The 12.1-megapixel IXUS 105 compact camera is fairly ordinary when it comes to its picture quality and feature set. What you're paying for is the typically classy IXUS styling, as well as robust build quality, so those who value how their camera looks ...

Great design, finish and build quality ; useful 4x wide-angle zoom range ; straightforward controls ;

Underwhelming specifications ; high price ; average picture quality ;

The Canon IXUS 105 is smart and rather desirable, but its beauty is really only skin-deep. At heart, it's a rather ordinary camera with a useful but unexceptional 4x zoom. Whereas other manufacturers are keen to push back the frontiers of technology, ...

The 12.1-megapixel Exilim EX-G1 is a solid first effort by Casio at making a rugged camera. Although its feature line-up and photo quality don't set any new standards for tough cameras, it's certainly capable of taking a good beating, and its ...

Rugged construction ; low shutter lag ;

Photo quality is merely okay ; long shot-to-shot times ; slightly over-designed ;

The Casio Exilim EX-G1 is a good snapshot camera that's built to take a beating, but its photos and shooting features are nothing special

The compact, 12-megapixel Coolpix L22 with 3.6x zoom proves that budget cameras really can be good. Its lack of manual ISO control is a strange omission, but it's well made, simple to use and capable of taking some impressive photos, such as you might ...

Good value for money ; decent battery life with ordinary alkaline batteries ; impressive LCD display and build quality ;

Lacks a wide-angle zoom ; no manual ISO control ; electronic image stabilisation only ;

Can budget cameras really be any good? Yes, absolutely. The Nikon Coolpix L22 is solid, well made, easy to use and practical. It's limited in its zoom range, though, and the lack of manual ISO control is a definite drawback

The budget, 12.1-megapixel Coolpix L110 with 15x zoom makes you wonder whether more expensive superzooms are sufficiently superior to warrant spending the extra moolah. With solid picture, build quality and handling, it offers fantastic value for money

Surprisingly good 720p movie mode ; excellent LCD display ; great value for money ;

Very basic photographic controls ; no electronic viewfinder ;

Superzoom cameras may cost almost as much as cheap digital SLRs, but they'll never be as good. What you're really looking for is versatility and value for money. On that basis, the Nikon Coolpix L110, basic as it is, scores very highly indeed

The 14.1-megapixel Cyber-shot DSC-W380 doesn't seem like the most exciting compact camera when you look at its specs, but, when you actually use it, it impresses with its straightforward operation, great photos and satisfying build quality. It's ...

Crisp, clean and colourful images ; excellent design, finish and build quality ; fast autofocus and face-detection feature ;

Navigating the menus is a fairly slow experience ; apos ; sweep panorama&apos ; takes photos at a reduced resolution ;

Technology will only take a camera so far. It also has to look, feel and handle right, and it's in those areas that the Cyber-shot DSC-W380 really shows its quality. Other cameras might give you more to talk about, but not many offer this kind of ...

The 10.3-megapixel Coolpix P100 is amazingly compact for a superzoom camera with a 26x zoom. It's also chock-full of shooting options, so, while its picture quality isn't the best we've seen, it's a good choice for those who want to be able to get ...

Solid design ; overflowing with features ; very fast shooting performance for its class ;

Photo and video quality is the weakest part of the package ;

There's much to like about the Nikon Coolpix P100, but you'll need to keep your photo-quality expectations in check to really enjoy it

The 12.3-megapixel Pen E-P2 Micro Four Thirds camera offers some worthwhile improvements over its E-P1 predecessor while retaining the same classic looks. It's more expensive than a similarly specified digital SLR, but there's no denying that the ...

Classic styling ; top-quality electronic viewfinder ; manual controls in movie mode ;

Inefficient controls ; annoying &apos ; collapsing&apos ; lens ; expensive for what you get ;

The enhancements that Olympus has made to the Pen E-P2 over its Pen E-P1 predecessor are worthwhile but hardly earth-shattering. It's a good-looking camera and the quality of both its photos and movies is great. But it can be awkward to use and it ...

The 14-megapixel mju-7040 is an attractive and flexible compact camera, packing a speedy 7x wide-angle zoom into a diminutive body. Its 2GB of internal storage, one-click 720p movie-recording mode and in-built photo-browsing software are useful too

Speedy 7x wide-angle zoom ; one-click high-definition movie mode ; 2GB of internal storage ;

Noise reduction and smudging even at low ISOs ; occasional over-exposure ; awkward rear controller ;

The Olympus mju-7040 is a smart and versatile compact camera with a very good zoom range for its size. Its 2GB of internal storage and in-built software make it handy as a portable photo and movie browser too. The step up to 14 megapixels, from its ...

The 14.1-megapixel Cyber-shot DSC-W350 is a great point-and-shoot camera, with just enough features to justify its price, an attractive design and straightforward operation. Like most cameras in its class, moving subjects aren't its forte, but it's ...

Simple to operate ; reliable auto shooting ; good 26mm-equivalent wide-angle lens ; decent high-ISO results ;

Generally soft and somewhat noisy photos at full size ;

A sweet little wide-angle compact camera, the Sony Cyber-shot DSC-W350 should make plenty of snapshooters happy

The 10.1-megapixel Exilim EX-Z33 is a dirt-cheap ultra-compact camera that offers a surprising amount of control, and better picture quality than you might expect, given its price. It's not the speediest snapper around, but it's a decent choice for ...

Good photo quality for the money ; one-button video capture ;

Slow shooting performance ; short battery life ;

As long as you and your subject aren't in a hurry, the Casio Exilim EX-Z33 is a respectable budget camera