Which digital camera is right for you?  You can read all of our tests in our three ongoing surveys: one for compacts, another for bridge cameras and a third for SLRs and other hybrid cameras.  Alternatively, you can get straight to business, by looking at our selection of the best devices at the moment.

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The Megapixel war is over.  Everybody has a wide-angle lens.  You can't make cameras any smaller than today's models--and even if you could, you wouldn't be able to hold them.  Today, the areas where cameras compete with one another are different.  Two big criteria are the power of the zoom lens--with the smallest compacts reaching 5x, more traditional compact cameras at 12x and bridges twice that--and the growing convergence between cameras and camcorders.

This last element is now one element that distinguishs one camera from another better than almost any other.  Until recently, video was seen as something of a secondary feature and the quality wasn't excellent.  Things have begun to take off though:

• In technical terms, digital cameras are beginning to produce video whose quality that can rival that of entry-level camcorders.  That means 720p HD video, with stereo sound captured using a powerful zoom and focus. 
• More practically, more and more cameras also have a separate button to launch recording, usually located in the same place as on a camcorder.  This gives direct access to filming without the need to select a separate mode.

That means it's becoming more and more difficult to know which model to choose if video is important for you.  Some digital cameras can produce video that's as good as that provided by a camcorder at a similar price--and can also produce unrivaled still photos.

Of course, the technological innovations that have propelled this evolution are expensive, and haven't yet filtered down to entry-level cameras, which are more clearly reserved for still photos.  That leaves a more traditional set of criteria to analyze when choosing between them: responsiveness, noise handling, build quality …

More interesting, though, is that the traditional stars of the photography world--SLRs--are not exactly blazing ahead with new video features.  The technology that they have used for years now is perfect for taking photos but just not suitable for shooting video.  Instead, there's an entirely new system that is taking the lead: Panasonic's GH1, for instance, is a digital camera with interchangeable lenses, that, for the price of a quality camcorder, can film in excellent 1080p HD quality; it's so good that some video experts have been left wondering if there really is a future for camcorders. 

So: do you want a traditional compact digital camera that takes reasonable photos but without much in the way of video?  Or a true hybrid between a compact camera and a camcorder?  Or maybe a quality stills camera with a large sensor and decent filming?  Maybe the best possible quality photos are what you need, with an SLR that makes no consequences to help adapt to video? 

The very cheapest: Panasonic FS6
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We haven't tested the FS6, but we did look at its big brother, the FS7.  The two cameras are almost identical,  and are available in the same choice of colours, but have different sensors.  The FS6 has an 8 Megapixel sensor, while the FS7 has 10 MP, but that really doesn't change anything. The FS6 is also the cheapest camera with good image stabilization.  Go for automatic mode, which is where it produces its best photos.

Smart, but affordable: Fujifilm FinePix F70EXR
Small, and (almost) perfectly formed

STORES £     UK Digital Cameras  154.99  Pixmania.co.uk  155.00  OYYY  163.14  Camerabox limited  169.99  Laskys  174.10  Warehouse Express  174.99  Compare prices

The F70EXR is an unusual camera in more than way.  For less than £200, its Super CCD EXR sensor (a Fujifilm speciality) allows it to produce incredible photos even in poor conditions.  It also has a 10x wide-angle zoom.  Its main weaknesses are a less than intuitive interface, a very basic video mode and a lens that doesn't admit much light, especially when zoomed right in.

Video in mind: Panasonic Lumix TZ7
A successful match of photo and video

STORES £     Camerabox limited  209.99  FotoSense  219.00  Pixmania.co.uk  219.90  UK Digital Cameras  224.99  Hiwayhifi.com  232.95  Pixmania.co.uk  234.00  Compare prices

The TZ7's 12x zoom and ultra wide-angle lens are its first two strengths.  But as well as that, its responsiveness and intelligent automatic mode help produce perfect results that please the most demeaning photographers--and film-makers.  It films in 720p HD, and, like recent camcorders, produces AVCHD files.  The zoom is available while recording and is quiet but responsive, and the focus does a good job too.

Extreme zoom: Panasonic Lumix FZ38
From wide-angle through to super telephoto i

STORES £     UK Digital Cameras  239.99  Camerabox limited  239.99  Pixmania.co.uk  243.50  Warehouse Express  249.99          Compare prices

Although we may have neglected them for a while, bridge cameras came back with a bang in 2009 with zooms of up 24x, and even beyond.  Still, it's a more reasonable 18x zoom that equips our favourite, the FZ38, which produces much sharper photos than some of its competitors.  It has similar video performance to the TZ7 we mentioned above, which makes it a worthy rival for a camcorder.  Its automatic modes work perfectly, but more advanced users can get more from its manual mode.

Expert-level compact : Canon PowerShot G11
Configure your camera just how you like it

STORES £     Pixmania.co.uk  396.00  Camerabox limited  399.99  Laskys  415.81  Warehouse Express  428.00  OYYY  440.92  Ebuyer  479.92  Compare prices

This is the latest evolution in Canon's excellent G series: the G11 is incredibly sturdy with a screen that doesn't just have a great resolution--it also rotates away from the rest of the camera body.  There's still an optical viewfinder though, as well as a 5x wide-angle zoom.  Above all, it's clearly been designed with knowledgeable users in mind, with a whole range of settings at your fingertips.

The ultimate hybrid: Panasonic Lumix GH1
For taking great photos ... and shooting great videos

STORES £     Hiwayhifi.com  999.99  Pixmania.co.uk  1047.00                  Compare prices

Panasonic has been producing micro-4/3 cameras for longer than Olympus, and its GH1 is an excellent camera that's just a little more responsive than the E-P1, but also has a Full HD camcorder and a sensor that preserves the same angles for photo (in 4:3 format) and video (in 16:9).  The stereo mic and autofocus are real benefits for video and go a long way to rival high-end camcorders, with the added benefit of a wide-angle lens.  It's true that all of this comes at a price, though.

Digital SLR: Nikon D5000
Photos, photos, photos ...

STORES £     Camerabox limited  479.99  Pixmania.co.uk  513.00  Ebuyer  516.92  Electro Centre  549.00          Compare prices

Of course, the D5000 can film in 720p HD.  But it's not worth it, as there's no continual autofocus and the quality of the mono sound is pretty mediocre.  This camera's domain is photography--preferably with your eye on the viewfinder--and it has inherited a lot of technology from the D90, including autofocus that follows subjects in 3D.  It's very fast and produces incredible photos at up 1600, or even 3200 ISO.

More information on this topic: > Product Survey: Compact Digital Cameras 2009 > Product Survey: Bridge Digital Cameras > Product Survey: Digital SLRs and Cameras with Interchangeable Lenses