A great advanced camera that packs a lot of features into a reasonably small package.

If you want a camera with a powerful zoom, a long focal length, and extensive controls, but an SLR is too big or too expensive for you, the Coolpix 8800 makes an excellent choice. Be prepared to invest some time in mastering the controls, however.

A competent entry into the 8 megapixel arena.

Professional build quality, a fast 7X optical zoom and support for both Memory Stick Pro and CompactFlash II cards place the DSC F828 squarely in the semi-professional category.

The Canon PowerShot Pro 1 is a well-featured 8Mp semi-professional camera that should suit users wanting digital SLR performance in a compact package.

Wide-angle lens lovers will be thrilled with the shots the Coolpix 8400 can take. It's a powerful, flexible camera; but it's not the easiest or fastest camera to use.

The 8700 is a great enthusiast's camera, delivering excellent, detailed images and a long zoom lens in a light, compact package

The FZ30 is a joy to take pictures with. If not for the price tag, and the image noise problem, this would be one of our favourites. As it stands, it is a solid entry by Panasonic, and will satisfy most users.

The Pro815 is a good first attempt by Samsung, but it is missing a few things that would allow it to compete with the big guns. The most practical feature is the 15X zoom, and if that is important to you then this may be a consideration

The Kodak P880 would have been a great camera but for problems with image quality, and massive write times for the advanced file formats.

With high levels of chromatic aberration and slow operation, the SP-350 is far from a perfect camera, but the images look great at smaller levels and so it could definitely be worth a look if you need a compact, powerful advanced model

If you can live without optical zoom and want a classically designed camera to remind you of the good old days, then the GR Digital might be for you. It is, however, extremely expensive.