Fujifilm FinePix F100fd

We found several worthwhile reviews of the Fujifilm FinePix F100fd digital camera. The CNet.com (Asia) report on the F100fd is well detailed and is several steps above the camera reviews typically produced by its U.S. sister site. England's TrustedReviews.com does a similarly competent evaluation. Laptop magazine's report is a little less detailed, and a couple of odd comments leave us questioning the reviewer's expertise, but it is balanced and easy to read. There are surprisingly few user reviews available at Amazon.com.

Reports say that the 12-megapixel Fujifilm FinePix F100fd is an imperfect camera. However, if you do a lot of shooting in low light (such as indoors), no other camera approaches it in performance. In addition, its wide dynamic range means that it can handle difficult shots in both bright and shadowed areas better than any other camera currently available. Notable negatives include minimal manual controls and a confusing user interface. Some users report an image artifact that leaves a pink band along the left side of the image, but that issue has at least been partially addressed by a firmware upgrade. Although its low-light performance falls short of the Fujifilm FinePix F100fd, the Panasonic Lumix DMC-LX3 (*est. $405) is a much better all-around camera, although it is more expensive.