Olympus MJU 800

This is a great camera. An eight megapixel compact, it's cheaper than some seven megapixel cameras.

There were two things that really stood out. Firstly, the screen. Several other cameras have 2.5" LCDs. Few sport a 215,000 pixel beauty like the Stylus 800, however. This makes picture taking an absolute joy, as the subject is rendered clearly and richly with no evident ghosting. It makes framing images a breeze, and really improves the photo-taking experience.

Secondly, a brilliant guide function can be accessed by a simple button press on the side of the screen. This guide has options for everything from adjusting blur to shooting moving targets and shooting blown-up images. Each one explains the best way to change the settings to suit that particular image type. This is a brilliant addition for beginners.

The camera is perhaps a little larger and heavier than we would have liked, but it's still quite pocketable. According to Olympus, the camera is weatherproof. This means the camera should be OK in light rain.

When it came time to look at the images we had taking during our testing, we were left feeling a little disappointed. From an eight megapixel model, we would have expected some truly amazing shots, and while they certainly did look very nice, they didn't really distinguish themselves from some of the lower-resolution compact cameras we have tested.

Detail in the shots was great, and the problem of edge blurring is all but non-existent; but the images appeared a little washed out.

It's also worth mentioning the camera's Bright Capture technology, which helps to take shots in low light by increasing sensitivity. It can also remove the need to use a flash. Couple this with 19 preconfigured shot modes and a host of manual control options (which are thoroughly explained in the guide function), and you have a wonderful, complete camera package.