An older Nikon wireless camera, that in its day was a superb 8-megapixel camera in its own right. Small, smart and destined for greatness

[NOTE: This is an older Konica Minolta camera, and is no longer available in Australia.] A bit of an ugly bug, maybe, but an amazing zoom range and full-on photographic control in a camera half the size of an SLR

The V570 is a fine camera but isn’t for everyone. The ability to take wide-angle photos is a great feature, though there’s a slight trade-off in image quality compared to similarly priced snappers

A well-built and stylish compact. Only a sluggish menu system lets it down

In the words of Amy Winehouse: they tried to make us buy this Kodak, but we said ‘no, no, no’

A fun, innovative camera but heavy and underpowered for the price

Lovely to behold, a joy to hold – and even takes great photos

At first sight a pocketable gem, this all too often lives up to its budget price

A stylish compact camera that can’t quite compete with the best on image quality, but does wonders when darkness falls

Fujifilm’s FinePix Z1 is chic, clever and tough. It has a top look and feel, and is well worth the cash.

A great still camera with a decent movie mode. The restrictions on movie length mean it’s only any good for short video ‘snapshots’, though, and not ideal for that holiday of a lifetime

Too many flaws make this merely a sexy-looking underachiever

This well-built compact is a solid point-and-shooter, but it struggles in low light

Not the slimmest any more, but still amazingly compact. A very capable cam if you don’t mind the menus

A stylish and capable camera, further enhanced by wireless tech

In too many ways, this IXUS isn’t good enough to justify its high price

Superb, stylish, solid... but sabotaged by poor controls

Tiny, intuitive and a great performer, the IXUS 85 is the ideal carry-anywhere camera

Small but solid. The Ixus 75 is perfect for holiday snappers – just watch out when the sun goes down

The AF could do with being a bit quicker, and a longer zoom would be good, but it’s still a gem