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The 7 megapixel images are noisy and slightly blurred at ISO 400, with ISO 800 and particularly 1600 being best avoided. With no optical image stabilisation system available, this limits the camera to good light photography only. ISO Auto Shift is a useful feature that’s sadly let down by the quality available at ISO 800, whilst beginners will love the Face Detection feature which provides well focused and exposed family pictures. So the Canon Digital IXUS 70 is obviously not going to satisfy everyone, as it doesn’t offer full manual control over aperture and shutter speeds and the image quality is not best in class, but if you want a stylish ultra-compact camera, the IXUS 70 is still well worth considering.

The Epson P-5000 is both a forward leap in terms of functionality and speed, and perhaps a backwards step for some photographers in terms of the overall design. The P-5000 is much quicker than the older P-4000 model. The transfer speed from memory card to the P-5000 is twice as quick, helping to ensure that you can achieve over 25 x 1Gb transfers before the battery runs out. Many photographers will probably want to upgrade on the strength of this single improvement alone.

The Olympus E-400’s compact size might be enough to set it apart from the competition but once a protruding lens is attached it isn’t exactly pocket sized. That said, it could be the final nail in the coffin for bridge cameras like the Sony R1 and the Samsung Pro815, as it is lighter and smaller and offers all the creative benefits that an interchangeable lens camera can offer.

The Fujifilm Finepix S6500fd is a rather strange beast which ultimately doesn’t beat either the ultra-zoom bridge-style camera competition, or the entry-level DSLRs, but still manages to be an enjoyable camera to use. Fujifilm are making a big song and dance about the Face Detection feature, even appending the acronym “fd” to the model name. It’s an effective addition, making it easier for the beginner to achieve better portrait shots.

The Nikon D40 is an attempt to make DSLR photography accessible to more people than ever before, making it one of the most important models in the company’s history. Crucially Nikon haven’t simply concentrated on reducing the price by reducing the features. Cost is obviously a key factor in this market, but accessibility also plays a large part, and Nikon have achieved both of these aims.

The Fujifilm Finepix F31fd is an incremental upgrade of what is already a great camera, the Finepix F30, adding just a few new features and quite a significant increase in price. Face Detection is the main addition, making it easier for the beginner to achieve better portrait shots. It works well in the right situations and is also quick, something that other competitors system’s struggle with.