Digital Cameras

Sony Cyber-shot DSC-TX1

Although its photos are fairly ordinary, the 10.2-megapixel Cyber-shot DSC-TX1 is a very impressive fusion of style and technology. Among the clever features up its super-slim sleeve are its full-resolution high-speed shooting, excellent low-light mode and touchscreen interface

Editor's rating 6.8

Olympus mju Tough-6010

Ernest Shackleton would probably have been mightily taken with the shockproof, waterproof and freezeproof mju Tough-6010. Its picture quality isn't going to blow anybody's mind, but it looks smart, offers good value for money, and can withstand a fair degree of punishment

Editor's rating 6.1

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

Canon Digital IXUS 200 IS

Canon has played it safe with the Digital IXUS 200 IS, aiming for steady evolution rather than technical innovation. The result is a perfectly decent compact camera. It offers good colours and details at low ISOs, its touchscreen is effective and its 5x extra-wideangle zoom is very useful

Editor's rating 7.5

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

Sony Cyber-shot DSC-WX1

Sony has packed an impressive amount of technology into the 10.2-megapixel Cyber-shot DSC-WX1, while keeping it tiny and lightweight. Capable of delivering some very good photos, it's also one of the quickest cameras we've tested in its class, making it well worth considering

Editor's rating 8.0

Casio Exilim EX-Z90

Casio's stuffed plenty of features into the 12.1-megapixel Exilim EX-Z90 compact camera, including a 3x zoom and an intelligent autofocus system that can work out what to focus on and how to adjust the exposure to match. The body's very neat and attractive, and it's fairly inexpensive too

User rating 9.0

Editor's rating 5.2

Samsung ST550

Its pictures are fairly ordinary, but the 12.2-megapixel ST550 is a stunningly successful exercise in interface design. With a front-mounted touchscreen that makes taking self-portraits a piece of cake, a rear-mounted touchscreen that delivers haptic feedback, and a motion-sensitive menu system, it's a joy to use

Editor's rating 8.1

Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ38

You might think the 12.1-megapixel Lumix DMC-FZ38 superzoom would be exorbitantly expensive, given its 18x zoom, super-fast autofocus, support for raw files, and high-definition movie mode. But it's not. It's one of the best superzooms available, and one of the cheapest too

Editor's rating 9.1

Canon Digital IXUS 120 IS

The 12-megapixel Digital IXUS 120 IS is difficult to resist, thanks to its combination of a tiny, attractive body, simple operation, and generally very good photos. Occasionally, its images can suffer from purple fringing, and it can also be sluggish, but this is one of the better ultra-compacts on the market

Editor's rating 7.6

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

Samsung WB1000

The 12-megapixel WB1000 offers more control over your photos than the vast majority of other compact cameras, making it a good option for digital SLR users seeking a pocket snapper. Its photo quality and performance are what you'd expect from a compact, but it's a beautifully made machine

Editor's rating 7.8

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

Olympus mju-7010

The 12-megapixel mju-7010 is a great little camera that combines a compact body with a 7x wideangle zoom. Its pictures could be crisper and other cameras have longer zoom ranges without costing more, but the mju-7010 is so slim and neat that it's hard to resist

Editor's rating 8.1

Olympus FE-3010

The 12-megapixel FE-3010 isn't the fastest camera in its class when it comes to taking shots, but it offers good colour and white-balance performance. Considering how cheap it is, it also sports an attractive and impressively compact design, as well as solid build quality

Editor's rating 6.2

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

Pentax X70

Pentax's 12-megapixel X70 is a strong first attempt at a superzoom camera. It's not the fastest performer, but its build quality is solid, the 24x optical zoom is flexible and fun, and its photos are good compared to those of rivals. It also offers plenty of shooting options, while being easy to use

Editor's rating 7.0

Kodak EasyShare Z915

The 10-megapixel EasyShare Z915 is well worth a look if you want a pocket-friendly superzoom that offers plenty of features, simple operation, a comfortable and sturdy design, and generally good photo quality. It's reasonably priced too, and, for its class, delivers speedy performance

Editor's rating 7.6

Sony Cyber-shot DSC-W220

In order to keep the price down, Sony's trimmed the 12-megapixel Cyber-shot DSC-W220's features, but left enough in so that it's still a worthwhile proposition. Also offering fairly speedy performance and decent photo quality, this is a well-rounded and attractive compact camera

Editor's rating 7.2

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