5-megapixel Digital Cameras

Nikon Coolpix L10

The Nikon Coolpix L10 comes from a family of rock-bottom budget cameras, but they don't skim on performance. The L10 did well in our tests, both in shooting time and in keeping the noise levels under control. While this isn't a camera with lots of frills, it does its family proud as a simple point-and-shoot

Editor's rating 6.4

HP Photosmart M437

With one of the smallest price tags on the market, the HP Photosmart M437 looks like an appealing, simple little camera. Its 5-megapixel sensor and 51mm LCD won't turn many heads, but its skimpy £80 price will attract anyone looking for a budget snapper

Editor's rating 6.0

Canon PowerShot A460

This basic 5-megapixel camera comes in at the very low end of Canon's PowerShot A series of digital cameras, but still offers a 4x optical zoom. It's very inexpensive but image quality isn't terrific

Editor's rating 5.8

Fujifilm FinePix Z3 Zoom

Any camera that shares a name with a sporty BMW touring car had better be good-looking, and the Fujifilm FinePix Z3 Zoom is certainly that. It may not be top of the class for resolution, but the feature set more than makes up for it, and the performance and image quality are both good, especially when shooting in dimly lit situations

Editor's rating 7.1

Kodak EasyShare C533

The Kodak EasyShare C533 is a basic budget camera that doesn't pretend to be otherwise. This 5-megapixel point-and-shoot produces decent photos and responds quickly, but its flimsy-feeling build quality, 46mm LCD screen and minimalist feature set keep the C533 firmly in the bargain bin

Editor's rating 6.0

Panasonic Lumix DMC-TZ1

Panasonic's 5-megapixel Lumix DMC-TZ1 has a big 10x zoom, an ergonomically pleasing design and some cool features. It suffers somewhat from image-quality and a lack of manual controls that may well frustrate keen photographers, but casual photographers will appreciate its long lens and compact frame

Editor's rating 6.6

Nikon Coolpix L3

The Nikon Coolpix L3 is the midrange member of Nikon's simple, inexpensive L-series digital cameras. The 5-megapixel camera sports a 3x optical zoom lens, a handful of useful scene modes and a small price tag -- and this little shooter produces good-looking images for the price

User rating 3.0

Editor's rating 6.4

Olympus FE-130

The Olympus FE-series is a straightforward point-and-shoot range that has no manual settings but includes low price tags and helpful features for those new to photography. The FE-130 is a 5-megapixel digital camera with a 38mm-to-114m (35mm equivalent) optical zoom lens, a 64mm LCD screen and a few intimidating camera settings

Editor's rating 5.8

Olympus FE-115

The Olympus FE-115 is all about simplicity. This clunky 5-megapixel shooter sports a 3x optical zoom lens, seven shooting modes and not much else. It's inexpensive and takes decent pictures, but does suffer from extremely slow performance and lack of basic image settings -- it's a good idea to look around before you buy

Editor's rating 5.0

Canon PowerShot A530

Though the A530 is a modest 5-megapixel step down from its 6-megapixel sibling, the A540, it still has almost all of the same handy features and produces very pretty images in well-lit environments. Unfortunately, it lacks the zippy performance and large LCD that help elevate the A540 above the crowd

User rating 10.0

Editor's rating 6.8

Panasonic Lumix DMC-LZ3

The DMC-LZ3 features a 5-megapixel resolution, 6x optical zoom, optical image stabilisation and numerous ways to control image capture. It fares moderately well in bright environments, but poor performance and average photo quality lessen the allure of this attractively priced model

Editor's rating 6.4

Sony Cyber-shot DSC-M2

Thanks to good image quality and a big, bright LCD that's usable in sunlight, this hybrid still camera/camcorder is a surprisingly good point-and-click 5-megapixel snapshooter -- assuming you're willing to pay a premium for a camera with a 3x zoom, no manual controls and no bundled memory card

Editor's rating 7.4

HP Photosmart R817

The 190g R817 has a 5.1-megapixel sensor, a mostly metal body, a bright 51mm LCD screen and a 5x optical zoom, unusual in a camera this small. It also features innovative image-enhancement software, which makes suggestions on how to improve your shots

User rating 8.0

Editor's rating 7.6

Kodak EasyShare P850

The 5.1-megapixel EasyShare P850 offers more features than you normally find in a Kodak camera, including image stabilisation (for the 12x zoom) and manual-exposure adjustments. Performance and image quality issues prevent it from reaching the top of its class

Editor's rating 6.3

Canon Digital IXUS Wireless

Canon has created a boon for remote-shooting fans with its Digital IXUS Wireless, a 5-megapixel ultracompact that is basically an IXUS 50 with a slightly different body and a built-in Wi-Fi transmitter. It also features a 51mm LCD, limited manual control, snappy shooting performance and middle-of-the-road image quality

Editor's rating 7.0

Nikon Coolpix S2

Tiny size, acceptable but not outstanding image quality, and a lack of manual controls make the ultracompact Nikon Coolpix S2 a fine choice for snapshot photographers who want a good selection of fun features

Editor's rating 5.8

Pentax Optio S55

The Pentax Optio S55, an ultracompact model with a 3x optical zoom, is tailored slightly more toward the novice than the company's popular S5z. It offers a 64mm LCD and point-and-shoot simplicity

Editor's rating 6.0

Kodak EasyShare Z7590

On paper, the Kodak EasyShare Z7590 looks great -- 10x optical zoom and a host of shooting modes seems very good value for £250. But mediocre image quality spoils the fun, with a wide variety of digital artefacts reducing the camera's desirability

Editor's rating 7.2

Samsung Digimax i5

Samsung's 5-megapixel ultracompact entry, the Digimax i5, offers a competitive feature set housed in a slender body. Interesting features and a bright 64mm LCD, however, don't compensate for listless performance and mediocre image quality

Editor's rating 5.6

Sony Cyber-shot DSC-T5

A built-in tripod mount, 32MB of internal memory, a longer-lasting battery, a more powerful flash and a lower price tag are among the reasons that Sony's Cyber-shot DSC-T5 is a more appealing camera than its older sibling, the T7. Sadly, it shares the T7's below-par image quality

Editor's rating 6.2