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The S9600 offers only a few minor improvements to what was already an outstanding enthusiast’s camera. If you’ve already got an S9500 it’s probably not worth upgrading, but if you’re looking for a cheaper alternative to a digital SLR, or a second camera for when you don’t want to cart your whole kit around, the S9600 is the best choice on the market.

The Sony DSC-W70 is pretty much the definition of an average snapshot compact. It is well made, looks good, is reasonably light and compact, performs competently and can take decent pictures. It has a couple of strong points, namely its excellent low-light performance and exceptional battery life, but it also has a couple of flaws, specifically image noise above 200 ISO, and that unusual telephoto lens distortion. Good value for money, but doesn’t stand out in a crowded and competitive field.

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Apart from the wide-angle distortion and the CD manual I have nothing but praise for the S770. In my opinion it is currently the best ultra-compact digital camera on the market. Considering build quality, design, performance, value for money and photographic results it is comfortably ahead of the competition in every respect.

The Pentax Optio T20 could have been a much better camera. It is stylish, well made and the touch-screen technology is well implemented and has some genuinely useful features. However very slow performance, severely limited battery duration and the annoying AF monitor-freeze are major handicaps that are impossible to ignore.

If you need a camera that can withstand immersion in water, your choices are basically limited to the Pentax Optio W20 or the Olympus mju 725 SW that I reviewed last week. The Pentax is cheaper, smaller, takes slightly better pictures, and looks more like a normal compact than the Olympus, but lacks the shock-proof credentials.