Fujifilm FinePix Z10fd Review

Surely the guys at Fujifilm are having a giggle, busting out a 7.2MP point-and-shoot camera so cheap, sexy and in so many colours, then charging almost nothing for it. They've even compromised with an SD slot alongside their usual xD, the loons.

It was about time Fujifilm realised xD-Picture cards were a bugbear – everything non-Sony uses SD these days, doesn't it? But not content with giving the Z10fd a dual slot, they made it compatible with SDHC cards for even more storage options. Bravo.

You make me colourblind...
The range of colours stretches to seven: Hot Pink, Wave Blue, Red, Midnight Black, Wasabi Green, Moss Green and Sunset Orange. How come Red doesn't get a funky adjective? Even Black got one. We're going to say... Tahitian Red.

Sadly, for all this worthiness and style, the cheapness shines through. Although the lens cover is nice-looking brushed metal, the rest of the body is light and plasticky.

It doesn't take the best shots, either – soft and grainy, and the autofocus struggles even in good light. Flash shots are a bit hard and lifeless, too.

Review continues after the break...

Low-light dark horse
Surprisingly, though, it performs quite well at high ISO – even at ISO 1600 the shots aren't totally hideous, but you'll want to convert them to black and white to make them at all useable.

A pair of circular D-pads mean any idiot can navigate the menus. Even us. The top one selects zoom in/out, playback mode and face detection, while the lower circle handles the usual menu navigation, macro, flash, self-time and anti-shake. All compacts should be this simple; maybe then the less camera-savvy of us can actually point and shoot, not point, shoot and swear.

For the money and the amount of sexiness on offer, it seems harsh to complain. But you might not feel that way when you see how disappointing your photos are.