Fujifilm's 2003 budget compact — 3.1MP Super CCD HR, 38-114mm zoom, xD storage, AA power
The FinePix A310 Zoom was announced by Fujifilm at CeBIT in 2003 as part of the budget A series, slotting between the simpler A200-line models and the pricier F-series compacts. It followed the A303 formula of putting the company's Super CCD sensor into a cheap, AA-powered plastic body.
It uses a 3.1-megapixel effective Super CCD HR that records interpolated images up to 6 million pixels, behind a 3x optical zoom covering 38-114mm equivalent. Framing is by a 1.5-inch TFT LCD or an optical viewfinder, sensitivity reaches ISO 800 at reduced resolution, storage is on xD-Picture Card with a 16MB card supplied, and two AA batteries give around 250 shots with the LCD off. The body measures 97x64x33mm and weighs about 204g loaded.
It suits beginners and students after a cheap early-2000s CCD compact, and its optical viewfinder plus AA power make it more self-sufficient than many rivals of the era. The Super CCD output has a distinctive rendering, though the interpolated 6MP setting flatters the sensor rather than matching a true 6-megapixel camera.
xD-Picture Cards are long discontinued and now cost real money, so a camera bundled with a card is worth a premium. AA power is trivial to sort. Check the LCD for age-related faults, make sure the zoom extends and retracts cleanly, and inspect the xD slot contacts; the all-plastic body hides drops poorly, so look for cracks around the tripod boss and door hinges.