Another strong entry into the compact camera market by Canon, the A560 produces similarly high quality pictures to its sister model, the A550, and this time around they have packed in Face Detect, which will be a big selling point for some users.

Olympus' latest tough model, the 790 SW, is a brilliant camera suited to a wide variety of users. Whether you want a family device that you can give to the kids or a rugged photography machine for skiing and hiking, it will do the job, and while its pictures aren't exceptional they will be more than adequate for most.

While the COOLPIX S500 is a decent camera when operating in perfect circumstances, the aversion to low light coupled with slow focusing make for a less than satisfactory unit.

Another great compact camera from Canon, the PowerShot A550 won't compare to some more high-end units, but considering the price tag and the features on offer, it's an excellent value-for-money product.

The UDC-7M performed poorly in almost all of our tests, producing noisy, soft shots that had noticeable haloing. We'd recommend you steer clear of this unit if you're after a compact camera.

The IXUS 850 IS is a very speedy camera that sports a stylish design and offers good colour representation. Image quality problems including chromatic aberation and noise at higher ISO levels do however impact on it's performance.

Another great compact camera from Canon, the IXUS 70 excels with a tiny design and good quality pictures, making it ideal as an all purpose happy snap camera.

A high-resolution camera that does its best to prevent you taking bad shots.

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.

The Powershot A710 IS captures great pictures, operates extremely quickly and sports an attractive design that will appeal to many people. It does have some minor noise issues, but the rich feature set and quick burst mode make it an ideal choice for the budding photographer.

Designed specifically for a niche market, the Tough 770SW is an ideal camera for those into the rougher side of life. Its pictures aren't the best we've seen, but for some that isn't the primary concern when buying a camera, and for those people this model may be a good choice.

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.