A hand-supportable digital imaging-based bar code symbol reading device comprises: an automatic object presence and range detection subsystem; an area-type image formation and detection subsystem having a CMOS area-type image detection array, and narrow-area and wide area image capture modes of operation; an LED-based illumination subsystem having LED arrays, and narrow-area and wide area illumination modes of operation; an automatic light exposure measurement and illumination control subsystem; an image capturing and buffering subsystem; and an image-processing bar code symbol reading subsystem. The LED arrays associated with the LED-based illumination subsystem are automatically driven in a precise manner to globally expose the CMOS area-type image detection array with LED-based illumination only when substantially all of its rows of pixels are in a state of integration and have a common integration time, thereby enabling the image capturing and buffering subsystem to capture high quality images independent of the relative motion between the hand-supportable digital imaging-based bar code symbol reading device and the object.