Best Interface 7MP Camera

The Fujifilm X30 has a great EVF and Classic Chrome film simulation, but some will miss the X20's optical viewfinder.

The new Fujifilm X30 is an evolutionary rather than revolutionary upgrade of last year's X20 model, principally adding a better electronic viewfinder and tilting LCD screen, together with more intuitive and customisable controls and a much improved movie mode.

Although it doesn't improve upon the image quality of the X20, the X30 makes a few useful upgrades to enhance handling and make it more versatile. However, there are similaly sized (and smaller) cameras with larger sensors.

The Fujifilm XQ2 is a pocket-friendly camera that is capable of capturing excellent images.

Calling the Fujifilm XQ2 a modest upgrade is something of an understatement - it's identical to the original XQ1 camera, except for a faster image proccesor, new Classic Chrome film simulation, new white colour-way, and a slightly lower official price on launch. In all other respects, it's impossible to tell the two cameras apart, which is disappointing given the 18-month gap between them, and ultimately means that Fujifilm's premium compact camera has fallen some way behind the fast-moving competition.

A thoroughly enjoyable camera to use. It does everything pretty well but falls short of challenging the very best in its class – a 1-inch sensor, better lens and a tilting touch-screen would potentially make the difference.

The Panasonic Lumix DMC-LX100 is an ambitious compact camera with a big sensor, a wide-aperture lens, and 4K video recording, but it falls just short of top honors.

The Panasonic Lumix DMC-LX100 is the most capable compact camera that we've ever reviewed, offering a mouth-watering combination of cutting edge technology, excellent image quality, and intuitive handling. There are still a few downsides - most notably the lack of a touchscreen or articulated LCD and a rather narrow control ring - but the new LX100 manages to pull off the trick of being both a technological tour-de-force and a camera that's a veritable joy to shoot with.

There may be smaller interchangeable lens cameras, but the LX100 is a joy to use. It gives you bags of control and produces high quality images. Just beware of flare when the sun is near the edge of the frame.

If low-light shooting is your thing, then the Sony A7S should be right at the top of your shopping list. Offering a killer combination of massive ISO range, 15-stop dynamic range, sensible 12 megapixel resolution on a full-frame sensor, truly silent shooting mode and autofocusing down to EV-4, the new Sony A7S is the most capable low-light camera that we've ever tested.

It's a great camera but its comparatively low pixel count and high price mean it's unlikely to have wide appeal amongst enthusiast photographers. However, it will find favour with those who need to be able to shoot in near-dark conditions or want lots of control over video.

Just like the original A7, the A7S is mini marvel with a massive sensor. It's the new 12-megapixel chip that's the main point of interest as image quality is the cleanest out of the current trio of A7 cameras available. That will benefit those who spend a lot of time low-light shooting using ISO 1600 and above. And there's plenty available above that thanks to the headline maximum ISO 409,600 option. But despite glorious image quality the A7S is not a £700 improvement compared to the original A7 model in our view.

With very few differences between the Leica D-Lux (Typ 109) and the virtually identical
Panasonic Lumix DMC-LX100
that we so enthusiastically reviewed back in October 2014, the choice between these two excellent cameras essentially comes down to four things - the overall cost, the inclusion of Lightroom and a longer warranty with the Leica, the handgrip on the Panasonic, and of course that famous Leica red dot. For us, the lack of any sort of handgrip on the Leica D-Lux (Typ 109) makes it harder, although certainly not impossible, to get a firm grip on the camera.

The D-Lux is a delight to use and it produces high quality images, but the Panasonic LX100, which has the same spec, feels safer in your hand thanks to the front grip that's missing from the Leica camera.