Ben Pitt

  • Pentax Optio M85
    Pentax Optio M85 review Tries to provide too much for too little – sadly, image quality is overlooked.
    £95
  • Sony Alpha DSLR-A550L
    Sony Alpha DSLR-A550L review Seriously fast and packed with interesting features, but the lack of video is disappointing and automatic exposures could be better too.
    £607
  • Metz Mecablitz 36 C-2 hotshoe flashgun
    Metz Mecablitz 36 C-2 hotshoe flashgun review An unusual – and fairly cumbersome – system for judging automatic exposures, but useful for when other methods aren’t available.
    £60
  • Canon PowerShot A495
    Canon PowerShot A495 review A competent budget snapper, but the price isn’t as low as the basic design suggests.
    £111
  • Corel PaintShop Photo Pro X3 paint tool
    Corel PaintShop Photo Pro X3 review Lots of new features, but all in all there’s a lot of useful stuff here for an impressively low price.
    £66
  • Samsung PL70
    Samsung PL70 review Not without its flaws, but high image quality and 720p HD video are an impressive combination at this price
    £157
  • best buy
    Sibelius First main
    Avid Sibelius First review Not as flexible as the £595 full version but just as elegant. This is by far the best notation package available for amateur musicians.
    £129
  • Nikon CoolPix S1000pj
    Nikon CoolPix S1000pj review A camera with a built-in projector seems like a great idea, but image quality is nothing special and the projector risks being a short-lived novelty.
    £294
  • best buy
    Fujifilm Finepix S200EXR
    Fujifilm Finepix S200EXR review Performance could be better, but with SLR-like controls and exceptional image quality, this is the best ultra-zoom camera we’ve seen.
    £167
  • Samsung ST550 dual-screen compact camera
    Samsung ST550 review A massive touchscreen, a second screen for self-portraits and HD video make this the ideal camera for parties and posing for Facebook profile shots.
    £193
  • Panasonic Lumix DMC-GF1 with H-H020 lens
    Panasonic Lumix DMC-GF1 review It may be frustratingly expensive, but this is the first compact camera to deliver genuine SLR quality and performance.
    £637
  • Sony Cyber-Shot DSC-WX1
    Sony Cyber-Shot DSC-WX1 review Packed with smart innovations to boost image quality, but they could do with a better base to build upon.
    £210
  • Ricoh CX2
    Ricoh CX2 review With its breakneck performance, fantastic screen and big zoom, this is almost a superb camera, but lens sharpness lets it down.
    £274
  • Pinnacle Studio HD 14 Ultimate
    Pinnacle Studio HD 14 Ultimate review Impressive text animation and a raft of small improvements make for a strong update to this beginner-friendly, if a little underpowered, package.
    £80
  • Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ38
    Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ38 review Pointlessly high resolution aside, the FZ38 maintains Panasonic’s lead in the ultra-zoom camera market