Along with the Sony Cyber-shot P-93, the Canon Powershot A95 is the big lad of this roundup with a pretty decent 5-megapixel CCD. The rest vary from 3-4-megapixel. While this does give the Canon a bit of an edge over the competition in terms of resolution and functionality, it's the camera's other attributes that cemented this unit in the top three.

It’s the stills camera that thinks it’s a video camera. A high definition video camera.

Digital camera prices are continuing to fall, which is largely due to market saturation. Fortunately for consumers, it's now at a point where a good quality high resolution camera can be picked up for a little under $1000.

It looks like a standard webcam, but the Axis 205 is cleverer than that. Its internal web server and 10/100 Ethernet port mean it can be directly connected to and accessed by anyone on the network.

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 compact EasyShare DX6490 is one of Kodak's latest in their DX high performance, consumer range of cameras. Featuring a 4.23MP CCD (with 4MP effective), the camera is capable of capturing images at up to 2,304 x 1,728 resolution, which places it at the higher end of the consumer digital camera spectrum.

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

The pics are the best we've ever seen from a camera phone. Nokia's N82 springs to the top of our "phones that will replace your camera" list.

Take a portable media player, add video and sound recording functionality plus a 3.1MP digital still camera and you've got the Richo Vivitar DVR390H.

We like this camera a lot, and for a rugged day out it’s one of the most reliable snappers out there. We just wouldn’t shoot our best mate’s wedding on it.

Featuring a compact lozenge-shaped body with a fair bit of weight to it, the Cyber-shot P-93 is a solid camera that implies strength and good engineering. Internally, the camera has a 5.1-megapixel CCD and is capable of taking some excellent photos.

Kyocera's Finecam SL400R has the most innovative styling of any of the compact cameras here: it has a swivelled body which cuts the camera in two so you can swing the lens down giving it a cross-like form factor as seen from the side. It's a funky design, and it means that when flush the camera has a slim, pocketable aspect.

The slimline HP Photosmart R607 follows on from the R707 in that it shares many of that camera's fine features and styling, including its plastic/magnesium-alloy casing.

Impeccable timing from Sony Ericsson sawthe company launch its update on thegalactically popular T610 this month. Andit just so happens to sport Australia’s first twomegapixel camera.

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.

This 4-megapixel camera is a good point-and-shooter with a generous 2.2in preview LCD on the back and good one-handed operation. Its auto shooting modes work well, and the menus are extremely user-friendly with large icons and simple choices.

The Kodak EasyShare LS743 is one of the new generation of mid-range digital cameras hitting the market. At its core is a 4 megapixel CCD, capable of 2,304 x 1,728 resolution, which sits behind a Schneider-Kreuznach C-Variogon lens with 2.8x optical zoom.

The Sony DSC-P3 is a neat and very compact device with dimensions unheard of a year ago when we did our last digital camera roundup (Digital Darkroom, May 2001, p 42) especially for a 2.8 megapixel camera.