Nikon's CoolPix S710 would be a fantastic compact if not for its incredibly slow performance. Its shots look good, with excellent detail and well-balanced colours. It also sports a bevy of nifty features. However, the speed issues really damage the user experience.

Apart from not being a particularly speedy camera, the M310W acquits itself admirably.

An adequate but not particularly impressive compact, the Sony Cyber-shot DSC-T77 wins points for style and size but it has a few image quality issues and a somewhat irritating touch-screen interface.

Samsung’s entry-level S860 has plenty to help new camera users, but its images don't help it stand out from the crowd.

The S1070 packs the standard range of point-and-shoot features into a body backed up by capable technical specifications. Apart from a few niggles, it takes accurate, good quality photographs.

Sony's Cyber-shot DSC-T500 is a decent compact camera with some nifty features such as 720p video recording. However, its touch-screen interface is irritating and its images are noisier than normal.

A good, high-end compact camera, the Samsung NV 100 HD has a few image quality issues but they can be overlooked. The manual shooting modes combined with the touch-screen interface will be enough to attract some users. Its price tag is perhaps a little high, but touch screens don't come cheap.

A great mid-range compact camera, the Olympus MJU 1010 should serve most happy snappers well with its combination of style, good image quality and useful features.

A good but not great entry-level ultra-zoom, the Kodak EasyShare Z1012 IS should satisfy users looking to take the next step up from a compact, as long as they can put up with a bit of lag between their shots.

Kodak's EasyShare V1273 is a decent compact camera that is hampered by its poorly implemented touch-screen interface. The shots are fairly good although a tad soft, but the controls will get the best of even the most tolerant user.

A good choice for novice photographers, the Canon PowerShot A1000 offers a mixture of high quality 10-megapixel pictures and a beginner-oriented feature set. It does, however, capture quite noisy shots, making night photography somewhat difficult

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.