FUJIFILM FinePix A204 Digital Camera

A little camera that is ideal for beginners with it's lack of complexity and also a good knockabout second camera when you don;t want to be too obvious or intrusive.

I owned this camera for four years, only selling to move onto a newer 6 MP camera (Canon IXUS 800IS) that I thought would produce better pictures. I found that in daylight conditions, this camera easily matched the newer camera and surprisingly, I was able to get good quality prints of up to A4 size from only 2 MegaPixels. One of the key points here is that the picture isn;t killed off by excessive noise reduction as with more modern cameras. Also, it's plastic construction should not deter people, as it is surprisingly robust and the slide-across cover offers the lens good protection when retracted.

My only complaints are that in low light (you'll see the little 'hand' symbol when this is the case), images could be a little blurry and newer cameras will outperform this camera where the light is very low - placing on a stationary surface and using the timer will help here. The sliding cover will scratch the casing slightly after extensive use, however, this is a minor aesthetic point.

I have owned one of these for a couple of years now and can't complain about the simplicity and ease of use, ok its slightly chunky in comparison with newer models, but the picture quality is excellent. I used to have an olympus OM10 SLR camera, and although this was a lot more versatile than the fuji, I find the fuji is a dawdle to carry around compared to the various lenses and bits and bobs associated with the slr camera. I would recommend the A204 to anyone wishing to start out on digital photography.