Ben Pitt

Pentax Optio M85 review Tries to provide too much for too little – sadly, image quality is overlooked.

Sony Alpha DSLR-A550L review Seriously fast and packed with interesting features, but the lack of video is disappointing and automatic exposures could be better too.

Metz Mecablitz 36 C-2 hotshoe flashgun review An unusual – and fairly cumbersome – system for judging automatic exposures, but useful for when other methods aren’t available.

Canon PowerShot A495 review A competent budget snapper, but the price isn’t as low as the basic design suggests.

Corel PaintShop Photo Pro X3 review Lots of new features, but all in all there’s a lot of useful stuff here for an impressively low price.

Samsung PL70 review Not without its flaws, but high image quality and 720p HD video are an impressive combination at this price

Avid Sibelius First review Not as flexible as the £595 full version but just as elegant. This is by far the best notation package available for amateur musicians.

Nikon CoolPix S1000pj review A camera with a built-in projector seems like a great idea, but image quality is nothing special and the projector risks being a short-lived novelty.

Fujifilm Finepix S200EXR review Performance could be better, but with SLR-like controls and exceptional image quality, this is the best ultra-zoom camera we’ve seen.

Samsung ST550 review A massive touchscreen, a second screen for self-portraits and HD video make this the ideal camera for parties and posing for Facebook profile shots.

Panasonic Lumix DMC-GF1 review It may be frustratingly expensive, but this is the first compact camera to deliver genuine SLR quality and performance.

Sony Cyber-Shot DSC-WX1 review Packed with smart innovations to boost image quality, but they could do with a better base to build upon.

Ricoh CX2 review With its breakneck performance, fantastic screen and big zoom, this is almost a superb camera, but lens sharpness lets it down.

Pinnacle Studio HD 14 Ultimate review Impressive text animation and a raft of small improvements make for a strong update to this beginner-friendly, if a little underpowered, package.

Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ38 review Pointlessly high resolution aside, the FZ38 maintains Panasonic’s lead in the ultra-zoom camera market