If you don't need a camera that doubles as a fashion accessory and aren't interested in extensive manual control, 5-megapixel models such as Fuji's A500 may be all you need. This low-cost camera looks plain rather than ugly, and is small enough for most pockets. It seems well built, though the exposed power, USB and video output sockets could get clogged with dirt. The 1.8" screen is a little small and not particularly bright, and its 77,000-pixel resolution is coarse, but there's an optical viewfinder to back it up.
Physical controls are limited, with dedicated controls for zoom, macro and flash only. The onscreen menu is just as basic, with ISO speed, white balance and exposure compensation completing the photographic controls. Still, this should be sufficient for those who want an easy-to-use snapper. We'd welcome faster performance, though, as there's a five-second gap between powering up and taking a shot, and three to four seconds between subsequent shots. Browsing pictures stored on an xD card is a sluggish experience, too. Battery life is poor from a pair of Duracell Plus batteries, although high-capacity rechargeables will give better results.
Image quality can't compete with that of more expensive cameras. There's a fuzzy softness to pictures at high magnification. However, this isn't visible when viewing pictures onscreen or in 6x4" prints. Compared to other entry-level models, image quality is excellent, with natural colours in a variety of conditions and minimal image noise even at ISO 400. The only problems were in low light with the flash turned off; the 1/4-second maximum exposure time sometimes isn't long enough to produce a bright exposure.
The A500 is basic, but it's easy to use and image quality is up to scratch.
System Specifications
DIGITAL CAMERA 5 megapixels (2,592x1,944 pixels), 3x optical zoom, 12MB internal memory, xD-Picture Card slot, two AA batteries
Author: Ben Pitt
Computer Shopper Online