'Overall, the Sony A550 and A500 look like good camera designs with some interesting innovations that take advantage of the serious CPU power of Sony's processing chips. '
'The Sony A550 delivers several exciting and unusual capabilities, including in-camera high dynamic range images that come out very well, and a full-resolution burst mode of nearly 7 shots per second. '
'Sony’s Alpha DSLR-A550 is a mid-range DSLR aimed at enthusiasts, featuring 14.2 Megapixels, built-in stabilisation, a vertically-tilting VGA screen, two Live View modes and quick continuous shooting at up to 7fps. '
'On the downside, however, the site found that the A550 sits somewhat uncomfortably between the low and high-end, with its slightly stripped down controls turning off pros, and its rather weak performance in auto mode potentially being a problem for beginners. '
'if you want the convenience of AA batteries, an optical viewfinder, optical image stabilization, and a low price, this camera has them and takes good photos, too.
'
'Despite its low price, it's a great pick for those who prefer to shoot using auto settings exclusively. '
'With 10 megapixels and a 4x zoom lens, plus Canon's excellent image stabilization (IS), the Canon PowerShot A1000IS is a great little camera with lots of capability in a svelte, compact package.
'
'Consumers liked them because they were affordable, relatively compact, user-friendly, feature rich, and sturdily built. '
'The DSC-H9 achieves a good balance between the hardware controls and the software menus; providing complete functionality without overly complicating or cluttering up either.'
'fans of large prints, 100% on-screen viewing, or high ISO shooting should probably steer clear of the DSC-H9'
'The handling of the H9 is very pleasant; you can grip it much like an SLR, left hand cradling the lens'
'the Casio Exilim EX-V7 offers a unique combination of features'
'"Casio is a unique brand and the Casio EX-V7 is a good example of their uniqueness'
'new EXILIM Engine 2.0 image processor'
'We give Casio credit for trying to push the limits of the compact camera market, but ultimately found this model's interface made it annoyingly awkward to use.'