12-megapixel Digital Cameras

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

Panasonic Lumix DMC-GF1

Part of a new breed of camera that aims to combine the image quality and features of a digital SLR with the convenience of a compact, the 12.1-megapixel Lumix DMC-GF1 is a tantalising proposition. It costs a packet, but its photos are excellent and its build quality is really something special

Editor's rating 8.9

Nikon Coolpix S1000pj

The world's first camera with an integrated projector, the 12.1-megapixel Coolpix S1000pj's most interesting feature will either have you chortling with delight or feeling totally unimpressed. But it's not all about the projector -- the S1000pj is a pretty good compact in its own right

Editor's rating 7.8

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 10.0

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

Nikon D300S

Aimed at professionals, the 12-megapixel D300S is a great digital SLR. It offers fantastic picture quality, excellent high-definition movies, a super-tough body that feels like it's been hewn from granite, and some top-notch features. Its price tag may very well bring a tear to your eye though

User rating 9.0

Editor's rating 8.9

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

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

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

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

Pentax Optio W80

The rugged, 12-megapixel Optio W80 is an attractive little beast that can withstand a good deal of physical punishment. It's over-reliant on its menu system, but it's a versatile snapper, offering a 5x wideangle zoom, a high-def movie mode and a sensitivity range that goes all the way up to ISO 6,400

User rating 6.0

Editor's rating 6.0

Olympus E-P1

Olympus' first Micro Four Thirds design, the 12.3-megapixel E-P1, offers excellent photo quality in a pleasingly retro and compact design. Its performance tends towards the sluggish end of the scale, but it still represents a tempting proposition for style-conscious photography enthusiasts

Editor's rating 7.3

Canon PowerShot A1100 IS

The 12-megapixel PowerShot A1100 IS is a good choice for people who want a straightforward, gimmick-free compact camera that's big enough to hold but can still fit inside a pocket. It also offers decent image quality, and learning how to use it will take no time at all

Editor's rating 6.7

Canon PowerShot A2100 IS

The 12.1-megapixel Canon PowerShot A2100 IS combines very good photo quality with the benefits of a 6x optical zoom and optical image stabilisation. Some aspects of its performance are relatively slow, but it still represents good value for a point-and-shoot compact camera

Editor's rating 7.2