Fujifilm FinePix F470

Fujifilm brings us the FinePix F470, yet another compact 6-megapixel camera with a 3X optical zoom lens, a 2.5-inch LCD, and few distinctive features. This middle-of-the-road snapshooter shares the same basic specs as Fujifilm FinePix stablemates, the F10, the F30, and the A600. If you want better videos than the A600 offers and don't need the higher ISO sensitivity of the F10 or F30, this economical camera may be your best bet from Fujifilm's crowded lineup.

At 0.8-inch thick and weighing less than five ounces, the Fujifilm FinePix F470 is suitable for one-handed shooting. It sports a fairly standard 35mm-to-105mm-equivalent zoom lens and a fine 115,000-pixel, 2.5-inch LCD screen. The display has a ghost-reducing 60fps refresh rate and a backlight boost that keeps it viewable under direct sunlight. The sunlight-friendly LCD is a welcome feature, especially since the F470 lacks an optical viewfinder.

The back-panel zoom rocker is easy to thumb when your index finger sits over the shutter release. The same finger can hop between auto, scene, and movie modes via a switch that encircles the shutter button. The power button is the only other control on the top edge of the camera.

Controls and indicators are clustered on the right of the LCD. Among the buttons on the back is a standard four-way-plus-OK menu control, as well as display, review, and function keys. The control pad and the function button offer easy access to flash, timer, ISO, white balance, EV, and other features. Beyond these easy-access options, the F470's manual settings are sparse; for example, the manual scene mode merely provides exposure compensation.