Despite the statements of a severely misinformed Casio representative, the V7, while an interesting camera, isn't new news -- but that didn't stop us from snapping its chunky 7x zooming self, as well as its freshly minted and introduced brethren, the Z1050, Z75. Seems to us only the Z75 should cary the EXILIM monicker since the Z7 and Z1050 are both pretty thick, but hey, thick is the new thin and megapixels are the new pocketability.

Looks like Casio is in the mood for ever-so-slight upgrades rather than completely revamping a pair of its EXILIM digital cameras, as the EX-Z1050 and EX-Z75 both seem to be brushed up versions of their former selves. Nevertheless, the 10-megapixel Z1050 sports that all too common shiny silver enclosure, 2.6-inch LCD monitor, anti-shake technology, up to ISO 3200, rechargeable Li-ion battery, USB 2.0 connectivity, and a 30fps VGA video mode as well. The slimmer, sleeker Z75 comes in with 7.2-megapixels, a equally sized 2.6-inch screen, 3x optical zoom, anti-shake, USB 2.0, and a "best shot" feature that presumably measures lighting and surroundings in order to automatically snap the most attractive shot. So while Casio hasn't done anything revolutionary here, you can still pick up the Z1050 for ¥12,990 ($107) or the Z75 for just ¥9,990 ($83) if you're content with middle-of-the-road.

Update: Hold up, before you go buying a plane ticket to whatever fantasy land they sell these $80 cameras in: the quoted prices are actually in Taiwanese dollars, not yen, meaning that the Z1050 is dropping for $394 and the Z75 for $303.

[Thanks, Victor T.]
Read - Casio EX-Z1050
Read - Casio EX-Z75