daunting experience but fuji has made things very easy for those looking for a simple point-and-shoot camera. the finepix a202 is a chunky compact camera that costs less than £200. it looks nice too, finished in smart silver and chrome. and the best thing about the fuji is its superb simplicity. many cameras make claims about ease of use, but the a202 is so simple to get to grips with that even the most apprehensive digital camera novice need have no fears. we inserted two aa batteries and were taking snaps in no time. we were a little concerned about there only being two batteries as this looked like a recipe for frequent replacement. our fears were unfounded however, as they lasted a few weeks of intermittent use without fading. and having only two cells means the size of the camera is kept sensible. a variety of folks who picked up the a202 and snapped a couple of shots said it felt comfortable. the finepix a202 is a 2megapixel camera, capturing its highest-quality images at a resolution of 1600 x 1200 pixels. it uses fuji's new xd memory card to store images and a 16mb one is supplied to get users started. images from the a202 were very sharp, although the lack of an optical zoom does reduce flexibility a little. but this camera isn't for folks who want loads of functions; it's for people who want to take pictures with the absolute minimum of hassle. there are several flash modes, including an effective red eye removal setting and the ability to capture low resolution video clips. there is a simple video editing software package included so users can make the most of their footage, but we think most people will prefer the simple image editor for fine-tuning wonky snapshots. as we've said, the best>best feature of the a202 is the ease with which even a total novice can get results. it's a great way to get into digital photography. fuji's budget finepix a202 digital camera confirms the fact that 2megapixels is now very much an entry-level specification. picking up the camera you're reminded of its budget origins; it's very light and the case is made entirely of plastic, but it does feel sturdy. the lens is a simple fixed-focus affair, with a mechanical switch on the front to put it into macro mode. manual controls are limited to exposure compensation and white balance, while the menu system from the 1.5in tft display is simple and easy to navigate. the a202 is one of the first cameras we've seen with the xd-picture card storage format. a 16mb card is supplied, which is good good for 25 shots at maximum quality. fuji says the a202 has been designed for long battery life, and we agree; a couple of aas lasted for dozens of shots and several uploads without a hint of a battery-low indicator. image quality is fair with no glaring deficiencies, but the price tag is betrayed lack lack of fine detail and sharpness, plus noticeable barrel distortion from the very basic lens. if fuji had managed to bring the a202 in at the mar0 mark we'd have no hesitation at all in recommending it as a great camera for snaps. you'll be able to pick it up for less than the rrp on the street, but even so you'd probably be better off spending a little bit more on something like nikon's coolpix 2000, which offers a zoom, autofocus and better quality for about £190. specs good points: so easy to use. compact. good battery life. bad points: no zoom. overall: supremely simple to use, this should be your first digital camera