Gold 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

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

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

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

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

Nikon Coolpix S220

The 10-megapixel Coolpix S220 is a good option for those who want a straightforward, inexpensive camera that will take photos of a sufficient quality for posting online. It's also incredibly small and lightweight, and offers very good features for its class

Editor's rating 6.8

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 A480

Considering how cheap it is, the 10-megapixel PowerShot A480 takes good photos. In fact, you'd be hard-pressed to better them at this price point. You should look elsewhere if you're after anything besides basic snapshots, but, otherwise, this small, attractive and fuss-free snapper delivers the goods

Editor's rating 6.8

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

Canon PowerShot D10

The 12-megapixel PowerShot D10 adds a welcome splash of style to the ruggedised camera market. Although it's not as shockproof as some of its rivals and the basic 3x zoom is nothing to shout about, it's waterproof to an impressive 10m and the lens is unusually sharp for this class of camera

Editor's rating 7.5

Fujifilm FinePix Z33WP

We can't help but like the 10-megapixel Fujifilm FinePix Z33WP, even though it's not without its faults. It looks so neat and appealing that its comparatively low price comes as a surprise, and it's waterproof up to 3m, making it a good choice for casual snappers looking for a camera to take on holiday

User rating 7.0

Editor's rating 6.5

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-W290

The Cyber-shot DSC-W290 is a compelling package, offering a 5x wideangle zoom and 12-megapixel resolution in a compact, attractive body for a reasonable price. Photo quality and performance are also solid. Combine that with a terrific design and you've got a winner

Editor's rating 8.0

Casio Exilim EX-FS10

Judged solely as a stills camera, the 9-megapixel Exilim EX-FS10 is too expensive. But it's really all about capturing movement and action, and it does that remarkably well, thanks to some truly unique and startlingly effective high-speed shooting technology

Editor's rating 8.4

Canon Digital IXUS 95 IS

The Digital IXUS 95 may be pretty, and it may be a Canon, but if you've got around £180 to spend and all you ask is a 10-megapixel sensor and a 3x zoom, it'd take you a week to read through the list of candidates. The IXUS 95 stakes its claim with beautiful design, an optical viewfinder and better-than-ever face-detection

Editor's rating 6.7

Canon PowerShot A1000 IS

The Canon PowerShot A1000 IS might not blow your socks off with its design, but if you want a 10-megapixel pocket camera with the convenience of AA batteries, an optical viewfinder, optical image stabilisation and a low price, this camera has them -- and it takes good photos, too

Editor's rating 6.8