Key improvements over the SD5 make this a still more enticing pocket HD camcorder prospect

Tough enough to tear through concrete and built like US military hardware, this is the ultimate DIY drill

Panasonic's LF-D521U has a lot in common with the LG drive in this issue – in fact, with the exception of two reading speeds, both drives have identical specifications.

The Panasonic Lumix DMC-TZ6 is the best option here for pure image quality and flexibility, if you can live with its size and quirks.

Good quality and with a proper li-ion battery, but expensive and bulky compared to the Olympus.

Excellent audio with a cool factor.

An entry-level HD camcorder with an identity crisis, but at this price, it puts quality in the hands of everyone.

Battery life is the only downside to this excellent compact camera.

Image quality is reasonable, but there are far better cameras available for less.

We've been lucky to have hands-on review time with two of the most hotly-anticipated compacts cameras we've seen for some time. See our photos and first impressions of the Powershot SX200 IS and Lumix DMC-TZ7 (also known as ZS3)

Like the Panasonic LF-D521U, this DVD-RW drive is a generation behind the newest ones on the market. As such it lacks a lot in burning speed – in fact most of the newer models on the market are twice as fast.

A good price coupled with outstanding image quality – a good budget alternative to the Panasonic HDC-HS9

It might look like a DSLR, but it doesn’t handle as well and loses out to others with bigger zooms

A lovely compact cam and a decent HD camcorder in one

Huge storage for the money, but quality can’t match the more expensive models in this group

As this Labs’ sole available proponent of the –RW format, Pioneer has a struggle on its hands getting the public to accept the standard over the faster and more widely used +RW format.

We get our hands on Olympus’s newest additions to the mju range, including one with a 7x optical zoom and one waterproof to 10 metres.

A good price for an HD camcorder, but poor design makes it awkward to use

A pint-sized camera that packs a punch, with consistently good performance in all conditions

So many features and so much quality, in such a tiny body. Astounding