Gone are the days when a digital camera cost an arm and a leg. Today, you can join the digital revolution for under £100 and still have the choice of a range of models.

A year or so ago, bargain basement cameras had virtually no memory to store your snaps and lacked such basic features as a preview screen. Things have changed, though, and many of the cheaper cameras on the market now boast many of the same features you'd find on pricier models.

So are these cameras really the bargains they appear to be? Can you expect a proper camera in this price range or are these super-cheap models little more than novelty items?

To find out, we got our hands on six cameras costing £100 or less from six different manufacturers and put them through their paces. Here we reveal just what you can get at a bargain price.

BenQ DC 3410
The DC 3410 from BenQ is nothing special to look at, with a design best described as functional. It's bulkier than most of the other cameras included in this round-up but don't let the rather lacklustre styling lead you to discount what is, in many respects, a pretty impressive camera given the £100 price tag.

At this price you would not expect to have a great degree of control over the pictures you are taking. However, the DC 3410 offers a 'burst' mode, so you can take several photos in quick succession, and a choice of three light metering modes (centre average, spot and frame average), which will automatically adjust exposure settings to get the best results in a range of lighting conditions.

It's also one of only two cameras here to feature a rechargeable battery and charger, so you won't constantly need to fork out for disposable batteries.

Most of the cameras in this round-up allow you to record movies, but the BenQ also captures audio, either as part of a movie or on its own, so that the camera doubles as a Dictaphone.

We tested all six of the cameras for image quality, both outdoors and indoors. The BenQ produced the best quality photos in our outdoor test shots but performed less well indoors using the flash, with the images lacking in sharpness. Overall, though, we rated the BenQ's picture quality as second only to that of the Fujifilm camera, which we will come to later.

If you prize function over form and want a camera that will do the job without necessarily looking stylish, this is well worth considering.

Price: £100
Contact: BenQ, no UK number
www.benq.com

Che-ez D'zign
The vast majority of the very smallest digital cameras around today are little more than novelty playthings, but the Che-ez D'zign manages to pack 2 megapixels into its credit card-sized casing. This must be one of the slimmest cameras around and, at just 90g, it's one of the lightest. It's also one of only two cameras here to feature rechargeable batteries.

It's not all good news, though. From a usability perspective the D'zign is lacking in certain areas. For example, it doesn't have an optical viewfinder and since the preview screen is dim and images displayed on it are hard to see even in modest daylight, composing your shot will vary from hard to nigh impossible.

Image quality was also disappointing, particularly indoors using the flash, placing it on a par with the Teco in this respect. This is something of a drawback in a camera cheap enough for you to be able to take to a party without worrying too much about it getting damaged. It's also the only camera here not to offer a macro mode, which allows you to get closer to your subject, so you have to be at least 1.8 metres away from whatever you are photographing.

Having said all that, the D'zign offers one other handy feature in addition to its undeniably cool styling: its burst shooting mode allows you to take shots in rapid succession and only the BenQ and the Teco also provide this quick-fire operation.

Price: £90
Contact: Che-ez! 08456 049 049
www.che-ezdigital.co.uk

Fujifilm Q1 Digital
If styling is an important consideration when choosing a camera then you should take a look at the quirky Q1 Digital from Fujifilm. Unlike all the other cameras reviewed here, which are basically rectangular in shape with some rounded edges, the Q1 Digital is circular.

What's more, it's supplied with a neck cord so you can wear it pendant-style, rather than carrying it around in your hand or pocket.

Styling all too often comes at the expense of performance but not so in the case of the Q1. Our test shots revealed that this camera is capable of very good results indeed; in fact it topped the league here for image quality.

Unfortunately, there are some trade-offs to be made. First of all, there's no optical viewfinder. Second, unlike most of the cameras here, which include 16MB of internal memory, this camera, along with the Kodak, has only 8MB. Admittedly there's a memory card slot so you can increase memory capacity but, of course, this entails further expense.

Another drawback is the lack of a video-out socket. This means you can't view photos on a TV - a feature we would expect from a fun product like this. The Fujifilm and the Che-ez also lack this facility.

Price: £100
Contact: Fujifilm, 020 7586 1477
www.fujifilm.co.uk

Kodak EasyShare CX6200
The Kodak EasyShare CX6200 is unlikely to go unnoticed in your pocket. It's very large and, at 185g, is the heaviest camera in this group. Having said that, it's solidly built so there's a good chance it will give you trouble-free performance for many years to come, something that isn't always guaranteed at the cheaper end of the market.

Picture quality is fairly middle of the road but consistent. Both our indoor test shots using the flash and our outdoor test shots gave results that, while not rivalling those of the Fujifilm or the BenQ, were quite acceptable.

Like the Fujifilm camera, but unlike all the other models here, the CX6200 has only 8MB of built-in memory. This means you'll need to invest in a memory card if you want to be able to store more than about 15 shots at the highest resolution the camera has to offer.

In most other respects the specification of the Kodak is about the same as all the other cameras reviewed here. It features a video-recording mode, automatic exposure adjustment with a manual override and a flash. One omission is a video-out socket for playing back photos on a TV; although the feature is supported it's only available if you buy the optional docking station, which costs £150.

Price: £100
Contact: Kodak, 0870 243 0270
www.kodak.co.uk

Teco Relisys RDC1000
The Teco Relisys RDC1000 is available in candy pink, powder blue and silver and has been designed with the teenage market in mind. The layout of the buttons and other external features on the sculpted plastic case is pretty conventional and, perhaps surprisingly for a camera that costs £60, the RDC1000 is a solid unit, weighing in at 160g.

An emphasis on styling doesn't always come at the expense of performance, as we saw with the Fujifilm Q1 Digital, but this is sadly not the case with the Teco. Picture quality was by no means outstanding and all the other cameras here performed better with the exception of the Che-ez D'zign.

On first glance, the camera's claimed maximum resolution of 2048 x 1536 pixels, which is quoted on the box, may lead you to believe that the camera has a greater resolution than 2 megapixels. This camera isn't the only one here to make such a claim but this higher resolution is actually achieved using a process known as interpolation. This enlarges an image using clever processing but doesn't actually capture any more detail.

The most remarkable thing about this camera, though, is its price. Costing just £60, this is the cheapest model here by a considerable margin.

Price: £60
Contact: Teco, 0870 467 0753
www.relisys.com

Waitec Caddy 338
There are similarities in the appearance of the Waitec Caddy 338 and the BenQ model. And since we weren't enthusiastic about the look and feel of the BenQ, you won't be surprised to learn that we're not too keen on the outward attributes of the Waitec.

As we learned with the BenQ, though, you shouldn't judge a book by its cover and the Waitec certainly has a lot to offer. Whereas all the other cameras in this review have a 2-megapixel CCD, the Waitec camera boasts a resolution of 3.3 megapixels.

It would be wrong to assume, however, that a higher resolution sensor will always give a better quality image. There are plenty of other factors that come into play, not least of which is the quality of the camera lens.

In actual fact, the Waitec produced a pretty average picture quality compared with the competition and so its ability to capture images at a higher resolution than the other five cameras here doesn't really make it stand out.

Like the Che-ez and Fujifilm cameras, the Caddy 338 does not feature an optical viewfinder. You might argue that this isn't a serious omission as most people use the preview screen at the back of the camera to compose their photo.

This may be true, but using the panel to frame your subject isn't always ideal. For one thing, relying on the screen puts a real strain on a camera's batteries, it can be hard to make out what's on the screen in bright sunlight and holding the camera away from your head at arm's length contributes to camera shake.

Price: £90
Contact: Waitec, 01225 762137
www.waitec.com

Bag a bargain
With price tags under the £100 mark, none of the cameras we've looked at here will produce the kind of image quality you'd rave about, but you have to put this into context.

For this kind of money you can't expect high-quality images or a comprehensive range of features. In particular, the lens quality of cheaper cameras is usually pretty mediocre, which explains why the sharpness of an image doesn't always match that of a more expensive camera offering the same maximum resolution.

While they are much more than novelty toys, these cameras have been designed with simplicity, portability and spontaneity in mind. You're not going to produce a photographic masterpiece with these models but at these prices, you can take them to the beach or on an evening out without worrying too much about damaging or losing them. Alternatively, they're great fun for the younger digital photographer.

The six cameras on test have adequate resolution to produce prints up to 7 x 5in and if you're looking for a cheap and cheerful snapper that will let you take photos and share them with friends or family on a website, they will be more than up to the job.