Nikon's diminutive 5.1-megapixel camera is simple to use, and it delivers more-powerful features than you'd expect from a camera priced at under $300.

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.

A decent but still somewhat disappointing compact, the FujiFilm FinePix Z100fd produces decent pictures at low ISO settings. It's hampered by an annoying interface and some image quality issues.

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 decent but not noteworthy compact camera, the Nikon CoolPix S550 sports a 5x optical zoom with image stabilisation but it is let down a little in the image quality and speed departments.

The MJU 760 is a strong compact camera with particular appeal for beginner photographers thanks to Olympus' guide system and its intuitive interface. Combine these with good picture quality and a classy design, and have you a great product.

While the design and feature set are fairly attractive, the Kodak EasyShare M883 unfortunately suffers from the same image quality issues that plagued its predecessor. If you're making small prints and want a simple to use point-and-shoot then this may be a reasonable choice, but otherwise you should probably look elsewhere.

The DMW-MCFS5 is a bit over-priced for casual happy-snappers, but it will provide flawless underwater photography for those who need it.

Another great tough model from Olympus, the Tough 850SW only improves on its predecessor in a few small ways but it is still one of the best options if you're after a camera that can take a little more grief than normal.

It's small, can take good looking 10-megapixel-sized images and it's easy to use. It'll struggle a little in low-light conditions, as most cameras do, but it's still a decent compact camera for all occasions.

A brilliantly designed unit, the MJU 780 will please a variety of consumers with its optical image stabilisation, 5x optical zoom and high ISO sensitivities. Its pictures aren't the best on the market but they are more than adequate for most uses.

The FinePix S5700 is a decent but uninspiring advanced digital camera. While it will do most of what you want, it is let down by average image quality.