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 solid compact camera from Nikon, if you have a bit of money to spend the S600 offers a few nice features such as vibration reduction and in-camera red-eye correction on top of some fairly good 10 megapixel images.

Due to the high price tag, Ricoh's GR Digital II will not be for everyone, but if you're an enthusiast after a backup camera for your SLR this model makes a stylish choice.

Kodak's Easyshare V1073 is a good all-round compact combining nice images with some nifty features and a touch-screen interface.

Ricoh's R7 is a great compact camera for those after a speedy model with a big zoom and optical image stabilisation. There are units out there that take better pictures but this model is more than adequate in that regard.

For $179, this camera is a good buy. It'll produce decent shots with good colours and acceptable detail, and it's very easy to use. It's recommended for anyone who wants an inexpensive, basic point-and-shoot camera.

That you must place your camera and the Eye-Fi card close to your router, and keep your camera on to allow time for transfers over a slow connection, somewhat limits the Eye-Fi Card's appeal to me.

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.

The Canon PowerShot A2000 departs a bit from some of its predecessors in terms of features and design. It is nonetheless an attractive option for entry-level users looking for a no-fuss unit that takes high quality snaps and has a larger than normal zoom.

Olympus' SP-570UZ continues the trend of its past ultra-zooms, offering an enticing package for users looking for a larger lens. It isn't perfect — at times it can be sluggish and the pictures have some minor issues — but on the whole it does a solid job.

Olympus' Tough 1030SW doesn't take massive leaps ahead of its predecessors, but it does introduce a few minor improvements and remains a good choice for users after a unit that can take more than its fair share of punishment.

A solid entry-level camera, the Canon PowerShot A580 takes good shots and offers most of the features a beginner needs at an affordable price.