Fujifilm FinePix F40fd: Pub cam

The slim FinePix F40fd is a camera squarely aimed at taking the best pictures of your debauched and embarrassing nights out. Its emphasis on low-light shooting, picture stabilisation and face detection make it ideal for capturing you vomiting in roadworks and falling down escalators. Not that Crave would know anything about those specific incidents, officer.

There are 14 special scene modes on the 8.3-megapixel F40fd, and Fujifilm obviously figured out that if it's worth including 'Underwater' and 'Snow' settings that only get used once a year on your holidays, then it's worth including low-light settings that would be used all the time. A 'Pub' setting, if you will.

Fujifilm claims that users will not need to use the flash 'in the majority of cases' thanks to its Super CCD HR VI sensor. That's a pretty bold claim, but then the Super CCD is extremely sensitive, going up to a whopping ISO 2,000, and should in theory be very comfortable when there isn't much light available, like in some dingy, overpriced, sticky-floored club. In practice, we doubt whether the F40fd will sidestep the noise and speckles on photos taken at such high ISO settings.

The F40fd also has a 'Natural Light and Flash' mode that takes two photos together, one with flash and one without. This is handy when you're not sure how the camera will deal with a low-light situation. You only get a choice of red-eye reduction or standard flash, but some choice is better than none. It also offers a standard 3x optical zoom.

If you don't tend to remember what happens in your nights out, the F40fd could well provide you with a sobering reminder. At least you'll look good in the photos, even if not so great in the morning. -Rich Trenholm