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Casio's Exilim Hi-Zoom EX-V7 reviewed
While we could see the quality issues coming, it's hard not to hope that somehow Casio was able to cram a 7.2-megapixel sensor and a 7x optical zoom into a point-and-shoot enclosure that produced astounding (or at least good) results. Sadly, we're still waiting for that day, as reviewers at PopPhoto deflated our hopes that a wicked zoom could in fact be stuffed into an ultracompact without sacrificing image quality. As expected, the sleek, sexy frame of the Exilim Hi-Zoom EX-V7 was adored, the anti-shake technology was appreciated, and the choice to rely on H.264 compression in video mode was praised, but those tidbits weren't enough to overcome the "shaky" feel, questionably designed menus, unsteady cradle, and most importantly, the "pitiful" results. It was noted that the 7x zoom was quite impressive when shooting video clips, and without concern to the actual images produced by the EX-V7, the digicam was shown an "A" rating; unfortunately, the overall score was lowered to a (generous) "C" with all things considered, but feel free to hit the read link and read the painful writeup for yourself.[Via DigitalPhotographyBlog]
Casio's Exilim EX-Z11 point-and-shoot looks good in black
Regardless of what vivid color tries to replace it, black is still the new black when it's all said and done, and not too many gizmos look better on the dark side that Casio's Exilim EX-Z11. Sporting an ebony brushed-metal finish, this compact point-and-shoot screams sexy while packing a fairly respectable feature set to boot. Inside you'll find a 7.2-megapixel CCD sensor, 3x optical zoom, auto / "manual" focus options, 2.6-inch LCD monitor, SD flash card slot, anti-shake DSP to reduce blurring, up to ISO 800, and a rechargeable Li-ion battery. While there's no hard release date that we can scrounge up, the 3.76- x 2.39- x 0.77-inch Z11 should run users around £299 ($589) whenever it lands.[Thanks, David]
Casio sneaks out the Exilim EX-Z65 compact digicam
Uh, howdy EX-Z65. Where were you for last week's PMA show? No worries, it's always nice to meet a new shooter from the Casio's Exilim series of compact shooters. The latest brings a 6.2 megapixel sensor, Anti-Shake DSP, 3x optical zoom, and new 2.6-inch, 14:9 wide LCD. Already spotted at European on-line stores for about €199 or $262. [Thanks, David]
Hands-on with Casio's EXILIM EX-Z1050, Z75, and V7
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.%Gallery-1999%
Casio's EXILIM EX-Z1050 and EX-Z75 compact digicams
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-Z1050Read - Casio EX-Z75
Casio booth tour
How did Casio, arguably best known for its calculators and watches (and those cool little programmable synths that to this day no church choir goes without), hold its own against its more massive booth brethren? One word for you: bull. Click on for more action from the Casio rodeo tour.
Casio EX-V7 zooms up to 7x without breaking a sweat
It's been a few months since we saw the latest EXILIM, Casio's line of super-tiny shooters. But this is the time of year when nearly every product line is getting updated, and fortunately for us, Casio didn't disappoint. Enter the EX-V7 digicam, a 7.2 megapixel number with a 7x optical zoom (yes, you read that right -- this is a 38mm to 266mm equivalent in a tiny little ultracompact) kept nicely tucked inside the body. Furthermore, the EX-V7 apparently has new software that will lighten up aspects of a darkened photo, which is a feature that not every photographer will want to use -- but surely your non-techie grandmother might appreciate it. We're still waiting on the sticker price and the release date, so just sit tight for now.
Casio announces latest EXILIMs, the EX-Z6 and EX-Z7
Well, Casio's gotten all sneaky on us here, releasing two new updates to the EXILIM Z-series with nary a word on the specs. The EX-Z6, from what we've been able to gather, comes with a 6 megapixel resolution, a 2.5-inch screen, a 3x optical zoom, and anti-shake DSP. Its big bro, the EX-Z7 (pictured) comes in at 7.2 megapixels with the same zoom lens and screen size. The pair appear to be a bump from the previous Exilim EX-Z5 that we peeped back in May. Sadly, we're lacking anything further in the details department, including pricing and availability, but hopefully we'll come across that intel sooner rather than later. While you're twiddling your thumbs waiting, pop on over to the next page for a glance at the Z6.Read - EX-Z6Read - EX-Z7
Casio Exilim EX-S770 reviewed
If you like your cameras slim and small, you've no doubt given consideration to some of Casio's lightweight Exilim offerings, one of the latest being this here EX-S770, which the folks at Digital Camera Review recently took outside for its close up (and some testing). According to them, it looks to be a winner, with a stylish and sturdy design, good image quality, great battery life, and a bright, wide format LCD. About the only drawbacks they found were some slightly awkward zoom controls, and a lack of manual exposure modes or printed manual. (Huh? Printed manual? Two words we here at Engadget abhor.) At a $380 list price, it's also not the cheapest option for a compact 7 megapixel camera, though it looks like some retailers are happy to knock a few bills of that.
Casio announces seven megapixel Exilim EX-Z700
Casio just announced a new addition to its popular lineup of Exilim ultracompacts, the EX-Z700. This model is almost exactly the same as the six megapixel EX-Z600 -- both devices feature a 3x optical zoom, 2.7-inch LCD, and 112-gram weight -- but as the model number indicates, it bumps the resolution up to seven megapixels. The only other real difference here lies in the preset scene modes: Casio added Auto Framing and Layout Shot (which creates a composite image from two or three separate photos) to its suite of Best Shot settings. Expect the Z700 to hit stores sometime next month, and although pricing has not yet been revealed, we're thinking it'll go for around $350.
Casio's Exilim EX-S600D with DivX
The DivX conspiracy is continuing, and this time its Casio bringing a DivX capable product to "anywhere but the US." Their new Exilim EX-S600D for Europe merely adds DivX to their already snazzy EX-S600 from earlier this year, but USA citizens are apparently too slow to figure out what to do with a good compression codec. All the other specs of this 6 megapixel shooter are still around, and the camera is as thin as ever. The S600D boasts an hour of recording time onto a 1GB card, and has the same "Past Movie" function of the S600 to start recording 5 seconds before you press the record button. No word on price, but we're guessing it'll be similar to the S600 -- just, you know, in Europe.
Casio's compact 10 megapixel EXILIM EX-Z1000 reviewed
Proving that there's still a little bit of life left in the so-called megapixel race, Casio is offering a compact digital camera that packs a 10 megapixel sensor into the smallest space we've seen since Samsung's latest ridiculously excessive cameraphone, and what's more, Let'sGoDigital finds that the company actually puts some of those extra pixels to good use. Besides its unrivaled maximum resolution of 3648 x 2736, Casio's EXILIM EX-Z1000 initially impressed us with a high res 2.5-inch display and unusual maximum ISO of 3200, but LGD finds that while the screen indeed delivers superior performance, the latter feature, as we suspected, produces unacceptable levels at noise. Images captured at ISOs below 400, however, were judged to be "impressive," with good color accuracy and visible detail, and there are plenty of options available to manually tweak such settings as white balance, flash intensity, and even aspect ratio for slideshows on either 4:3 or 16:9 TVs. The biggest downside to the Z1000 is probably its sub par 3x optical zoom, although this is one area where the camera's abundance of pixels helps to compensate somewhat, as Casio includes a "Non Deterioration Zoom" mode that lets you sacrifice image size for better-than-average digital zooming at settings as high as 17.1x. Overall, it sounds like your $400 buys you a well-built, full-featured, and solidly-performing camera -- with a very respectable 300+ shot battery life -- along with the dubious distinction of being the only person on your block to own a point-and-shoot sporting more megapixels than most people's DSLRs.
Casio's Exilim EX-Z1000 10 megapixel shooter
Casio just gave a bump to the top-end of their Exilim Zoom line-up by introducing the 10.1 megapixel EX-Z1000. The Z1000 features the same anti-shake DSP and meager 3x zoom we saw in Casio's 8.1 megapixel Z850, but doubles the pixels count on the LCD to 230k. They also double the ISO sensitivity to a massive ISO 3200, (likely) just for show -- but let's hope that tiny 1/1.8 inch CCD can cut through the noise a bit better than Z850 can, eh? All this largenessing of the camera impacts the device's size as well, giving the case a bump by a few millimeters in all directions. Still, at 22.4-mm thin, she ain't no fatty. Hey Casio, how about some pricing and release date? Picture of the LCD on the flip.[Via Akihabara News]
Casio Exilim EX-Z850 reviewed
Casio's Exilim series may be known largely for its sub-compact form factor, but the latest members of the family still manage to pack in a lot of features. The Exilim EX-Z850, launched earlier this year, includes an 8-megapixel sensor, 3x zoom, 2.5-inch LCD, 440-shot battery life and the ability to shoot at sensitivities all the way up to ISO 1600. DPReview took a look at the pocket digicam, and found that it had "much to commend it" to photogs looking for a lightweight with "real photographic control." The reviewer liked the camera's selection of scene modes, accurate white balance, good burst mode -- which even allows a three-shot burst to be taken with the flash on -- and the fast autofocus. Some downsides included murky high-ISO results (hey, at least Casio tried) and poor movie quality. However, that didn't stop the reviewer from giving it a "Recommended" rating, and suggesting it as an ideal lightweight for SLR shooters who want to occasionally leave the pro gear at home.
