. Not all are tiny. From the most compact to the most practical, my suggestions are as follows.

• The Sony DSC-17: For sheer tech cool and pocketability nothing beats the $450 Sony DSC-T7. This camera has 5MP resolution and a Carl Zeiss autofocus zoom lens, and provides decent imagery. There's a big 2.5 inch LCD on the back, so you can pass it around after the shutter has clicked. Oh, and did I mention that it's super-slim?
• Sony DSC-T5: A cheaper but still attractive sibling. Like the DSC-T7, this model will definitely fit in any shirt-pocket.
• The Nikon Coolpix lineup:Nikon also has some very pretty steel-cased compact models in the Coolpix lineup, namely the Coolpix S1, S3 and the weatherproof S3. Nikon's products are probably better all-round image-makers than the Sony models. However, they don't exhibit the incredible thinness of the Sony DSC-T7. But Nikon also makes the less compact P1 and P2 point-and-shoots that add the benefit of Wi-Fi, beaming pictures straight to a computer.
• Kodak's Easyshare One: This Wi-Fi-enabled camera can e-mail pictures straight to your inbox. This model also incorporates a gigantic 3-inch LCD display, turning it into a net-connected photo-album. And Kodak indicates the on-board 256 Megabytes of RAM can store up to 1,500 pictures for viewing for the net-challenged. Although I wouldn't want to be seen dead with a Kodak camera, I must admit that this corporate elephant is learning to dance. Furthermore Kodak hasn't forgotten its history as a photo-paper maker: All Kodak compact cameras feature one-button printing. They mount on a dock which is actually a dye-sub printer and battery-charger combined.
• The Panasonic Lumix LX1 : I've kept the best for last. This wide-format digital compact offers an 8.4 mega-pixel sensor and a Leitz 28-112 mm equivalent 4x zoom. The lens has an optical stabilizer. This is a cute little compact that is also available under the Leica brand, where it's called D-lux 2. Some of my friends have started to use it, and they like it. Capsule summary of what I've heard: Good lens, bad hi-iso noise. But then, if you want unbeatable hi-iso behavior you can fall back on that big clunky digital SLR.

Edmund Ronald has a Ph.D. in applied mathematics, but he is currently on a sabbatical as a photographer in Paris. He can be reached at photofeedback@gmail.com.

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