Photos, for the most part, are acceptable and after a little "photoshopping" look fine for most uses.
This camera would have been better if a little more thought was put into the design of its various sections. The case should be a little slimmer, the software a little more grown up, and the lens perhaps a little more in tune with the CCD.
That said, if these things were done I doubt the price would be as low as it is for this camera. Direct competitors are few and far between at this price point, the closest being the Pentax Optio E-20 or the Sony DSC-S600, however both of these are 6MP cameras and not 7MP, so not directly comparable.
Conclusion
If you are new to digital cameras, or need a compact and already own xD Cards then you could do worse than the Fuji A700.
However, I suspect you'll outgrow it quite quickly, so it may be worth saving up and getting one of the newer 9 or 10 Mega Pixel compacts that are now available.
It would be an ideal kids first camera as it is built well, relatively light and requires no setup whatsoever.
If you cannot stretch the extra 60 pounds or so for the next level up, then this is certainly better than the 'no-name' cameras out there; although the lens is not perfect, and the software and features lack, it is still a decent 'bang for the buck' camera from a reputable manufacturer.
Author's note - The thumbnail images link to the bigger original which are around the 5mb mark. Some of the photos have been touched up in PhotoShop.
Article comments
1 - Raoul
Hi Ashley. I liked your review, but I also wanted to mention that I dislike photos with prominent watermarks. I understand you were trying to brand them, but still, smaller watermarks or none at all would have been much better.
2 - Ashleigh
The watermarkes on the large versions of the images are a lot less visible.
Cheers
Ashleigh