Fujifilm FinePix F40fd

Paid £107.

Astonishingly good images for a pocket sized camera. This is great to shove in your pocket when a larger piece of kit would be a nuisance. Of course there are limitations, but if you want more control buy a DSLR. The picture quality at lower ISO ratings is superb, sharp, good colour and generally clean. Others have mentioned slight softness and chromatic aberrations towards the corners, but it's hardly noticeable most of the time. It's a very small camera with a decent sized sensor and, so I reckon this can be forgiven.

Some have criticised this camera for noisy or blurred images. I feel they are being unrealistic. No camera will deliver quality images hand held in very low light, other than by increasing sensitivity and that will create noise, although the F40fd does much better than most in this area.

Those who just want good snapshots and have little photographic experience will be rewarded by reading the manual and trying a few experimental shots with different settings.

I shall still use my D80 for anything demanding, but having a small point-and-shoot camera like this is an excellent alternative when traveling light.

Solid feel.
Simple to use.
Image quality.
Uses SD cards.
Good battery life.
Separate charger, useful if you have a second battery.
Price.

None for a camera this size, but beware of full auto and very high ISO settings.

Canon Ixus 750
Olympus C460Z
Nikon D70
Nikon D80