GE X5 Bridge Style Compact Digital Camera - Black (14MP, 15 x Optical Zoom) 2.7-inch LCD

I looked at the Nikon 110 (great name but expensive) The Fuji S1600 (had some bad reviews and was £30 -£40 more than the X5 - although the Fuji has HD video) so, at the price the X5 was the one I want for.

Seems well built - the controls are easy to use, you will need to read the PDF manual to get the most out of the camera - although on auto it seems to work fine.

Video works well but only SD quality (but if I had wanted HD video I'd buy a video camera)

Zoom is excellent Macro is also good - the auto focus takes a bit of practice (other people have been complaining of blurry pics) but when you have the hang of it it's fine.

Don't expect £500 DSLR performance from this camera - but its a lot better than a point and shoot - it's worth it for the zoom alone in my opinion.

You will need to buy an SD memory card and some rechargeable batteries to make the most of this camera.

Most of the professional reviews of the GE X5 are a bit sniffy. Some make comparisons with digital SLRs, and others show an inbuilt prejudice from the word go.

Clearly it is based on one of the Fuji Finepix bridge cameras, and the controls and options bear this out. There are the usual weaknesses associated with cramming 14 megapixels onto a relatively small chip, and noise kicks in quickly from ISO 200 and upwards, especially in low light. You should generally try to use ISO 80 or 100 if possible.

As for sharpness, it is a little on the soft side, but there is scope for an extra bit of sharpening without this being obvious. On the other hand it is sharper than my Fuji Finepix S800, nor does it seem to have the purple fringing effect of my S800. It is about as sharp as a Pentax Optio LS1000, but strangely the GE X5 wins in some circumstances and loses in others as far as the sharpness battle is concerned.

The degree of manual control is extensive and takes a while to learn so some patience is required, but it is possible, for example, to close down apertures to an extent, to set shutter speeds up to 30 seconds (in shutter priority mode) and to do limited time lapse photography.

Even with the image stabilisation switched off and continuous autofocus switched off, there is a very slight whine that is annoying when the camera is on and moved. You worry that this may be a process that shortens battery life. You also wonder how long it will last, as we do not know in what ways General Imaging (the GE licencee) has changed internal components to keep costs down.

However, at £60 from ASDA (limited special offer - sorry Amazon) it may prove to have been worth a go. At higher prices, I would be more hesitant.

Those who have searched for GE X5 reviews on the web may have found an article about an owner who has replaced the inbuilt lens with a Soligor lens to good effect - treat this with the utmost caution. If it is true (and it may be) it must involve probably irreversible tinkering and experimentation, loss of warranty and total loss of the camera if it were to go wrong. The lenses of these cameras are not meant to be changed. Caveat tinkerers. Do not do it.

Seems like a well built camera for the money. Heavy with the 4 AA batteries. Rechargable ones seem to last for ages in it. Have taken quite a few photos and am very pleased with the results so far. Nice and sharp images taken with flash. Need a tripod if you're wanting to use the full optical zoom. In general, very pleased with the purchase, excellent value for money.