Sony Cyber-shot DSC-S90

The Cyber-shot DSCS90 is quite a reasonable camera, despite only being 4 megapixels in a category packed with models as high as 8 megapixels. It isn't a camera that shines in any one area, but it is a package that would please many people.

The biggest problem with the camera is its size. It feels a generation or two behind most of the models in this section in terms of construction. It is large, bulky and mostly made of plastic, which made it feel weak and flimsy. At the same time it was just heavy enough to be uncomfortable to carry around.

It does, however, give you manual control of almost everything you could ask for. Shutter speed, aperture, focus, saturation, contrast and sharpness are all adjustable to some degree, which makes the camera feel a lot more advanced than the 4 megapixel CCD would indicate.

It comes with two rechargeable AA batteries. We prefer lithium ion for longer battery life, but some prefer to be able to stockpile batteries and change them on the fly if they are going to be away from power for a long time.

The DSCS90 produced quite reasonable images. They were detailed and the colour was rich, although they did have a tendency to look a little flat. Many of them were comparable in quality with those taken by the 5 megapixel cameras in this category.

The last thing to note about this model is its 2.5" LCD. It is always a more pleasant experience to take photos on a camera with a large screen, and this camera is no exception. We did notice the screen was of lower quality than others we had seen, with a fair amount of ghosting and blurring, but one can only expect so much from a cheap camera.