With a slew of new launches even point- and-shoot cameras can be categorised into high-end and low-end. Genius G-Shot PS31 is probably one ofthe cheaper options in the budget compact camera category.

The 8 megapixel CCD camera, features a 2.7in screen and 3x optical zoom lens. The camera has a plastic body with a metallic finish, and has plain-Jane looks in terms of design. The manufacturer had mainly concentrated on keeping the price low, rather than focus on the looks.

The power on/off and shutter buttons are on the top of the camera. The D-pad, zoom control rocker and four more keys are placed beside the screen. We did not expect an optical viewfmder in such a low-budget camera. The camera that we got had'the D-pad and the shutter buttons slightly. loose, and the zoom rocker was also poor. The power button is also quite sluggish, as you have to keep it pressed for a couple of seconds to switch the camera on. For power the camera uses two AA batteries.