The Fuji Finepix F40fd is an excellent ultra-compact digital camera with great image quality and speed of operation.

 

The only reason the Fuji F40 does not generate more excitement is the existence of the Fuji Finepix F30 and F31fd. Other than these two models, the F40fd surpasses all ultra-compact digital cameras in terms of image quality. Its image quality even surpasses that of higher end cameras such as the just-reviewed Sony Cybershot DSC-H9. In terms of features, the Fuji F40 is quite bare. The only non-minimal controls it has are custom white-balance and metering modes.

 

Although the F40 is an excellent camera, we prefer recommending the more-capable and similarly-priced Fuji F31fd. Not only does it have better high-ISO performance, but it also has long shutter-speeds of to 15s and semi-automatic controls. Other ultra-compact digital cameras with excellent image quality include the Fuji F20 and Fuji F10. Another great alternative is the Canon Powershot SD800 IS which has a stabilized wide-angle lens, although its image quality is clearly behind the already-mentioned Fuji cameras.

See our full-length review for an in-depth look and images samples at all ISO sensitivities.