Fujifilm's 2002 entry compact — 3.2MP 1/2.7 CCD, 3x 38-114mm equiv zoom, early xD-Picture Card, AA power.
The Fujifilm FinePix A303 was a budget digital compact announced on 1 August 2002, part of Fujifilm's entry-level A series. It is notable as one of the very first cameras to use the then-new xD-Picture Card format that Fujifilm and Olympus launched that year to replace SmartMedia.
It combined a 3.2-megapixel 1/2.7-inch CCD with a 5.7-17.1mm f/2.8-7 zoom lens, equivalent to 38-114mm on 35mm. Movies recorded at QVGA 320x240 resolution, 10 frames per second, in clips of up to about 60 seconds. A 16MB xD-Picture Card was bundled, and the camera ran on two AA alkaline batteries, weighing around 200g loaded and measuring 97 x 64 x 34mm.
The A303 was built for simple family snapshots and remains exactly that: an automatic, chunky-but-pocketable early digicam. It draws interest today from early-2000s CCD enthusiasts, with its f/2.8 wide end giving usable indoor shots for the class. Responsiveness and buffer depth are period-typical, meaning slow.
As an early xD camera, storage is its weak point on the used market: xD cards are discontinued and command silly prices, so an included card matters. AA power is easy, but check the battery compartment for alkaline leak damage. Test the retracting lens, flash charge, and rear LCD, and review sample images for the sensor lines that afflict ageing CCDs.