While the Kodak EasyShare M893 IS carries a relatively low price tag, it can be slow at times while the image quality leaves a little to be desired at times.

FujiFilm's FinePix A900 won't suit experienced photographers, but if all you're after is a basic point and shoot model without the bells and whistles it may satisfy your needs.

Unfortunately the Tough 1050SW is a bit of a step backwards in the otherwise excellent tough series. Its extreme levels of haloing are problematic and the overall performance is downright slow. The tap control system is pretty innovative, however, and the pictures are good aside from the chromatic aberration.

While Samsung's i8 is a fairly decent digital camera, its media functionality could use a little improvement (particularly in terms of audio quality).

Casio's Exilim EX-V7 is a decent, but not outstanding compact camera. It comes with a large 7x optical zoom and manual features, both of which are great inclusions, but its image quality does have some issues.

Kodak's EasyShare Z8612 IS has a few things going for it, including a large zoom that is backed up by optical image stabilisation. However, its images exhibit a fair bit of fringing and it can at times be quite slow.

The Sigma SD14's Foveon sensor manages to capture exceptional colour, however in terms of image noise, sharpness and general ease of use, it is a little lacking. Considering the price tag there are much better buys in the SLR space unless extremely strong colour reproduction is your focus.

Samsung's L201 is fairly solid overall but is let down by its horribly over-sharpened pictures. For small prints it's fine, but at larger magnifications this really becomes an issue.

Nikon's CoolPix L18 is a basic, entry-level compact camera that does little to separate itself from the pack. It will be fine for novice users but anyone more discerning will be frustrated by the image quality and speed issues.

FujiFilm's FinePix S1000fd is a decent ultra-zoom with a small body, but its lack of image stabilisation makes the large lens much less useful and the sluggish performance will irritate many users.

The NV4 is a camera that is average at all tasks, whether it’s photography, video recording or multimedia playback. It’s stylish and simple, so if these factors are important then it could be the camera for you.

The Ricoh R50 is an average compact camera that provides a fair-to-middling performance across the board. While image quality could be better, it offers an assortment of useful modes and features to make the beginner's life easier.