Slim and stylish, the Olympus Mju 1040 should appeal to the keen photographer for its sharp snaps and the budget-conscious buyer for its Bt8,990 price tag.

That's a bargain for a digicam with so many useful shooting modes, 10.1 megapixel resolution and a 2.7-inch monitor with a standard 3x optical zoom.

But the slimmed-down compact design - the camera is just 20.3 mm thick - comes with a price: You'll need to be careful that your finger doesn't obscure the lens, which is located in the top left corner. That happened to me several times during the test.

When it didn't have my finger blocking the view, the Mju 1040 took some beautiful portraits. Just remember to turn on the anti-redeye feature in flash mode.

The camera tends to underexpose when taking scenery shots unless your subject is well lit, so always make sure your back is against the sun.

When night fell, its performance didn't, and I got some quality snaps.

The camera comes with a dual-image stabilisation mode, face detection technology and a Smile Shot mode. The latter machine-guns a burst of three consecutive shots when your subject gives you a really big smile.

If you are not sure which mode of the camera should be used, opt for the Intelligent Auto Mode. This automatically identifies what's in the camera's sights and adjusts settings to capture the best possible results.         -

Key specs:

Effective pixels: 10 megapixels

Memory: 48 MB of internal memory, expandable with xD-Picture Card; Package comes with microSD Card adapter for xD-Pictre Card slot

Lens focal length: 6.7 - 20.1 mm (38 - 114 mm)

Aperture range: f3.5 - 5.0

Sensitivity: Auto, ISO 50, 100, 200, 400, 800, 1600, 3200

Shutter speed: 1/4-1/1000 sec. 

LCD monitor: 2.7-inch TFT colour LCD, approx. 230,000 dots

Power supply: Lithium ion battery (LI-42B)

Dimensions (W x H x D): 89 x 55.5 x 20.3 mm

Weight (excluding batteries / card): 108 g