Hands-on with the Fujifilm FinePix Z100fd

The Fujifilm FinePix Z100fd has slid on into Crave this week, and we think we like it. It's an 8-megapixel camera with some rather slinky styling, a 69mm (2.7-inch) LCD screen and a 5x zoom.

We were underwhelmed by the FinePix Z10fd's performance, but we couldn't deny the stylin' looks and fun experience. The Z100fd has similar good looks, with a dash of class injected into the Z10fd's youthful zest. The two-tone metal frame comes in brown, silver, pink, and a rather flash black and white.

The Z100fd is activated by a unique sliding faceplate that moves -- get this -- diagonally. Sliding faceplates aren't our favourite things in the world -- that's raindrops on roses, whiskers on lolkittens, and lasagna with chips from Frank's Sandwich Shop. Faceplates tend to add width to cameras, yet the Z100fd manages to be a mere 20mm thick.

The non-protruding 5x zoom lens is equivalent to 36-180mm on a 35mm camera. It also packs in CCD-shifting image stabilisation, which we like. The camera is controlled by a zippy scroll wheel, similar to that on some of the Nikon Coolpix style range.

The Z100fd boasts Fujifilm's face detection 2.0, which we also like, because it actually, y'know, works. Movement tracking can keep the focus locked on to a face even if your subject does something that would defeat other face-recognition systems, like turn sideways, wear glasses, move about or just look a bit weird.

The Z100fd is available now for £150. As a bonus, sliding the lens cover across lights up a big 'Z' logo on the faceplate! It's like the Zorro camera! We'll let you know whether this gay blade is up to scratch in a forthcoming review. -Rich Trenholm