We’ve been, from time-to-time, accused of using overly flowery language in the reviews on this site. We try to tread that fine line between trying not to say exactly the same thing time-after-time and lapsing into the incomprehensible. And, on the whole, I think we get it about right. But, as you'd expect, there is the occasional dissenting voice on the forum demanding that we must just state the facts as dryly as possible (But then the forums would be a much less 'vibrant' place if everyone agreed on everything).

However, our linguistic forays - even at their most florid - are nothing compared to the adventures in prose undertaken on behalf of some of the camera companies. Perhaps it’s because much of the underlying material has been translated from unrelated languages – a process that can result in some beautiful, if somewhat enigmatic, imagery. Or maybe because there are few jobs more thankless than having to compose three pages-worth of compelling text about a camera that differs from its predecessor only in the inclusion of a larger screen, a more densely-packed sensor and a smattering of new scene modes (surely soon to include ‘Friends eating Lancashire Hotpot on a Wednesday evening in summer' mode).

Statements such as: “The subject floats serenely in its own world, like a misty memory or the landscape of a dream” are not unheard of, making me slightly concerned that the next time I order prints I’m going to be confronted with the question: ‘What finish would you like? Gloss, Matte or Whimsy?’

My favourite of late, however, must be the press release that suggesting that the camera it was pushing included a mode that can create: “a sense of déjà vu.” Which sounds lovely, unless you make the mistake of thinking about it too hard. I suspect that, if you take photos for yourself, then you’re probably doing so to preserve memories, in which case the sensation of having experienced the scene before should really come as standard; and those who’re taking photos to show or sell to other people probably aren’t hoping for the response: “I’ve already seen this.”