Fuji FinePix 2600 Zoom Digital Camera [2MP 3xOptical]

With so many models to choose from, why pick the 2600? For one thing, Fuji was unusually generous with the accessories. The camera comes with a 16 MB memory card (big enough for 39 pictures at default resolution), plus a set of rechargeable batteries and a charger. In addition, this camera is quicker than most of its competitors. When you turn it on, it's ready to use very quickly, and shutter lag and shot-to-shot performance are also surprising for a camera in its class. Battery life is also good, especially for a camera that uses only two AA batteries.

Of course, not everything about the 2600 is perfect. Its body is made of plastic, and some of the buttons don't feel quite as durable as those on other cameras, though we had no problems with reliability during testing. The sliding clamshell lens cover is a nice touch, but, unlike other cameras, sliding the cover open and closed does not turn the camera on and off--there's a power switch on top for this purpose. As a result, we sometimes found ourselves closing the lens cover and forgetting to turn the camera off. In addition, the camera offers relatively few manual controls: white balance is adjustable, as is exposure compensation, and the flash has five modes, but shutter speed and aperture are both set automatically. The camera also includes a 20-second movie mode, but the movies lack audio. If you're the type of photographer who simply likes to turn the camera on, aim, zoom, and shoot, you'll be thrilled with the simplicity of the design, but if you want more control this probably isn't the best choice for you.

The FinePix 2600 Zoom is great value, especially for photographers who love point-and-shoot simplicity. It's affordably priced, simple and fun to use, includes rechargeable batteries and a charger and produces crisp images. --Coby Pickett, Amazon.com

The FinePix 2600 Zoom sports a high-performance Fujinon optical zoom lens that delivers the equivalent of a 38 - 114mm range on a 35mm camera. Its precise auto-focus system assures sharp, focused images in an instant. The FinePix 2600Zoom also offers digital zoom enlarging up to 2.5x (in 640 x 480 pixel mode). Combined with the 3x optical zoom, this gives a total magnification effect of 7.5x, making it easier to take the shots you want with the detail you need. The FinePix 2600 Zoom's 1.8-inch colour LCD makes picture-taking easier and more enjoyable, allowing you to view pictures or movies immediately after taking them. The FinePix 2600 Zoom offers some impressive image playback options; in addition to Single Frame Playback, the 5X Zoom Playback brings out fine details and the Multi-Frame Playback displays nine different images simultaneously on the screen.

The FinePix 2600 Zoom comes with two AA Ni-MH batteries, a battery charger and a 16-MB SmartMedia card, so you can start taking pictures right away. This camera makes it easy to take great looking pictures simply by pressing the shutter button. Fully automatic operation controls all parameters for shooting quality pictures; the auto focus function provides sharp images, auto exposure automatically selects the optimum aperture and shutter speeds, intelligent auto white balance detects the type of lighting and adjusts accordingly, while full flash modes are provided including red-eye reduction. For extremely close-up shots, the Macro Mode lets you move in as close as 10cm. There is also a movie recording mode, which enables you to record video clips up to 20 seconds in length (without sound).

The USB connection and the included FinePixViewer software make it easy to download picture or movie files to your PC for viewing the images. Connecting the camera to the PC causes the software to automatically start up. The FinePixViewer also lets you connect to Fujifilm's Internet services, while the included "PictureHello" utility software turns the FinePix 2600 Zoom into a WebCam.