While many compact cameras seem content to deliver 5Mp, the new Sony DSC-N1 opts for an 8.1Mp sensor, which is enough to put some D-SLRs in the shade. Indeed, it can churn out images with a whopping 3,264 x 2,448 pixels.

Digital cameras have a well-earned reputation as some of the most fragile gadgets you can buy. Screens crack, buttons fall off, lenses grind to a halt and just a few drops of water can kill one deader than disco.

Few things slip into your pocket and look better than Apple's black nano, but Fujifilm's FinePix Z2 comes pretty close. There's a svelte grace and finery to this camera that makes it a pleasure look at

Going grey is a sign of ageing but the PowerShot S3 IS wears it very well, trading in the ubiquitous silver of its predecessor for a much more classy looking gunmetal grey finish

The R4 enters a competitive part of the compact market place. Priced at just under £250, the main flaw of its predecessor was the 5.2 megapixel sensor. So as expected, the R4 now sports a 6-megapixel sensor...

Design-wise, the Coolpix S6 could have been made by Apple - not least because it features the industry's first iPod-style click-wheel. Its stylish metallic case slips into the hand with consummate ease.

FujiFilm dubs this the 'next-generation digital compact camera', placing heavy emphasis on design and looks in a nod to rival glamour compacts such as the Casio EXILIM range. The metal two-tone body is well built and reassuringly solid...

It's unlikely that anything with a Sony badge would be poorly built,and the new DSC-N1 manages to be small, sophisticated and well puttogether. The sleek lines owe a lot to the almost total absence of buttons

The new Caplio R30 has a really solid feel about it and the styling isvery slick and compact. Pick it up and you get an immediate sense ofgood quality, while the fact that the body slants backwards slightly atthe right hand edge...

There's more to the Optio WPi's build quality than meets the eye, as it's completely sealed against the elements to the extent that you can submerge it underwater for up to 30 minutes, at depths of up to 1.5m

Panasonic is now a serious player in the prosumer arena. The latest attempt to take the casual user by storm is the DMC-LZ5, a camera that sits among the bigger compact cameras and has more than enough headline features to pull its weight

The LS2 is one of those cameras that looks more expensive than it actually is. The build quality and finish are exemplary and easily good enough to embarrass some cameras costing twice the price

When you think that plenty of D-SLR cameras only offer 6Mp resolution, it's quite something that you can get the same number of pixels out of a £120 compact camera.

Nikon has an on-going fascination with twistable cameras. The latest model is the the Coolpix S4, with its 6Mp sensor and hefty 10x zoom lens squeezed into a flat-ish design that can only be described as 'camcorder fallenover'

The Nikon Coolpix P1 has stunning image quality and raft of high-end features, but do you really need 8Mp? In the P2, you get a practically identical camera to the P1 but with amore sensible 5Mp sensor and a sizeable heap of money off

You can walk into some branches of Tesco nowadays and pick up a 5Mp camera for well under £100, but not with a quality badge on the front, and big names in photography don't come much bigger than Kodak

Build QualityHP seldom builds flimsy kit and the Photosmart R817 lives up to expectations, with a sturdy metal case and a complete lack of protruding knobs and buttons that would risk getting knocked off

Like most types of gadget, some digital compact cameras simply looklike quality items, while others don't. The FinePix F11 is definitelyin the former category, with a beautifully styled metal body and neatlyarranged buttons and dials

Wander about the horror section of your local DVD store and you soon realise it's a dark world out there, with places where only the faintest glimmer of light shines and strange noises emanate from the shadows.

We took this camera along to a skittles match... a match in which your reviewer's mother was taking part. "Did you bring your camera?," she asked. Her face fell when the PowerShot A620 appeared. Perhaps she was expecting something slimmer

There are profound differences between digital SLRs and 'compact' or 'prosumer' cameras. It's not just the radically different optical viewing system employed in the SLR design, but the sensor size too

We use touch screens to book train tickets, check in with airlines and operate PDAs, so why not our digital cameras? Sony has seized upon this idea, incorporating it into its latest compact

For what seems like eons a debate has raged over who makes the best digital cameras? Is it technology firms who make up for a lack of optical knowledge with their ability to produce top-notch consumer electronic kit?

Ultra-zoom cameras are becoming increasingly popular and it's easy tosee why. All that magnifying power in a compact means you've got everything you need to hand. No swapping lenses or wishing you had alonger zoom.

Cameras used to be simple. They may have had complicated dials, theymay have even required the use of a separate light meter, but everyone knew what they were for: capturing images.