So Casio's just announced that it's taking the six megapixel
Exilim EX-Z60 and bumping the resolution up to 7.2 megapixels in a new model whose name you can probably guess, while at the same time managing to make it just a little more pocket-friendly by shaving a few millimeters off the depth. Besides those extra million or so pixels, though, the Exilim EX-Z70's specs remain nearly identical to its sibling's, so the 2.5-inch LCD, 3x optical zoom, and digital image stabilization will come as little surprise. Retailing for around $425, a black version of this 118-gram point-and-shooter will be available at the beginning of July, while a silver edition will hit the streets about a month later. Keep reading to get a view from the back, though if you're familiar with Z60, you'll have seen it all before...
posted Jun 22nd 2006 10:07AM
I wonder if the resolution is going to be better than previous models. I know that my Z50 was a little lacking on res quality. Big screen, poor quality. I will say that I've taken my Elixim down to 105ft when I went scuba diving and it took good shots. Very slow between macro shots but usable. It was especially nice when I switched it to video mode. You could hear my SCUBA regulator. And yes, I had it in a Casio UW housing. :)
Hmmm... I have the Casio EX Z-750 with the same resolution - came out a year ago.
Same stats, minuse the little joystick thingy, and mine has a viewfinder.
I can't see how this is much of an improvement, unless the innards differ.
Casio seems to make great cameras but they are going to hurt themselves if they continue to release so many similar cameras.
I'm still having trouble understanding why a camera like this needs 7+ megapixels. I'm sure it's directly related to the general public's idea that more MP automatically relates to better quality pictures.
I realize that more data means better quality when you get into the digital zoom range, so that's a plus, but other than perpetuating the mine's bigger than yours, this looks like a nice little camera to carry around Disneyland or other vacation destination.
Sacramento Photog: Totally agree. I mean shit, look at cell phones. A 160 x 120 thumbnail from a pic taken on a real camera has more detail than a 1 MP shot taken on any of the various Motorola cell phones I've owned. A camera of this caliber shouldn't exceed 5 MP. My experience has been that anything higher than that on a camera in the $300 - $400 dollar range just gets you more JPG noise.
Do you still need the dicking station to charge it? Like with my old Exilim? Why can't they make one that charges via a USB cable like my mobile phone does. Or at least just a simple mains lead. I hate having to carry the docking station AND power brick around.
Looks nice. I wonder of the silver looks better.
heh.... dicking station.
Speaking of dicking station, that pic looks like the multi-talented Taylor Hayes.
So you have all this pixel real estate, no stabilization, and no viewfinder. In low light...BLURRR!
Gee, Don, you should really read at least the summary before saying that it doesn't have image stabilization!
Personally, I go for Canon cameras, they kick ass.