Digital Cameras

Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZX1

The 12.1-megapixel Lumix DMC-ZX1 offers an 8x super-wideangle zoom in a compact body, and manages to produce clearer and sharper pictures than the majority of its rivals. It also offers solid build quality and straightforward controls. As such, buying it is almost a no-brainer

Editor's rating 9.0

Panasonic Lumix DMC-FX550

The 12.1-megapixel Lumix DMC-FX550 compact camera offers a surprising amount of manual control and oozes hi-tech features, including a touchscreen interface and 5x super-wide zoom. It's also capable of shooting decent pictures, and offers decent value for money too

Editor's rating 6.8

Canon PowerShot SX120 IS

Rival compact superzooms may be speedier, have more features and sport sleeker designs, but the 10-megapixel PowerShot SX120 IS with 10x zoom has an ace up its sleeve: its best-in-class photos. Clean, sharp and offering plenty of detail, its photos also deliver vivid and generally excellent colours

User rating 8.0

Editor's rating 7.0

Fujifilm FinePix F70EXR

Sporting Fujifilm's EXR sensor, the 10-megapixel FinePix F70EXR compact superzoom with 10x wideangle zoom is capable of delivering some truly impressive pictures, particularly in low light. It's sometimes susceptible to colour fringing, but its size, build and handling are all great

Editor's rating 8.0

Casio Exilim EX-H10

The Exilim EX-H10 superzoom has plenty of appeal for travellers. Despite its highly versatile 10x zoom, it's slim enough to slide into a pocket, it sports a battery that'll last between four and five times longer than that of the average snapper and it offers a hi-def movie mode, too

Editor's rating 6.4

Panasonic Lumix DMC-FS25

The 12-megapixel Lumix DMC-FS25 provides the chance to get all the usual Panasonic tech in a cheaper, but still very decent, package. Detail in its pictures lacks bite, but the results are still good, and the design is robust and efficient, making for a worthwhile compact camera overall

Editor's rating 7.4

Olympus mju 7000

The 12-megapixel mju 7000 isn't going to make anyone wet their pants with excitement, but it's a capable snapper nonetheless. With a 7x zoom range, it offers serious telephoto capability in a compact body that can slip into your shirt pocket, and its pictures are good too

Editor's rating 5.7

Casio Exilim EX-FC100

Particularly suited to action photography, the 9-megapixel Exilim EX-FC100 offers continuous shooting speeds that are out of this world, as well as plenty of other hi-tech tricks. It also takes good photos, which makes up for the fact that it's not the most beautiful camera in the world

Editor's rating 8.3

Panasonic Lumix DMC-FT1

Other ruggedised compact cameras might be tougher, but the 12-megapixel Lumix DMC-FT1 is very well specified for its class, with a 4.6x wideangle zoom and hi-def movie mode, making it a great all-rounder. If versatility is more important to you than having the hardest camera available, it'll be worth a gander

User rating 9.0

Editor's rating 8.2

Sony Cyber-shot DSC-W270

The Sony Cyber-shot DSC-W270's specs certainly gives this compact a fighting chance among its fierce competition. From its 5x wideangle zoom, automatic scene detection, HD movie mode, plus all kinds of face detection, this slim snapper could be one to keep handy

Editor's rating 7.1

Panasonic Lumix DMC-FX40

When you start using the 12-megapixel Lumix DMC-FX40, you'll realise why it's pricey -- the build quality and design are outstanding. Picture definition could be better, but the FX40 comes pretty close to being the perfect travel camera, thanks to a very versatile 5x super-wideangle lens

Editor's rating 7.7

Canon PowerShot SX200 IS

The 12-megapixel PowerShot SX200 IS with 12x wideangle zoom is a very versatile do-it-all camera. It's great for learning about photography too, because it has decent manual controls in addition to idiot-proof automatic modes. Its picture quality won't blow your mind, but it's not at all bad

User rating 6.0

Editor's rating 6.2

Panasonic Lumix DMC-TZ6

The 10.1-megapixel Lumix DMC-TZ6, with a super-wideangle 12x zoom, is a really rather special compact camera. Other cameras may be smaller, cheaper or offer more manual control, but excellent picture quality, a superb build and finish, and fantastic versatility mean the TZ6 is difficult to beat

User rating 10.0

Editor's rating 9.4

Fujifilm FinePix F200EXR

The FinePix F200EXR is a great camera, but it's Fujifilm's new EXR sensor that's the star of the show, capturing a level of detail that can't be matched by rivals. The controls can be confusing and you might notice some barrel distortion, but overall, the F200EXR sets new standards for compact-camera performance

User rating 8.0

Editor's rating 9.1

Olympus mju 9000

The 12-megapixel mju 9000 packs a 10x optical zoom into a body no bigger than that of the average compact camera, making it unusually pocket-friendly. It's also attractively finished, responsive and delivers good results, although it has a tendency towards overexposure

Editor's rating 8.2

Canon Digital IXUS 100 IS

The super-slim, 12-megapixel Digital IXUS 100 IS is a gem. It's easy to use, attractively styled, supremely pocket-friendly and takes much better pictures than you'd expect for a camera of this size. While most of its ultra-compact rivals are cheaper, the 100 IS has class in abundance

User rating 9.5

Editor's rating 8.2