The cameras in this group split well between street price points of £300 (Agfa and Olympus) and £400 (Canon, Fujifilm and Kodak), though the list prices of these last three are considerably higher. Of the two cheaper models, the Olympus Camedia C-860L is a clear favourite, as it produces better images and is easier to use.

The screen of the Agfa ePhoto CL30 Clik! is hard to use in sunlight and its plastic cover scratches easily, making the screen harder still to use. In its favour, the clik! drive gives the ePhoto a phenomenal capacity of up to 120 high-res images per £8 disk.

At the higher price point, the Kodak DC240i comes with a lot of extras and is perfectly adequate to use, but some will be put off by its X-ray styling. It really comes down to the Canon or Fujifilm devices, both of which offer a lot to the digital photographer.

Canon has built an excellent camera with powered zoom for extra versatility. It's easy to use and produces high quality images. The Fujifilm MX-2700 has a much bigger CCD array, though, giving extra potential for large prints, and feels exceptionally sturdy and well made. It's easy to use and in the end, gets our vote.