Users looking for an entry-level digital camera are spoiled for choice at the moment and the Panasonic Lumix DMC-LS80 is one of the better options, providing good quality pictures and a ton of features at a very affordable price.

While the slim design and simple interface are both appealing, the massive amounts of haloing in our outdoor shots coupled with the high levels of noise mean the Nikon CoolPix S210 produces less than impressive pictures.

Nikon's CoolPix S520 doesn't do anything out of the ordinary. It provides decent image quality, a simple set of features and has a nice design, but it does have some speed problems and the pictures aren't perfect.

While the price tag is a little hefty for an 8.1-megapixel model, you get what you pay for with the Panasonic Lumix DMC-TZ11. It packs in a huge 10x optical zoom supported by optical image stabilisation, as well as a 28mm wide angle lens with Panasonic's array of intelligent auto modes, meaning there is something for everyone here.

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.

The Nikon CoolPix L16 is an extremely simple camera but at this price you can't expect too much, and if you're looking for a budget, entry-level unit it isn't a bad option.

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.

The P80 from Nikon is an advanced camera with a very capable zoom lens. It’s not as fast as the majority of other advanced cameras we’ve looked at, but the images it captures are rich and sharp.

Nikon's CoolPix S52 is a decent and quite stylish digital camera. It looks great and takes fairly good photos, although they have some noise issues and the camera's performance is painfully slow at times.

Nikon's CoolPix S52c is a good option if Wi-Fi connectivity sounds useful for you. However, it is extremely slow at times, which becomes frustrating in some shooting scenarios.

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.

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.