The group at PocketLint has a review on the Sony Alpha 100 where they write, 'The Sony Alpha 100 is a compact and relatively lightweight 10-megapixel D-SLR that is based around the Konica Minolta core technologies of a CCD-shift Anti Shake system and the Dynax lens mount. They have been adopted by Sony with the former now called Super Steady Shot.' 'The Sony Alpha 100 provides a level of specification normally found on a camera costing over a £1000 more, but in a compact, fairly uninspiring (design wise that is) and lightweight body, but a body that does do the job very well indeed.

Image quality is excellent and can only be improved by better lenses as they roll out of the factory and perhaps a firmware update to help iron out that noise reduction and detail loss as well.

This is a stunning camera that will be perfect for enthusiasts on a tighter budget or anyone trading up (or across from film) and want the specification extras that this camera affords over its similarly priced competitors.'

A great review on the Panasonic Lumix DMC-LZ3 has been done by Imaging Resource where they write, 'The Panasonic LZ3's performance ranges from quite fast to just average, depending on what you're trying to do. It starts up reasonably fast, and has a fairly fast shutter response when the lens is set to its wide angle position. At the telephoto end of the lens' range it's only a little slower, with a lag time of 0.55 second, about average. And if you "prefocus" the camera by half-pressing and holding down the shutter button before the final exposure, it's blazingly fast, with a shutter delay of only 0.013 second, among the fastest on the market. Shot to shot cycle times are average, at about 1.95 seconds for large/fine JPEGs.

Continuous-mode speed is quite good, at a bit over three frames/second, for up to three shots in succession in large/fine mode. The flash takes about seven seconds to recharge after a full-power shot, a little longer than average for this class of camera. Connected to a computer, download speeds are fast enough that you probably won't feel a need for a separate card reader, but nonetheless aren't as fast as many cameras currently on the market. Bottom line, while not a first choice for sports or other fast-paced action, the Panasonic LZ3 is responsive enough (particularly at wide angle lens settings) to handle most family photo opportunities.'

'A review of the Fujifilm Finepix F30 was done by Imaging Resource where they state, 'The Fujifilm FinePix F30's performance ranges from just average to slightly slow, depending on the task at hand. Start-up time is fair, at about 1.7 seconds for the lens to deploy and LCD to activate. Shutter lag at both wide angle and telephoto zoom settings are about a half-second, but "prefocus" times (half-pressing and holding down the shutter button before the final exposure) are blazingly fast, with a shutter delay of only 0.018 second. Shot-to-shot cycle times are on the slower side, at about 1.96 seconds for large/fine JPEGs, and the camera captures frames continuously at this rate. Continuous-mode speed is quite slow, at about 0.5 frames/second, though the camera captures as many as 20 frames at that speed.

That said though, the "Top 3" modes capture at up to 2.3 frames per second, though only the top three shots are saved. Flash recycling is a little better than average however, at about 4.4 seconds. Connected to a computer, download speeds are quite fast, so you won't feel a need for a separate card reader. Bottom line, the Fujifilm FinePix F30 is responsive enough for most family photo opportunities, but its standard continuous shooting mode is a bit slow for sports or kids, and shutter response is a little sluggish. Still, overall performance is pretty good.'

A review of the Sony Cyber Shot DSC-T10 has been done where they write, 'While on the outside it's difficult to distinguish Sony's DSC-T9 from the DSC-T10, once its innards start cranking out images, it's obvious that Sony has continued to refine its stylish series of pocket cameras. The T10 raises the bar in terms of noise performance, while retaining all the other nice features that have made their way into this line over time. When it comes to ultracompact cameras, it's hard to beat the value of Sony's Cyber Shot DSC-T10, even if it does seem expensive.'

There's a review on the Pentax Optio A10 by Megapixel where they write, 'The Pentax Optio A10 offers impressive characteristics: very compact, an 8-megapixel resolution, a 3X optical zoom, and an image stabilization system.

Easy to carry, the Optio A10 is an excellent companion on an outing, as soon as one becomes familiar with it, and as long as one can take time to capture images in a leisurely fashion.'

Positives of the Pentax Optio A10 were,

• 'Very good image quality with good light.
• Excellent metering.
• Reliable white balance.
• Excellent colour rendition.
• Image stabilizer.
• Excellent high resolution monitor.
• Extremely well finished.'

Negative aspects of the Pentax Optio A10 included,

• 'Compression too strong at the highest image quality.
• Sensitive to noise above 200 ISO.
• Underpowered Flash.
• Slow zoom and auto focus.
• Limited autonomy on a single battery charge.'

A review has been done on the Sony Alpha 100 by ThinkCamera where they state, ' The Sony Alpha 100 is one of the most eagerly anticipated cameras of the year.' 't's a curious fact that right out of the box, some of the newer better compact digital camera can match DSLRs for image resolution and impact. The DSLRs beat the compacts on many other measures but if you want a camera to give you great pictures without any effort then I'd recommend something like the Casio Ex-Z600. To my eye the Sony Alpha 100 gives images with exactly the kind of punch and tonal range that I associate with the very best compact cameras but with all the flexibility and expandability of a complete system DSLR. That may seem a very strange comparison to make but I expect more first time DSLR users to be delighted with the Sony on day one than with an entry level offering from the other players.' 'There are some drawbacks that prevent me declaring this an ideal camera. Build quality is a concern and the lack of any easy way to trigger studio flash seems a major flaw to me but I'm very impressed with the Sony Alpha 100 and can't wait to see others in the series as they are announced.'

A recent review on the Canon Digital IXUS 800 IS has been run by PhotographyBlog where they state, 'As the IXUS 800 IS was originally announced before Easter, expect news of an update from Canon before long. That doesn’t make this model any less desirable. It just means that you should be able to pick one up for a very competitive price if you hunt around. In short, the IXUS 800 IS adds up to a compact camera with which you cannot go far wrong, and will satisfy both beginner and enthusiast looking for a more portable means of taking pictures on the wing.'

A review of the Fujifilm FinePix A500 has been done by DPexpert where they write, 'The Fujifilm FinePix A500 is excellent value for money. It will produce prints to A4 size with plenty of detail and fidelity. The Fujifilm Finepix A400 is a 4 megapixel alternative that is so similar to the A500 that they share the one instruction manual.'

ThinkCamera has a review on the Pentax Optio M10 where on this Pentax camera they state, 'The M10 is a camera I was initially unsure of, but while I've had it for review it's grown on me, and I can definitely say it's a good choice of camera for novices - it has the specification you'd expect and the right level of freedom. More experienced photographers may find the lack of total control and image quality a bit constricting but the size and robustness of the camera would make it a worthy travel camera.' 'The picture quality of the M10 is what you'd expect from an entry level camera - the colours are reasonable but a bit soft and the red especially looks a bit thin and washy. The camera suffers from a bit of purple fringing...'

The reviewers at Megapixel have a review on the Optio A10 where they state, 'The Pentax Optio A10 offers impressive characteristics: very compact, an 8-megapixel resolution, a 3X optical zoom, and an image stabilization system.  Easy to carry, the Optio A10 is an excellent companion on an outing, as soon as one becomes familiar with it, and as long as one can take time to capture images in a leisurely fashion.'

The positives of the Optio A10 are,

• 'Very good image quality with good light.
• Excellent metering.
• Reliable white balance.
• Excellent colour rendition.
• Image stabilizer.
• Excellent high resolution monitor.
• Extremely well finished.'

While negatives of the Optio A10 included,

• 'Compression too strong at the highest image quality.
• Sensitive to noise above 200 ISO.
• Underpowered Flash.
• Slow zoom and auto focus.
• Limited autonomy on a single battery charge.'