Summer Cameras - Compacts

Best On A Budget

Canon PowerShot A495 - £100

It's often tricky to tell one budget compact from the next. That is, with the exception of Canon's A495, which offers exceptional image quality. Even its older A490 and A480 siblings are excellent alternatives for even less money.

Spec:

10.0MP
37-122mm (3.3x optical zoom)
ISO 80-1600
2.5in 115k-dot LCD
2x AA batteries
93.5 x 61.7 x 30.6mm
175g

Best For The Beach

Fujifilm Finepix  - £130

Sand and water mixed up with a digital camera would usually suggest disaster. Not with Fuji's XP10, however: this waterproof wonder is an easily affordable buy that did well in our recent tough camera test and is easy to use for the whole family.

Spec:

12.2MP
36-180mm (5x optical zoom)
ISO 100-1600
2.7in 230k-dot LCD
rechargeable li-ion battery
95.6 x 63.8 x 23.2mm
135g

Best Travel Compacts

Sony HX5 - £330

Sleek, small and stylish. Sony's HX5 is not only a trendy camera, but comes packed to the nines with top-notch features. A 25mm wideangle lens and 10x optical zoom, 1080i HD movie recording and that now-infamous Sony Sweep Panorama mode.

Spec:

10.2MP
25-250mm (10x optical zoom)
ISO 125-3200
3in 230k-dot LCD
rechargeable Lithium G battery
102.9 x 57.7 x 28.9mm  170g
1080i HD movie
sweep panorama
full manual modes

Canon PowerShot SX210 IS - £360

Canon's name is synonymous with top-drawer picture quality and the 14.1MP SX210 is no exception. With an image-stabilised 28mm wideangle 14x optical zoom, a huge zoom range is at your fingertips for stills or HD 720p movie capture.

Spec:

14.1MP
28-392mm (14x optical zoom)
ISO 80-1600
3in 230k-dot 16:9 LCD
rechargeable li-ion battery
105.8 x 59.3 x 31.9mm
215g
720p HD movie
full manual modes

Panasonic Lumix TZ10 - £280

If you've kept an eye on the telly of late you'll no doubt have seen the TZ10's advert. 720p HD movie capture that allows zooming during capture, full manual modes and a wideangle 25mm lens with 12x optical zoom set this up as an ultimate travel compact.

Spec:

12.1MP
25-300mm (12x optical zoom)
ISO 80-1600 (6400 expandable)
3in 460k-dot LCD
rechargeable li-ion battery
103.3 x 59.6 x 32.6 mm
218g
720p HD movie
full manual modes

Best Pocket Compact

Samsung ST550 - £200

Not only is the ST550 small, stylish and easily pocketable, it somehow manages to squeeze in a huge 3.5in touchscreen LCD on the rear. And if one wasn't enough, there's a second 1.5in screen hidden on the front that's perfect for self-portraits or distracting hard-to-shoot young kids.

Spec:

12.1MP
27-125mm (4.6x optical zoom)
ISO 80-3200
3.5in 1,152k-dot touchscreen LCD (second 1.5in 185k-dot front LCD)
rechargeable li-ion battery
99.8 x 59.8 x 18.6mm  
166g
720p HD movie

Best for a City Break

Olympus E-P1 - £630

Wandering the streets of a beautiful city demands travelling light and, in some places, not advertising shedloads of expensive kit. An ideal alternative is Olympus's Micro Four Thirds E-P1, or ‘Olympus PEN'. Dressed in white, it looks the part and delivers quality in a small package.

Spec:

12.3MP LiveMOS
Micro Four Thirds lens mount (2x)
ISO 200-6400 3in 230k-dot LCD
rechargeable li-ion battery
120.5 x 70 x 35mm 335g (body only)
contrast-detection AF system (11-zone or 25-zone with Face Detection)
3fps continuous shooting
720p HD movie

Best Tough Camera

Panasonic Lumix FT2 - £330

While some of us take time off as an opportunity to relax, others look for a more adrenaline-fuelled ride. Be it white water rafting, rock climbing or pot holing, the Lumix FT2 will take a soaking, battering, even a freezing and still happily snap away as if normal.

Spec:

14.1MP
28-129mm (4.6x optical zoom)
ISO 80-1600 (6400 expandable)
2.7in 230k-dot LCD
rechargeable li-ion battery 99.3 x 63.1 x 24.3mm
188g
720p HD movie
2m shockproof
10C freezeproof, 10m waterproof