Handbags are getting more capacious, but gadgets must still compete for precious space inside them. A digital camera has to earn its keep with a speedy start, mouth-watering photos and the flexibility to cope with any light conditions its owner throws at it. And it should be simple enough to use even when the wine is flowing and the party is in full swing.

This is the brief Fujifilm set itself when developing the Z3, which goes on sale in pink, silver and metallic blue variations to wow the crowds with its looks while turning heads with its pictures. No larger than a pack of small cigars, the camera is driven by Fuji's Real Photo Technology Processor II and houses a Fifth Generation Super CCD HR, responsible for maximising image clarity and detail.

Everything about the Z3 is fast: we set it up in its charging cradle, loaded the battery and were recording and reviewing on one charge for seven days, including using the fl ash. A great start, especially as there's no optical viewfinder so you need to rely on the battery-hungry LCD for composing and viewing.

Sliding open the front panel reveals the lens and immediately makes the camera ready to shoot in either still or movie-clip mode. In still mode, there are 14 Scene Modes to choose from, including two choices called Natural Light.

The first ramps up the ISO in dim light situations to avoid blurring and shake. The other, Natural Light Plus Flash, takes two shots consecutively with and without fl ash, giving a choice between a brighter image and one which retains more detail and atmosphere.

Since blurring can be something of an issue with lightweight units such as the Z3, Fujifilm has also included an extra anti-blur button on the back - convenient and easy to find without having to refer to the onscreen menu, where it also appears in the form of an Anti- Blur mode that speeds up the shutter speed sufficiently to improve results for those snappers with less than rock-steady hands.

Other shooting options worthy of note are those that cater for capturing fast-moving scenes, and these enable you to keep the shutter open for multiple capture of frames (provided you've room on your memory card).