Cecille's Creativity

There are a few things that I don't need to worry about when picking a camera from our flowchart, because I have already taken them into account when recommending the best model for each camera type and budget.

Performance is something we've taken very seriously. We've tested how quickly each camera switches on, focuses and takes repeated shots (with and without flash, and i continuous shooting mode). Some budget recommendations are slower than we'd like but these cameras more than make up for it in terms of their image quality and features. All the others are up to scratch for performance.

Other important areas include battery life, the layout of controls and menus, build quality and quality-enhancing features such as optical image stabilisation and face detection. Again, our recommendations have taken these factors into account when establishing the best models in each category and budget.

Other features can be ignored simply because they are not important. Camera manufacturers and retailers obsess about how many mega pixels a camera has, but the relationship between mega pixels and image quality is loose at best and in many cases counter-intuitive. It is best to ignore mega pixels ratings and go by an image-quality tests. The same goes for digital zoom. Unlike optical zoom, where the lens magnifies the picture hitting the camera's sensor, a digital complete waste of time, and we're amazed this feature is still included on cameras and talked up deceitful or ignorant sales assistants.

Don't worry about which type of memory card a camera uses. However, it won't cost much to replace old cards if they're incompatible with your new camera.