A pretty solid advanced camera. It is functional, comfortable, has all the features one could expect, and above average sharpness. It is only let down by overly saturated pictures.

If you don't need to swap lenses, precisely focus manually or shoot more than three frames at a time, the DSCR1 is a better bet than a budget digital SLR.

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 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.

If picture quality is paramount, you are not going to find a much better point and shoot than the A620.

A very sturdy camera with some appealing features that make it particularly suitable for outdoors photography.

A great compact camera for photo enthusiasts.

A competent entry into the 8 megapixel arena.

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

A great advanced camera that offers enthusiasts everything they could want.

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

This was Sony's first mega-zoom camera, and its combination of lens, price, big LCD, features and build quality, makes it a strong contender in the big-zoom market.