point-and-shoot camera

A film or digital camera in which the focus and exposure is entirely automatic. You aim and press the button; the camera does the rest. Point-and-shoot cameras can range from cheap throw-aways to pocket-sized digitals. Even high-end cameras have a point-and-shoot option, in which the camera makes all settings automatically. Although there may be settings for different lighting conditions such as bright sun vs. dusk, point-and-shoot cameras have no options to manually set the aperture, shutter speed and focus. See PhD mode and viewfinder.