LG KC550 5-megapixel cameraphone

This gives the impression that it might have shoehorned a camera that has just about made it over the spec bar into a lower midrange phone. But it's actually a very decent little snapper that is more than capable of holding its own against some of its pricier 5-megapixel brethren.

You're ready to shoot in less than three seconds

For a start, it's quick to get into – a practical asset that is often overlooked. Flick back the lens cover or press the shutter button on the side and you're ready to shoot in less than three seconds. So it's great for quick snaps, which, let's face it, is what cameraphones are all about.

That shutter hides a Schneider-Kreuznach 'certified' lens. We're not sure exactly what that means, but having the celebrated lens manufacturer's name attached certainly puts it a head above a generically sourced one. There's an LED photolight too, rather than a proper xenon flash, which suffers from the usual drawbacks (you'll need to get very close for it to be any use).

But whatever the significance of the name of the lens, picture quality is impressive, producing clear, sharp snaps in good light, with realistic colour balance.

That shutter hides a Schneider-Kreuznach 'certified' lens

When the camera is on the D-pad lights up with a set of four shortcuts – macro, anti-shake and flash, plus the photo album. It's nice to have these essential elements to hand rather than having to flick through menus to get to them. The digital zoom is handled by the volume buttons which are on top when you hold the handset in landscape mode.