1. A digital image capture and processing system comprising: a housing having an imaging window; an area-type image formation and detection subsystem, disposed in said housing, and having image formation optics for projecting a field of view (FOV) through said imaging window and an area-type image detection array having (i) a single snap-shot mode of the operation supporting a single snap-shot image acquisition cycle during object illumination and imaging operations, and (ii) a periodic snap-shot mode of the operation supporting periodic generation of snap-shot type image acquisition cycles during object illumination and imaging operations; an automatic object detection subsystem, disposed in said housing, for automatically detecting the presence of an object within said FOV, and generating an object detection event signal in response to the detection of said object in said FOV; an illumination subsystem, disposed in said housing, including an illumination array for producing a field of illumination within said FOV, and illuminating said object detected in said FOV, so that said illumination reflects off said object and is transmitted back through said imaging window and onto said area-type image detection array to form a 2D digital image of said object on said area-type image detection array while operating in either said single snap-shot mode of the operation or said periodic snap-shot mode of the operation; an image capturing and buffering subsystem, disposed in said housing, for capturing and buffering 2D digital images detected by said image formation and detection subsystem; a digital image processing subsystem, disposed in said housing, for processing 2D digital images captured and buffered by said image capturing and buffering subsystem and reading one or more ID and/or 2D code symbols graphically represented in said 2D digital images, and generating symbol character data representative of said read 1D and/or 2D code symbols; and a system control subsystem, disposed in said housing and responsive to said object detection event signal generated within said digital image capture and processing system, for controlling and/or coordinating one or more of said subsystems during object detection, illumination and imaging operations.