FUJIFILM FinePix S3000 Digital Camera

With a 512mb memory card installed, this camera will hold 820 different snaps, or a mixture of video and images. The standard issue is generally only 16mb so an upgrade to one of Fujis XD picture cards is recommended, (don't pay shop prices of up to £24 - I got one from e-bay for £12.50)

It boasts just about all of the features found on current models, including a myriad of settings for manual mode that should please even those used to the freedom of an SLR. For more casual snappers, the auto mode is more or less foolproof. Picture quality only suffers if you dont use the built in, pop-up flash in low lighting conditions, but the camera warns you of this with an icon showing possible hand-shake.

I have been pleasantly surprised by the battery life, even using just the rechargeables supplied. One charge up is good for over 200 snaps, plus download, and if it does run down, you simply need to po in a spare set rather than find a charging point.

As an SLR style camera it isnt the smallest of cameras, and if you want one to keep in a pocket or handbag for spontaneous snapping, then this isnt for you.

With an as new price of over £400 a couple of years ago, this camera currently makes a great e-bay used purchase at around £35 to £40. Most sellers include at least one spare memory card, along with the original charger and batteries, cables, software, and if you are lucky, a matching case. If you see an example on offer with all of these, then bid up - its worth it!

A 3.2 mega-pixel maximum is more than sharp enough for home use, unless you are planning on printing your pictures out at A3 size. for normal prints, emailing to friends or just storing on the hard drive, you dont really want the higher resolution of brand new models, (so why pay for it?)