If image quality is all that matters to you, then the F10 is a good choice, but it's let down by a few omissions and a price tag to rival some 7 megapixel models.

An average camera that produces some nice shots, but is marred by minor problems.

A solid compact camera that combines speedy operation with above average image quality. If you're making enlargements the over sharpening may become an issue, but otherwise this is a good choice if you're after an all purpose model.

The Ricoh Caplio R6 is a solid compact camera that captures above average pictures and manages to cram a big, wide angled zoom lens into a relatively compact package.

A wonderful camera that looks good, feels good and takes great shots. Highly recommended.

While the COOLPIX S500 is a decent camera when operating in perfect circumstances, the aversion to low light coupled with slow focusing make for a less than satisfactory unit.

Nikon's S700 isn't an incredible compact camera, but it does the job combining good pictures with a reasonable feature set, which will be fine for most consumers.

Lots of manual controls and great image quality are offset by the C-55's sluggish response time.

This reasonable camera has an incredible LCD, but is dogged by a few design and lag problems.

Ricoh's R7 is a great compact camera for those after a speedy model with a big zoom and optical image stabilisation. There are units out there that take better pictures but this model is more than adequate in that regard.

The DMC-FS20 is every bit as impressive as the FS5; offering the same hassle-free interface with a slightly bigger LCD. If you're a casual happy-snapper with exacting standards (and zero patience), it will definitely satisfy.

A solid compact camera from Nikon, if you have a bit of money to spend the S600 offers a few nice features such as vibration reduction and in-camera red-eye correction on top of some fairly good 10 megapixel images.