If you are looking for a straightforward digital camera then they don't come much easier to use than the Fuji Finepix A600. It is a basic, fairly inexpensive camera and Fuji have really focused on ease of use.
Standard features include six megapixels and a three times optical zoom lens. It feels like a fairly solid camera for a camera in this price range, even with its plastic body.
As the Finepix A600 is 30mm wide it is on the large side when it comes to slipping into a pocket. It weighs 145g.
The camera needs two AA batteries to work. Fuji supplies a couple of typical alkaline batteries in the box. No memory card is supplied as 12mb of storage are built into the camera. This is a small amount to storage for a six megapixel camera. The camera is compatible with xD cards and you will need to buy one before you will be able to get much use out of the camera.
One area to be aware of is the camera's movie mode. This is very restricted compared to other digital cameras and only short, one minute movies can be recorded. The camera is advanced enough to record sound with the movie, but zoom cannot be used.
On the back of the camera is a 2.4" LCD screen. This is a good size for a camera of this type, although there are a few cameras now available for under £100 with 2.5" LCD screens. As with most similar cameras there is no viewfinder.
Other features include a macro mode that allows the camera to focus from 10cm away from the subject. Again there are other cameras that can get you in closer and 5cm is roughly the average macro focusing distance now.
If you are planning to produce mainly 6 x 4" prints the Finepix A600 has a special setting for these. Using this means that there is no need for the photos to be trimmed to fit onto the paper.
