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The S5100 might not be rocking any out of this world features, but it's a solid little camera – particularly when you consider the sub-£150 price. It's small, it's light, and it takes good-quality pictures as long as you can stand the odd spot of purple fringing.
There's no manual mode, and while that's disappointing for purists, for beginners it simply means there are no complicated settings to get to grips with: just the zoom toggle and shutter release button. More complex features, such as the optical image stabilisation and face-detection, work so well they barely require any thought at all to use effectively.
The unfussy design also wins our hearts: this might not be a stunning camera to look at, but everything falls easily to hand. And, while the all-plastic build might not be inspiring, it's likely the S5100 will survive its fair share of mistreatment.
We're less convinced by the rather dull video mode, which produces quite flat results, and there's no doubt that those who want a camera that will grow with their photographic skills should look for something a bit more involving, such as the Samsung WB600.
But for those who want nothing more than a camera that produces competent results without the taxing nomenclature of apertures and f-stops, the S5100 is a very solid choice.
