Fujifilm Finepix M603 Zoom

Fujifilm released the FinePix M603 in November 2002 and it looked like nothing else on the shelf. Tall, narrow, held vertically — more camcorder than camera, with the shutter button on the side where your forefinger naturally rests. That same shape is why it fetches big money secondhand today: nothing else looks like it, the 1/1.7″ Super CCD has a tonal character collectors recognise, and good examples are scarce.

THE LOOKS

The M603 is silver and only silver, with an aluminum-magnesium body that runs 65mm wide and 108mm tall — designed to be gripped like a camcorder rather than cradled like a compact. The 2.5-inch LCD sits center-rear, the dual media slots live at the base, and the whole thing has a purposeful, tool-like quality that most compacts of the era avoided. There’s nothing fashion-forward about it. That’s part of the appeal.

THE SPECS

The 1/1.7-inch 3rd Generation Super CCD is a large sensor for a 2002 compact — Fujifilm’s pixel interpolation producing 6MP output from 3.1MP effective pixels, with the tonal quality the Super CCD line was built on. ISO reaches 1600, unusually high for the era. The Super EBC Fujinon 2× zoom stays at f/3.2 throughout. VGA/30fps video runs at unlimited clip length with zoom and AF active during recording — the Microdrive slot enabling up to 15 minutes per charge, a capacity no memory card could match in 2002. 65 × 108 × 30mm, 210g.

DESIGN HIGHLIGHTS

• Vertical camcorder grip with side-mounted shutter: hold it upright, forefinger on the shutter, and the whole thing makes more sense than any horizontal compact.
• IBM Microdrive slot alongside xD: the CF-format Microdrive enabled up to 15 minutes of VGA/30fps video — a capacity no memory card could match in 2002 at any reasonable price.
• 3rd Gen Super CCD delivering 6MP output from 3.1MP effective: Fujifilm’s pixel interpolation producing images with the tonal quality the Super CCD line was built on.

THE VERDICT

The M603 never pretended to be a conventional point-and-shoot. The vertical body, side shutter, and Microdrive slot all point toward the same thing: a device for people who shoot a lot of video and want the stills to be good too. The Super CCD output has the warm, textured quality Fujifilm was known for, and the camcorder grip is more comfortable for extended shooting than anything horizontal. Odd on a shelf. Right in the hand.