Fujifilm FinePix AV100

The Fujifilm FinePix AV100 is a budget-friendly compact point and shoot launched this February. It has a very respectable feature-set and is capable of producing solid images at a fab price.

The FinePix AV100 is truly entry-level in price terms, yet it doesn’t skimp where it matters. In fact, looking at its general specification you can’t help but be pleasantly surprised at what it manages to pack in. It uses a 12.2 megapixel sensor and sports a 3x optical zoom lens, but sadly no image stabilization.

You’ll also find a 2.7-inch 230k pixel LCD on the back, but no optical viewfinder – an increasingly common occurrence in 2010 models. The AV100 supports a nice amount of ISO modes, ranging from 100 to 1600 and we also find reasonably solid HD video recording abilities here with 720p support at 24 fps and mono sound, but one frustrating drawback reported by reviewers is that you cannot record audio if you want to use the optical zoom, and this does end up limiting its splendour. Build quality is solid, feeling good in the hand and only weighing in at around 120g excluding the 2xAA batteries required. You’ll be able to find the AV100 available in black or silver finishes.

You should find the AV100 capable of producing vibrant images in good light conditions with minimal noise and barrel distortion. Low light use is reportedly not so impressive but still good, but you may find anything above ISO 400 brings noise levels to unacceptable levels. Video recording in use should be actually rather pleasant and it’s nice that zoom is available in some form, even if you do have to trade in audio recording to get it.

As a holiday snapper or casual use camera on a budget, the FinePix AV100 is a good option. It might lack optical image stabilization but if this isn’t a major concern to you and price is, you can’t really go wrong here.