An expensive and unusually poor Sony product.

Easy to use and capable of good results, the superb range of manual modes makes this a good choice for enthusiasts.

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

HD camcorders enter the mainstream once and for all. With image quality like this, there’s little reason to spend more.

Not flawless, but Sony’s debut DSLR impresses with a 10.2-megapixel resolution and built-in anti-shake.

Taking great photos in most situations, the DSC-W50 is a bargain at this price.

An attractive, light and well-built camera, but it has average image quality.

The L2 has limited shooting controls, but it’s capable of producing some great-quality shots.

The only compact to offer aperture and shutter priority, but overall quality is unspectacular.

Offering good quality images, this highly compact camera is a fine alternative to the award winners.

The Ixus 60 delivers superb image quality and is beautifully designed and built.

Successor to the ubiquitous 350D, Canon's affordable yet powerful 400D D-SLR is a serious weapon whether an amateur or pro.

Canon's reign over the compact digital camera market looks set to continue with this offering.

Although it takes great footage directly to a hard drive, it's being held back by a few problems.

A high end DVD-based camcorder for quick and clean shooting.

Cheap, sexy, slim and fully-featured. A dream for ultra-portable photography.

High performance with a matching price tag.

In marketing terms, bigger is better, leadingHP to use a 6.2-megapixel CCD in the newR717. That sounds superior to its predecessor,the R707, but pixel count is largely academicover 4 megapixels unless you want A3 size.

Anyone who used the IXUS 40 mightwonder how Canon could possiblyimprove on it, but that’s precisely whatit has done.

Panasonic has gone above and beyond, releasing its NV-GS35 with its massive 30x optical zoom, dwarfing the usual 20 or so times zooms found on other cameras.