i am looking to buy a high end digital compact camera for around £300?

Go to http://dpreview.com/ and search for cameras in your price range, then check out their features. Compare the cameras which interest you side by side, read the reviews. Study the sample images. Then go to a store and handle the different models, play with the controls and the menus, and buy the one which feels right to you.

You may wish to consider the Canon G10 or G11..

I'd go for the 'ricoh r7'. It has 7x optical zoom & 4x digital zoom, so you can zoom into things from far away. Its an 8 mega pixel and has image stabilization. It also takes video as avi files, so its easier to put copy to dvd, if thats what you want to do. Most small cameras, use quicktime files, that you have to convert to avi, then put to dvd. All the reviews are good for the ricoh r7, and the ricoh r6 is much the same, just with one or 2 less features, and its cheaper. The price on the site below will have went down by this time, and you'll get good deals on the internet. Ive been looking into digital cameras for a few months now, and this is the camera i want, mostly for the big zoom, quality pictures, and avi video mode. Also the r7 has spot focus. Ricoh is a japanese make.

High end compacts do not come so call stylish or that compact really.

You will have to make up your mind do you want an eye candy camera or a high end enthusiasts camera.

Buy a copy of What camera and look for your self.

The cameras previouslyly mentioned fit your request to the letter but you have rejected them on looks alone.

I would suggest Canon PowerShot G10 14.7MP Digital Camera - 5x Optical Zoom, 3 inch PureColor LCD II Viewfinder - Black

I have to recommend the Canon PowerShot A590 IS. Amazon retails it for about £300. It has one feature that other brands do not, a separate optical viewfinder (the little hole you look through at your subject). LCD viewfinders just don't work well in broad daylight. If you are going to take pictures outdoors, you should consider getting a camera with an optical viewfinder.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/s/ref=nb_ss_0_4?url=search...