The good news is that digital cameras seem to get cheaper every day. The even better news is that most camera manufacturers are adding more and more useful features, even in their lower-priced cameras. We took at look at the FujiFilm FinePix A150 to see what you can get in an entry level digital camera. The US retail price of the A150 is USD 129.95. Street prices are considerably lower.

The  A150 digital  camera which comes packed in an attractive black box, shown in Figure 1. Inside the box, as shown in Figure 2, you find two small user guides, a connection cable, a wrist strap, two software disks; one holding the owner’s manual and the other containing the camera’s software, and the camera itself.

Kudos to Fujifilm for including the manual on a disk. Other manufacturers should take note. This is a nice feature rather than having to search through the manufacturer’s website to find owner’s manual.  Also, the owner’s manual is well-laid out and easy to navigate. It shows exactly what each icon on the screen means. This is something that we have had to search for with some other cameras. The manual contains explicit information on everything from attaching the wrist strap to using the camera’s self-timer. It is good documentation for both beginner and advanced users.

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Figure 1: The box.

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Figure 2: What’s in the box.

As shown in Figure 3, the camera itself is a compact point-and-shoot camera with a pleasing brushed silver finish that doesn’t show fingerprints. At approximately 4.3 oz (130 g) and 3.6” (92 mm) x 2.4” (61 mm) x 1.1” (22 mm), it is comparable to many other point-and-shoot cameras of this type. But at only 1.1” (22 mm) thick, it is one of the slimmest, making it is small enough to easily fit in a shirt pocket. Yet it has just hefty enough to feel substantial in the hand. As a matter of fact, the whole camera is a solid, substantial build.

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Figure 3: The FujiFilm A150.