Fujifilm's F-series is arguably the most successful line of compact cameras around, in no small part down to consistent performance and solid build quality across the range. The 8.3-megapixel F40fd is currently available at prices close to budget levels, but this certainly isn't reflected in its design. It sports a stylish black and silver casing and has a rather weighty feel about it, which we tend to like.
On firing the camera up for the first time, though, we were a little let down by the quality of the 2.5-inch LCD. While clear and sharp enough when viewing photos, we've seen better refresh rates in terms of using the screen as a viewfinder: it often takes a second for the focus and colour accuracy to kick in if you swing it around too quickly.
In terms of general operation, you'll find that Fujifilm takes a slightly different approach to environment presets over a lot of the other big name brands. Instead of a shortcut to a typical list or tiled selection, your options are defined by the mode wheel. Here you'll find the standard 'auto' setting, along with the video camera, camera stabilisation and natural light mode to remove unwanted effects of the flash. One particularly nice feature here is the 'Natural & Flash' mode, which takes two shots simultaneously, one with and one without flash, offering you an easy choice of the best picture.
When you use any of these modes you'll find that more advanced settings for fine-tuning or choosing more specific environments aren't available through the main menu. To get to these you'll either have to select manual shooting or one of two scene position presets - SP1 or SP2.
Choosing one of these allows you to pick a specific setting, such as beach, snow, underwater or night mode, and save it to this position for easy access next time you need it. We think this is a great way to narrow down an often daunting list of options to the most useful two and, in combination with the range of fine tuning available in manual mode, gives you an excellent degree of control over your photographs.
One final addition to the F40fd's arsenal is, as more knowledgeable digicam users will already have noted, the Face Detection technology signified by the 'fd' in the name. Easily accessible through a dedicated control, this optimises focus for any faces in shot.
Taking the F40 for a spin we were impressed on most fronts. If you'd rather have more control over the capable automatic mode you'll find noticeable improvement when selecting presets to cater for your environment. Photos were consistently vibrant and sharp, with rich colours and good contrast. Macro mode in particular did an excellent job of picking out the finest details of complex structures without drastic reduction of colour accuracy or depth of field.
Of particular note is the maximum 2,000 ISO, impressive for a camera of this type and offering the ability to produce noticeably better results in dimly lit environments as well as an extended range at night. You'll notice more noise at higher ISO levels, but comparatively the F40 performs well here, and even though a tripod is essential to get the best pictures at these levels, results were pretty good nonetheless.
The F40fd would be well suited to amateur photographers looking for a decent low-priced compact. The controls are well arranged and nice to use, it's easy to take good photos quickly if 'point-n-shoot' is your main concern, and yet it offers enough extra for more experienced photographers to feel at home.
Although some beginners may feel that it's initially not quite as user-friendly as some rivals in this price range, we'd happily bear that slightly steeper learning curve to take advantage of the benefits the latest in Fuji's F-series has to offer.
