Labs

Acer isn't a particularly well-known brand when it comes to digital cameras, but build quality here is remarkably solid. There's a decent 2.5in TFT on the rear, which has a high resolution and makes it easy to see whether shots are in focus or not.

Buttons are sensibly laid out and the direction pad offers quick access to common functions like flash modes, the self-timer, macro and exposure compensation. A slider lets you switch between still, movie and playback modes, while the display button cycles basic info, a live histogram, panorama assist, no info and screen-off modes.

In the simple-to-use menus, you can set white balance (there's a manual mode), choose metering modes (multi or spot), and adjust sharpness and contrast. Exposure bracketing is a handy extra, although there's no control over focusing at all. There's an AF assist lamp for low light, but the AF system isn't the quickest, taking around a second to lock on in good light. Our other slight gripe is the

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half-second maximum exposure when others manage at least four seconds (apart from the Sony).

Like other models here, there's a 6-megapixel sensor and a reasonable range of lower resolutions. The 3x optical zoom is equivalent to 35-105mm and is made by Acer. It can focus to 6cm, which led to good macro performance, almost as close as the Canon and Sony. Importantly, colours are extremely lifelike too.

Outdoor quality wasn't as good as we'd hoped, though. The CU-6530 never nailed the exposure, tending to either under or overexpose. Purple fringing and noise were evident as well. However, the lens proved sharp even to the edges and, overall, colours were accurate and not oversaturated.

Indoors and at night, the Acer ranked towards the bottom of the group. Noise and soft focus were our chief complaints, although the CU-6530's low-light performance was by no means the worst we saw. White balance was correct more often than not, but was occasionally fooled. The multipattern metering mode, though, was generally capable in limited light, producing fine exposures.

If movies are a priority, don't choose the Acer. It could only manage around 20fps and quality was below average. There's no video output on the camera either, but plenty of compensation comes via the USB 2 cradle: just plug in your camera and it both recharges and transfers photos to your PC.

It's great to see a carry case and a 64MB SD card in the box; the two-year warranty is a bonus, too. But, ultimately, overall image quality doesn't match other cameras here of a similar price.