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The camera’s performance is adequate, but not particularly brilliant. It starts up in just under two seconds, which is acceptable for a camera in this class, and the autofocus is reasonably quick in good light. Despite the presence of a seemingly adequate AF assist lamp however, focusing in even slightly low light is very unreliable, usually simply announcing “Low Light!” with a big banner across the monitor. It will still take a picture in this situation, but it may not be focused correctly.

All in all, the experience of using the D40x is very pleasant. The camera is light and easy to hold, with a sensibly laid out control system that quickly becomes intuitive. Despite its relatively low cost and plastic body it feels very solid and well made, and every inch a Nikon. It’s easy to see the resemblance to the more professional models such as the D80 or D200. It performs quickly and quietly, and even a first-time user should have no trouble producing first-class results.

Proving that you should never judge a book by its cover, the party-oriented Fujifilm FinePix Z5fd is a very accomplished little camera, capable of producing excellent results both indoors and out in a wide range of lighting conditions, as long as you keep your grubby fingers clear of the lens. It is stylish, well made, performs and handles well, and is very easy to use. The only real issue is the limited battery life, but if as long as you keep it charged up this shouldn’t be a problem.

If you’re looking for a completely indestructible camera to suit your adrenaline-junkie lifestyle, the Olympus mju SW series is still the only game in town, and the 770 SW is the most everything-proof one yet. It’s able to survive anything short of an atomic bomb, but it is slightly lacking in the picture quality department. Still, the fact that it can take any kind of picture at all 10m deep in freezing water while being crushed is remarkable enough.

Fortunately the V803 makes up for its performance deficiencies in picture quality. As with most Kodak cameras, colour rendition is fantastic, with superbly rich natural colour. Exposure is also excellent, with very good dynamic range providing plenty of shadow detail without losing the highlights. The 8MP sensor captures plenty of fine detail without the purple highlight fringing that affects some high-resolution CCDs. Noise control is also good. Although there is some image noise as low as 100 ISO it remains well controlled up to the maximum of 1600, and shots at that speed are usable.

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.