Fujifilm FinePix 1300 1.2MP Digital Camera

Compare a scooter to a motorcycle. The scooter is a fraction of the size, power, and price, but around town, the scooter is as quick and fun as the motorcycle, and you can even take it some places the motorcycle won't go. The Fuji 1300 is the digital camera equivalent of a scooter--inexpensive and lower tech than some digital cameras, but really quick, easy, and fun to operate. And for the average camera user it will produce pictures very nearly as good as those from a substantially more expensive camera.

The 1300 is a revised version of Fuji's well-loved but short-lived MX-1200 camera. For the 1300, Fuji redesigned the case to make it (slightly) more stylish and replaced the serial transfer plug with a much faster USB connection. Otherwise, the camera remains essentially the same as its predecessor.

Compared to virtually every digital camera on the market (and especially its 1-megapixel peers), this camera is a speed demon. If you don't need to use the flash, you can turn the camera on and take your first shot in under a second. There's virtually no shutter lag (the shutter clicks a split second after you press the button), and the camera is ready to take another shot in less than 5 seconds. Though some cameras' LCD screens are slow, streaky, or choppy, the Fuji has a fast, smooth display.

Technophobes have little to fear: this Fuji is as easy to operate as a point-and-shoot film camera, automatically setting shutter speed and white balance and activating the flash, if necessary. Users looking for more creative control can adjust the exposure compensation, white balance, flash, and other settings manually. The camera also has a macro mode and a self-timer.

Pros:

• Very quick performance
• USB uncommon in cameras in this price range
• Simple and fun to operate

Cons:

• No video out (to display images on TV)
• Macro abilities limited by fixed-focus lens