It's hard to tell exactly where in the line the 12.1-megapixel Canon Digital IXUS 990 IS sits, but it bears all the usual IXUS hallmarks: an elegant design and straightforward controls combined with hi-tech automation and decent picture quality. An ...

Top-quality design and finish ; effective and understated automation ; straightforward operation

No zooming in high-definition movie mode ; lacks a wideangle zoom ; expensive even compared to its stablemates

The Canon Digital IXUS 990 IS offers elegance, straightforward operation and quality -- all the usual IXUS hallmarks. But is it the best IXUS to go for? Probably not -- it costs more than the Digital IXUS 110 IS without having much to show for it

The 12-megapixel mju 7000 isn't going to make anyone wet their pants with excitement, but it's a capable snapper nonetheless. With a 7x zoom range, it offers serious telephoto capability in a compact body that can slip into your shirt pocket, and its ...

Reasonable combination of features and price ; does the job well enough

Ugly design and finish ; no standout features

The Olympus mju 7000 is competent, but offers nothing that makes it stand out. You'd probably be better off with either the mju 5000 or mju 9000

The 10-megapixel FinePix S1500 is relatively inexpensive for a superzoom, so it's all the more surprising that its build quality and finish are so good. Its picture quality won't blow anyone's mind, but a solid set of manual controls means it's well ...

Excellent build quality and finish ; good value for money ; digital SLR-style photographic controls

Lacks a wideangle lens ; modest zoom range ; mediocre image quality

The Fujifilm FinePix S1500 feels so good for a camera that costs so little that you desperately want it to do well. But the modest lens range and mediocre picture quality let it down. It's still a good buy for the cost-conscious, but only for those ...

The 12-megapixel PowerShot D10 adds a welcome splash of style to the ruggedised camera market. Although it's not as shockproof as some of its rivals and the basic 3x zoom is nothing to shout about, it's waterproof to an impressive 10m and the lens is ...

Wacky styling and classy colour scheme ; 10m depth rating ; very sharp fine detail

Limited zoom range ; barrel distortion at minimum zoom ; fat body doesn&apos ; t make it any easier to grip

Canon's one of the latecomers to the emerging underwater-camera market, but the wait's been worth it, because the PowerShot D10 is very, very different. It adds a real splash of style to a sector populated by some pretty staid-looking cameras. The D10 ...

Particularly suited to action photography, the 9-megapixel Exilim EX-FC100 offers continuous shooting speeds that are out of this world, as well as plenty of other hi-tech tricks. It also takes good photos, which makes up for the fact that it's not ...

Ultra-high-speed shooting modes ; can shoot high-definition movies

Lacks a wideangle zoom ; rather expensive ; modest resolution

Casio's right to keep pushing its High-Speed Continuous Shutter technology, because it offers something new and unique in the camera world. The Exilim EX-FC100, though, lacks the pocketability of the Exilim EX-FS10 or the zoom range and speed of the ...

We can't help but like the 10-megapixel Fujifilm FinePix Z33WP, even though it's not without its faults. It looks so neat and appealing that its comparatively low price comes as a surprise, and it's waterproof up to 3m, making it a good choice for ...

Attractive styling and design ; decent value for money

Below-average definition ; sluggish playback mode ; modest zoom range

The Fujifilm FinePix Z33WP looks so good that its comparatively low price is something of a surprise. Its performance doesn't match its looks, though. It's sluggish to use and delivers below-par definition. Note too that it's not shockproof or ...

With a 24x super-wideangle lens, the 12-megapixel Coolpix P90 is a versatile superzoom that combines a good range of features with decent picture quality and performance. As with most superzooms, it's not a substitute for a digital SLR, but it's ...

Tilting LCD ; 24x super-wideangle lens ; boasts digital SLR-style aperture-priority, shutter-priority and manual exposure modes

Soft detail at full zoom ; reduced resolution at high ISOs and frame rates ; no raw file option

As superzooms go, the Nikon Coolpix P90's not bad, but it fails to bring anything new to the genre. It can hold its own against its rivals, but there's nothing that makes it stand out. The Olympus SP-590 UZ is much cheaper and the Canon PowerShot SX1 ...

The 12-megapixel EasyShare Z980 may have a few design quirks, but its wideangle 24x superzoom lens provides a great deal of fun and flexibility, as does its ability to be fully automatic, fully manual and everything in between. It also offers decent ...

Good, vibrant colour ; loads of shooting options and manual controls ; hot shoe for add-on flash

Clunky design ; noisy photos

The Kodak EasyShare Z980 has plenty to offer, including a wideangle 24x zoom lens, but you'll have to overlook its clunky design and noisy photos

Other ruggedised compact cameras might be tougher, but the 12-megapixel Lumix DMC-FT1 is very well specified for its class, with a 4.6x wideangle zoom and hi-def movie mode, making it a great all-rounder. If versatility is more important to you than ...

Waterproof and shockproof ; 4.6x wideangle zoom ; AVCHD Lite movie mode

Lower depth rating than some rivals ; cramped controls ; shutter and zoom button are easily confused

The Panasonic Lumix DMC-FT1 is very well specified for a ruggedised camera, which makes it a great all-round snapper and camcorder too. It can be awkward to use, though, and, if outright toughness is more important to you than versatility, it might ...

Other superzooms may have deliver higher resolution and longer optical zooms, but the 10-megapixel Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ28 hold its own regardless. It's not outstanding in any one area, but a robust feature set, solid image quality and above-average ...

Useful 27mm wideangle zoom ; excellent image stabilisation ; full selection of manual and automatic exposure controls ; 720p movie capture with operational zoom ; relatively fast

Prone to soft, noisy photos ; no hot shoe

Other cameras may deliver higher resolution and longer optical zooms, but the Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ28 proves that the 'more is better' presumption isn't always valid. With a robust feature set and better-than-average performance, this superzoom beats ...