Fujifilm FinePix A210

Fujifilm built the FinePix A210 without so much as a passing nod to style, and the camera doesn't offer a rich feature set or sparkling performance. But the A210 does have a 3-megapixel resolution and a 3X zoom. If you're looking for a basic snapshooter that takes good pictures, this model does the job.

The A210 is square and ugly. Its plastic body is too thick for a shirt pocket, but it weighs a moderate 7.9 ounces with a battery and media installed. We have no major complaints about control placement or labeling, and the menu system is quick and easy to use. But we can't figure out why you have to both slide open the lens cover and flip the power switch to turn on the camera.

Like its design, the A210's feature set isn't fancy. The 3X zoom lens covers focal lengths from 36mm to 108mm (the 35mm-film equivalents). Programmed automatic is the only exposure mode, but exposure is adjustable in increments to plus 1.5EV or minus 2.1EV. For white balance, you get six presets and an automatic setting. However, the A210 lacks custom white balance, light-sensitivity choices, and a continuous-shooting mode. The camera captures JPEG stills to xD-Picture Card media. You can also fill the storage capacity with silent 320x240-pixel MJPEG video and use the A210 to videoconference on a PC (you supply the microphone).

The A210's entry-level theme carries through to its performance, which is adequate at best. Start-up takes about six seconds; shutter delay is around one second; and shot-to-shot time comes in at a sluggish four seconds or so. The 1.5-inch LCD is acceptably sharp and usable in outdoor light, and the viewfinder, though small and distorted, is a bit sharper than most in this camera's class. The flash's 11.5-foot maximum range is a bit better than average. One area in which the A210 stands out is battery life. Alkaline cells come in the box, but we used a couple of rechargeable nickel-metal-hydride AAs to get 845 shots, half of them with the flash. Check out Fujifilm's compatible CP-FXA10 dock, which ships with a rechargeable battery.

Reasonably good picture quality redeems the A210's otherwise lackluster character. Our test photos were comparatively sharp, detailed, and smooth. Colors came out mostly accurate and vibrant, and exposure was generally fine. We noted some noise and compression artifacts, but you'll probably be happy with snapshot-size prints of the A210's images.