This week?s post is dedicated to the new digital camera I picked up last week, the new Fuji Finepix Z5fd.


Now there?s already a bunch of reviews of the Z5fd on the Intertubes, so I?ll try to pick out some of the major highlights of the camera and ultimately let you be the judge with some pictures I took with it.


In a nutshell, the Z5fd is a compact, lightweight, and fast digital camera that?s perfect for carrying around without having to feel that you actually have a camera on your person. I?ve always found this to be annoying with my 4+ year old Nikon Coolpix 885 which you couldn?t slip into your pocket and for which you had to manually remove and replace the lens cap to use. But aside from these inconveniences, the real inspiration for getting a new camera was that Nikon was too slow at taking pictures, and simply generated too much noise in the actual photographs. And with my sister?s upcoming graduation in a few weeks, there?s no way I could trust the Nikon for taking memorable high quality pictures. Z5fd to the rescue!


The Z5fd is a 3rd generation camera in the Fuji Z-series line and has gone through several iterations of refinement. It brings to the table a 6.3 MP CCD sensor with a 3x optical zoom and a 6.2x digital zoom. For some, the optical zoom may be insufficient, but for the types of pictures that most people take including myself, it appears to be more than enough. The digital zoom is turned off by default, and can be turned on if necessary.


Fuji also has to be commended for having excellent taste in product design. The camera is turned on by moving the slide cover to the right which uncovers the lens, and is turned off by simply sliding it back to the left. I?ve always though that having a slider as the on/off mechanism of a camera made perfect sense just like many of the Olympus point and shoot film cameras had. If you need to take a picture quick, who has time to fidget with a dial or find the recessed power button that has to be depressed. While grabbing it out of your pocket, you can move the slider to the on position and by the time you have the camera in position, it?s on and ready to go. Take your picture, then move the slider to the off position and put the camera back in your pocket. This also illustrates an important point in that the Z5fd has a limited optical zoom because it doesn?t have a telescoping lens. All zooming is performed from within the body itself. With respect to speed and simplicity, you don?t have to wait for the camera lens to retract back into the body and to extend when turning it on. Just move the slider to turn it off, put it away, and you?re done.


A majority of digital cameras out in the market today ship without having the LCD screen protected from scratches and other potential mishaps. It is analogous to the matte LCD screens that ship with most notebook computers. Since the Z5fd has no optical viewfinder and relies solely on its large, gorgeous 2.5? LCD display, the display is protected not by a plastic overlay like many other cameras, but by an elevated reinforced glass screen. In addition, with the Z5fd?s all metal body construction, I can see no reason in purchasing a bulky camera case if it was to be used on a regular basis. It?s compactness and durability make it suitable for carrying around in your pocket all the time. If in the event the slider accidentally opens while inside your pocket, the camera has a built-in 2 minute timer that will automatically power it off.


Another feature to appreciate is the Z5fd?s focusing speeds, it can bring objects or scenes into focus quickly in less than a second. This is especially important when you need to take a sharp clear picture quickly before time runs out. Either press the shutter halfway to bring the scene into focus before shooting or just depress the button completely to have the camera quickly focus and take the shot.


Lastly the camera comes at a great price. I was shocked to have found it at the local Target last weekend for only $230.00 as I thought it was only going to be available from online stores and camera shops. I guess Target has a favorable arrangement with Fuji as Amazon or B&amp;H have yet to carry it in stock. Yay, +1 for Target!


PROS:


* Small
* Compact
* Fast on/off, picture-taking
* Solid feel
* All metal construction
* Sleek minimalist design
* Face detection technology (can be toggled on/off)
* High-quality photos (371 6+MP photos, or 15 min. 640?480 video with audio on a 1GB XD card)
* Quick charging
* Easy to use scene mode settings as well as manual settings
* Blog mode to easily scale down high-resolution shots
* No software install necessary when used with iPhoto and Picasa (but included)
* Charges without removing battery (never have to manually set date and time)
* Built-in IR port for wireless printing/transfer
* Easy to use navigation buttons, and controls.


CONS:


* Small, can be prone to dropping (but included wriststrap should help against this)
* Proprietary battery
* Unknown battery life (to be tested)
* Uses XD Picture card (Fuji and Olympus proprietary, not as mainstream as SD)


RATING: (On a scale of 1Factor to 5Factors, 5 being the best ) 5


Final Remarks: For the price, quality, and general photography needs, the Z5fd demonstrates tremendous product leadership that can?t be overlooked.