Fujifilm FinePix Z100fd

The Z100fd is one of the best-looking digicams of the era and knows it. An all-metal body under 20mm thick, a diagonal sliding lens cover, an illuminated Z logo on the front — Fujifilm built this for people who cared how the camera looked in their hand, and it still reads as a designed object rather than a plastic point-and-shoot. The 8-megapixel CCD gives Fujifilm's particular rendering, which sits apart from Canon's warmth and Nikon's cool neutrality. Colours come through slightly punchy with strong contrast, and Fuji's long history in film shows in how skin tones and greens are handled. At ISO 1600 the grain is heavy, but it's the pleasant kind — closer to pushed film than digital mush, which is a large part of why these cameras are sought out now. The lens is the technical standout. A 5x zoom in a body this thin was unusual in 2007, achieved with a non-extending refractive design that folds the light path inside the camera. Nothing protrudes when you power on, so it starts fast and slips into a pocket without a bulge. The 36-180mm range leans telephoto, which suits portraits and details more than tight interiors, and CCD-shift stabilisation makes the long end genuinely usable. One thing to plan for: it takes xD-Picture Cards as well as SD, and while SD works fine, some listings ship with xD cards that are now hard to find. Stick with SD and it's straightforward. For anyone who wants a digicam that looks as good as its photos, with a slim metal body and a longer zoom than most of its contemporaries, the Z100fd is among the most desirable compacts Fujifilm made.