Competent but not outstanding, the DC C50 is worth a look if you want a compact 5 megapixel camera.

The Canon PowerShot E1 is an impressive entry-level compact camera aimed primarily at kids and skint teens. It offers a nice array of features for the asking price and takes adequate photos to boot. All in all, a solid offering.

Whilst it has some minor flaws, the IXUS 800 is a very attractive choice in the compact camera space, offering lightning fast operation with great colour balance and a nice design.

While the IXUS 900 Ti is a fairly good compact camera, it suffers from some fringing and noise issues that mean it isn't quite on par with some of Canon's other units.

If you're after a hybrid HD video and still camera, then the PowerShot TX1 is a fairly decent choice, but a few image quality issues and an irritating control layout stop it from reaching its full potential.

Another strong ultra-zoom digital camera from Canon, the PowerShot S5 IS is no longer the dominating choice in this market as its predecessor was, but it still offers a good overall package if you can look past some minor flaws.

The PowerShot S70 costs more than many point-and-shoots, but the payoff of a wide-angle lens, 7.1 megapixels, and superior picture quality will be worth it for advanced hobbyists.

Perfect for the fashion conscious buyer, this little great looking camera performs most functions adequately.

This model has a good set of features, but it suffers from mediocre image quality and its ridiculously large size. Give it a miss unless your other interests include bodybuilding.

Performed well across a broad range of tests and is only really let down by its high ISO performance.

A nice, cheap advanced 5 megapixel model. It doesn't have the best image quality in the world, but at this price it is a decent buy.

One of the smallest, most well designed cameras we've laid our hands on, the Z500 is unfortunately let down by poor image quality.