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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.

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This might be the most pointless upgrade I’ve ever seen. The mju 725 SW is identical to its predecessor the mju 720 except for an extra two metres of underwater depth. It has all the same faults as the previous camera, and there are plenty of them. If you need a camera to take diving, buy a Fuji F30 or Canon A540 with an underwater case instead.

With its wide angle lens and optical image stabilisation the Panasonic Lumix DMC-FX01 stands out from the crowd of virtually identical 6-megapixel 3x zoom ultra-compacts. It is well made, looks superb and takes very good pictures, with excellent noise control and good low light performance. All in all, a pleasant, simple elegant camera that’s perfect for social snapshot photography.

It may be the cheapest DSLR on the market, but the Pentax K100D isn’t short of advanced features, performance or image quality, and can comfortably hold its own against the Nikon D40. Build quality, design and handling are all superb, and the Shake Reduction system is as good as any on the market. If you’re looking for a good entry-level DSLR with the option to build up a kit, then look no further.