Fujifilm FinePix Z700EXR early review: Slidey, touchy snapper

You're running out of excuses not to buy a camera with one of Fujifilm's fiendishly clever EXR sensors inside. They now appear in almost every type of camera, and the latest addition to the ranks is the slidey-face Fujifilm FinePix Z700EXR compact.

The Z700EXR is a 12-megapixel snapper with a sliding face plate. Sliding open the front of the camera turns it on and lights up the 'Z' logo. Round the back is a touchscreen, and inside is optical image stabilisation.

It shoots 720p high-definition video at 24 frames per second, recorded in the AVI format. Among other features, it sports assorted timer options, like settings to make the camera wait until it spots a couple or group -- or a pet -- before it automatically takes the picture.

EXR stands for -- er, actually we don't know what it stands for, but it means that the camera has an EXR sensor inside. The sensor has three layers, so you can choose to optimise the camera's performance for the kind of environment you're snapping in. You can choose to optimise ISO performance when it's too dark, or boost the dynamic range for pictures with richer colours. It's a feature that has earned the F200EXR, F70EXR and S200EXR high scores in our famous reviews section.

We're not keen on slidey-face cameras -- there's too much scope for switching them on in your pocket, and getting fingers in the shot -- but we like the EXR system and we're suckers for a good touchscreen. Click 'Continue' to see the Z700EXR being manhandled.