Samsung ST95 digital camera

There are two things about the Samsung ST95 that make an instant impression.

The first is that it is extremely small. It doesn't quite qualify as credit card-sized but the slender proportions make it easy to slip into a pocket.

The 17mm-thick device is handsome too. Our review model was decked out in a smart matt-black design with silver trim, but the camera can also be purchased in more exotic colours including pink, purple, red and silver.

The other notable aspect of the camera is that it has a 16-megapixel image sensor, which means that it can capture pictures at very high resolutions (significantly higher than most other compact cameras currently offer), although resolution isn't always the best way to judge the overall performance of a camera.

We found that the Samsung ST95 certainly captured plenty of detail. Colour reproduction was excellent, with rich tones and strong contrast. Some of our test shots came out a little blurred – the camera does come with an image stabiliser to counteract blurring, but it's an electronic type rather than a more effective optical one.

The ST95 has a 5x optical zoom lens, about average for a camera of this type, and at the wide angle (zoomed out), it allows for good landscape and group shots.

Like many modern compact cameras it can record high-definition video at the 720p resolution, but only with mono (not stereo) audio. There's no HDMI-out socket to easily connect the camera to a flat-screen television, so video must be processed through a computer first. Unusually, the camera stores photos and video on a micro-SD memory card – if you have SD cards from older devices, they won't be any use.

The ST95 offers some less obvious benefits. It has a surprisingly wide range of modes, effects and settings. Switch it to Smart Auto and all you have to do is point and shoot, or press the Home button and a wealth of options appears at your fingertips – quite literally.

The other advantage is that most of the settings are controlled using the large 3in touch-sensitive rear screen. It's a pretty intuitive interface, which makes it fun to experiment.