Fujifilm FinePix A330

Front (5.5)
Sleek, silver, and flat, the shape of the Fuji FinePix A330 is very similar to some of its competitors. As with the Canon PowerShot A310, the FinePix A330 has a sliding lens cover that turns the camera on and off, although the Fuji’s is admittedly less chic due to the fact that it’s plastic and multicolored. Unlike many other cameras, the FinePix A330 has an aesthetically condensed, almost cluttered appearance. Its chrome-like lens cover dominates the front of the camera and has multiple shades in it, while the flash and red-eye/self timer light and minuscule viewfinder are squished in as an afterthought, slightly above and to the left of the fixed Fujinon 3x optical zoom lens.

Back (7.0)
Unlike the front of the camera, the back is refreshingly straightforward. On the left-hand side is the 1.5-inch LCD screen, with playback, menu, and display buttons running vertically down the right side of it. On the upper left of the camera is the impractically small viewfinder, and slightly to its right is a viewfinder LED lamp that lights up green, orange, or red to indicate battery life, storage activity, flash readiness, and sleep mode. Three buttons on the upper right act to control macro mode, zoom and flash mode. When in playback and menu mode, these buttons function to scroll quickly up and down as well as left to right. On the right-hand side of these are small bumps and a ridge along the side of the camera to help grip.

Left Side (6.5)
The left side of the A330 contains three sockets for connectivity, all clearly labeled: a video out socket, a USB port for file transfer, and DC input for an AC power adapter (sold separately). The USB socket also acts as a port to connect the camera, when tilted on its side, to a dock (also sold separately).

Right Side (6.5)
There isn’t much on the right side of the camera except a small mount for a hand or neck strap.

Top (7.0)
On the top of the camera is the shutter, which not only takes the picture but, when pressed halfway, acts to engage the auto-focus and focus-lock.