The Nikon Coolpix E3700 is the smallest camera here and by far the most pocketable. It features mag-alloy body, so that even though the camera's small, it's really sturdy. There's no hesitation involved in throwing this camera in a bag amongst your other gear.

The Nikon Coolpix 2500 is the latest addition to the Coolpix camera range, and is designed with the camera novice in mind.

More expensive than its direct competition, but thanks to its brilliant features the D80 is money well spent.

A good camera but not the most inspiring. There’s better value elsewhere.

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

A very slim digital compact that’s capable of taking superb pictures. It only just misses out on a Recommended award.

The new Nikon D90, due to hit shelves in September, boasts unique 720p movie HD capabilities, a much improved sensor and surprisingly, a GPS option.

Still a great looking camera that's foolproof to use, but Wi-Fi's now only half the feature it was

Just another 4-megapixel camera is what we expected when we opened the box and pulled out the Nikon Coolpix 4500, but this beauty soon proved us wrong.

The market for slimline touchscreen cameras is heating up. Nikon's S60 is almost button-less and has a large 3.5in screen for showing off your snaps - but how does it shape up to Sony's classy DSC-T77.

A true pro camera that slots in nicely between the flagship Canons

An expensive camera, but one offering superb image quality, features and handling

Good performance and handling, low price and far better quality than any digital compact.

Forget budget DSLR, this is for serious photography. Extravagant in almost every way, the D700 is superbly responsive and produces stunning images

Forget the low-ish pixel-count, this camera has the lot: handling, features and image quality. Add that to the high-powered battery, good for a claimed 2000 shots, and you have a real belter

The S51c combines good looks, neat technology and quality images in one reasonably affordable package

An ideal companion for a DSLR, this is a compact for the photography enthusiast rather than the happy snapper

A superb DSLR that’s a joy to use, but the high price and poor software damage value

The Nikon Coolpix comes with a 3.2-megapixel CCD, 3x optical zoom and a good range of basic features needed for quick and easy shooting. One of the smallest in this round-up, the Nikon Coolpix 3100 is slightly larger than a credit card and about an inch and half thick. Its build quality is good and it will make an excellent travel accessory, easily fitting into a purse or a pocket.

It lacks the style of its higher-end big brother, the Coolpix 500, but at half the price, it wont stretch the budget too far.