The DSC-W30 offers a great, all-round compact package. It has no glaring weaknesses in any area and will satisfy most casual users.

The Canon Digital IXUS 85 doesn't do anything revolutionary, but it follows the trend of its predecessors by offering a combination of stylish design, great image quality and some nifty features in a petite design, making it a compelling purchase for anyone looking for a compact camera.

The NV4 is a camera that is average at all tasks, whether it’s photography, video recording or multimedia playback. It’s stylish and simple, so if these factors are important then it could be the camera for you.

A solid all around compact camera, Sony's Cyber-Shot DSC-W55 will appeal to users looking for a no-fuss entry into the digital photography market.

Samsung's i85 tries to do a few too many things at once and falls into the 'jack of all trades, master of none' trap. While it is an adequate still camera, if you're looking for solid travel or media functionality you best look elsewhere.

Olympus' MJU 1060 is a pretty decent beginner camera with its large screen and bevy of novice modes, but its images have some issues and it can be slow at times.

A good camera that does many things very well. It is let down a little by its design and the fact that it costs about the same as many higher resolution models.

It won't produce fantastic pictures but if you're after a no-fuss camera for the occasional happy snap then maybe the Nikon CoolPix S560 will fit the bill.

If you can get the wireless technology working easily, this is a brilliant purchase. Definitely on our watch list.

"The little dwarf" is a reasonable purchase. It has no extremely bad features, and offers some exceptionally sharp pictures in the right setting.

Nikon's CoolPix S52c is a good option if Wi-Fi connectivity sounds useful for you. However, it is extremely slow at times, which becomes frustrating in some shooting scenarios.

The R40 is a great compact model. It doesn't offer anything really innovative, but the solid image quality combined with a wide angle lens and a larger than normal zoom make it a nice choice