The Olympus PEN E-P1 may look like a throwback to retro photography, but it’s expensive and flawed. However, it's beautiful image quality renders almost impossible to dislike.

The Canon EOS 500D is capable of great results, but a wallet-draining way of getting HD video on a DSLR.

Better HD image quality than you’d expect for such a small camcorder, but the price is still a little high.

The Sony HDR-XR200VE mini cam uses gyros to provide image stabilisation, and has an inbuilt GPS receiver

A great combination of new features and the usual Nikon image and build quality make this a superb camera.

A brilliantly implemented live-view mode and high specs don’t justify the extra price over its sibling

A feature-rich SLR at a good price. If you can live with the weight and design quirks, that is

Pentax enthusiasts will be more than happy, but others may find it overwhelming

A capable enough performer, but it doesn’t offer enough for the money to come out on top.

If you need professional-class ruggedness on a budget, this is a real option.

The 450D’s superb sensor makes it the best choice if quality is your priority. It doesn't beat the Sony A200 for value, but for the best quality below $1500 the 450D has the edge.

It may not be a looker, but in all other respects this Panasonic is a stunning camera

Good quality optics and lots of storage, but not the most portable of camcorders

Impressive optical quality and storage space, though a touch expensive

Great image quality and plenty of enthusiast features for a very reasonable price

Cheaper than the HF10, although you need to factor in the cost of storage cards

A capable cam that'll take the knocks and matches it rival, the Panasonic HDC-SD1. It can’t quite better Canon’s HV20 on sheer performance though

Great video, tons of features, easy to use... if only there was a PAL-friendly version

3CCD has yet to prove it’s worth the premium. If you want a hard-disker, go for one of the cheaper Everio models

Not much to tempt you over last year's HV20 but Canon still rules the roost when it comes to raw picture quality