Casio's Exilim EX-V7 is a decent, but not outstanding compact camera. It comes with a large 7x optical zoom and manual features, both of which are great inclusions, but its image quality does have some issues.

Ricoh's Caplio GX100 is a high end camera for experienced users. While average photographers may not fully appreciate the wide angle shooting and extremely crisp shots it produces, there is no doubt it's a great camera if you can afford it.

The PowerShot SX100 is a solid ultra-zoom advanced camera. While there are bigger lenses on the market, the 10x optical zoom here means the unit still fits comfortably in a pocket and the images, while a little noisy, are good at low ISO sensitivities.

If you're after an enthusiast camera but don't yet want to venture into the land of SLRs, or just need a backup for your main camera, Canon's PowerShot G9 is a great choice. While there are a few minor issues for the most part, it captures brilliant shots and the feature set and build quality are sure to keep all but the most demanding professional satisfied.

While it isn't the best ultra zoom on the market, Kodak's EasyShare Z812IS is a good all around package combining a ton of features with solid image quality and a big zoom. The high-definition video recording in particular will appeal to some users.

Another home run for Canon, while the PowerShot A720 IS isn't perfect it is pretty close and it's combination of sharp, vibrant pictures, speedy operation and manual shooting modes is sure to please a variety of consumers.

Due to the high price tag, Ricoh's GR Digital II will not be for everyone, but if you're an enthusiast after a backup camera for your SLR this model makes a stylish choice.

Nikon's P5100 is a solid advanced camera and while it has a few issues, most notable is the difficulty in high contrast shooting scenarios and a very slow burst mode, it provides an adequate option for users after manual functionality in a sturdy and slim body.

It may be big, but if you're looking for a high-end advanced camera with all the bells and whistles that captures brilliant pictures the Canon PowerShot A650 IS is a great choice.

Nikon's CoolPix P60 is a good all around enthusiast compact which packs in a basic manual shooting mode with good image quality and a fairly petite design.

The P80 from Nikon is an advanced camera with a very capable zoom lens. It’s not as fast as the majority of other advanced cameras we’ve looked at, but the images it captures are rich and sharp.

Panasonic's Lumix DMC-LX3 is an impressive high-end compact camera with a wide-angle 24mm lens and a host of manual features.