 Great Ultra-Compact Camera |
| Review Date: September 20, 2004 |
| Reviewer: Guest, Fairfax, VA |
I was in the market for an ultra-compact camera, and I knew exactly what I would use it for: real life social events (I am in my early 20's). These include weekend outings with friends (whether it be camping or playing in the park or BBQ's), dinner gatherings, family pictures, clubbing, sports events, etc.
So, these were my main criterias when choosing a camera:
1) Size - I basically wanted something tiny. But I wanted a real, useable camera...not those "keychain digital cameras".
2) Picture quality - I wanted quality lenses, a 4+ megapixel resolution, and I wanted to have seen good sample pictures online from various websites.
3) Unlimited movie lengths - My last camera (Dimage F100 which was great by the way, but unfortunately I spilled a drink on it) only took 30 second clips. Sometimes, moments worth recording last longer than 30 seconds.
4) Speed - I wanted something that started up quickly, and I wanted something that didn't lag between pictures.
5) Feature Set - I wanted a camera with a strong feature set offering, including sophisticated auto focus, different picture modes, and the ability to manipulate pictures from the camera's menu should I need to do so while I am away from my computer.
6) SD card memory - No compact flash for me.
7) Battery life - I want it to last through a long-weekend roadtrip. No, I don't want to bring the cradle along while I'm roadtripping or chilling on a boardwalk.
8) Looks - After all, I will be pulling this out of my pocket at clubs, right?
Given these criterias, I narrowed my choices down to the Pentax Optio S4i, Casio Exilim ex-z40, Sony T1, and the Canon SD110.
After days of research, I chose the Casio. After owning it for 2 weeks now and having taken it out on the town multiple times, here are my observations:
1. Picture quality - To make it easy: it's great. Ultra-compact cameras have come a long way in terms of sophistication and quality. I use 2304 x 1728 fine resolution on a Kingston 512mb SD card, and by the time it reaches my 17 inch lcd monitor and/or a 4x6 professionally developed printout, it's simply a high quality picture. Indoor pictures aren't glamour-photo-studio crystal-clear sometimes, especially with florescent lighting, but this camera will exceed the needs and expectations of most day-to-day uses like mine. I don't want or need to do professional portraits to frame, and if I do, I would not be using this tiny pocket camera. For sure, this Casio beats the old 35mm cameras in picture quality, plus the feature set and ease of use easily puts using a 35mm camera out of the question. In fact, most of my indoor pictures from last night were really, really good. Simply put, it is above par with what you'd expect from a high quality, name brand 4 megapixel ultra compact camera these days. And probably most of the time, you'd just be surprised at how well pictures come out.
2. Build quality - Great. Yes, I have a Made in China version. I was wary of this and at first was praying that somehow mine would arrive in the mail with a Made in Japan sticker. But, after accidentally dropping it twice from waist level (as we will all do in day-to-day social situations), the camera is just fine. Feels solid. The little knob at the side that holds the included lanyard spins around and makes tiny squeaky noises...understandable and usually unnoticeable, but it annoys me at times.
3. Ease of use - top notch. As expected from a company like Casio, the menu takes no brains to figure out. In my experience of designing user interfaces for general public use, I frankly think you can't make a menu that's more dumbed-down than this. The button placements are just about perfect. On/off button requires the fingertip to press, since it's tiny and hidden within grooves. But I think of this as a spectacular design feature, because I do not want my camera turning on in my pocket. Menu and Disp buttons are tiny, but come on, that's what we're looking for, right?
4. Speed - Generally good. Start up time is more than quick enough. At a party, when a photo opportunity comes up, I'd grab the camera and push on and I can capture a moment pretty much faster than anyone else with a digital camera. With flash, occasionally you'd have to pause 1-2 seconds inbetween shots. But realistically, everyone in social situations know and understand the capabilities of ultra-compact digital cameras.
5. Battery life - fantastic! One major reason I chose this Casio was the stated long battery time. It hasn't let me down yet. On multiple occasions of all-day normal use (including many many many on/offs, using the huge 2.0 inch LCD screen on the back for all pictures, and using flash for virtually all my nighttime pictures), the battery indicator didn't even drop from full-charge. I still charge every night, though, when I upload my pics. I'm waiting to bring it on a long-weekend trip to see how it holds up. But I'm confident I couldn't have made a better choice as far as battery. I'm pretty darn sure neither the Canon, Pentax, nor Sony could match this Casio in terms of battery.
The negatives: not too many.
1. When indoors, the LCD screen is extremely grainy. This is weird, because outdoors it's great and clear and impressive. But when you're at home in front of a computer and you turn on the camera and point it around a lighted room, it looks like you're watching an old tv with really bad antenna reception. But, I mean, it works just fine for you to take pictures with.
2. Travel charger. I wish they'd give me a travel charger for road trips, because I don't always need/want to dock my camera.
3. Picture quality. Aren't we always hoping for a camera that will one day produce perfect pictures automatically 100% of the time?
4. No AV/OUT nor AC/DC charger capability. Not that I really would use either of these, but it's something that other cameras seem to have that mine doesn't.
That's about it. Hope this review helps. |
Normally a canon lover, but this camera is AWESOME
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| Review Date: June 10, 2004 |
| Reviewer: Laura B. Slevens, Somerset, NJ |
| I have been a Canon user all my life, and often recommend my customers to the Canon name (I work for a major electronics store in the camera department). So initially I was a little leary at purchasing a Casio camera... but I am not at all disappointed in the quality. Granted, I purchased it only two days ago, but I have taken over 70 pictures... and I am extremely impressed. The macro mode is phenominal, better then that of the Canon S400, allowing me to get practically on top of a flower with a clear picture. The other shooting modes on the camera are remarkable as well, even though I haven't had much of an oppurtunity to play with them. For instance, there is a sunset mode, which adds a reddish filter to the image, there is a portrait mode which blurs the background adding an effect to the subject, a landscape mode, and some other fun tools that allow you to take pictures of fireworks, to stitch yourself into a picture if there are only two people, and a black and white as well as sepia filter. The best part is the ease at accessing all of these modes. Some of the best features I have seen from this camera are the battery, allowing the user to take over 300 pictures with one charge with the LCD running , the memory which by using SD allows the speed of taking pictures to be incredible, and of course, the lens quality which is made by Pentax . The actual size of the camera is what sets it apart from the rest- it's thin and compact, perfect for throwing into a shirt pocket, or a purse. The only drawbacks I can see are the LCD in REALLY low light conditions tends to be a bit grainy, and the actual view finder itself is tough to use- especially for those who have vision problems- but since the camera is more or less designed to solely use the LCD, it works out. The only other recommendation I have is don't use the camera on normal mode- use it on fine if you want amazing quality pictures. Otherwise you may notice a grainy quality. The bottom line is whether you are a new user, a novice, or a professional, you will be impressed with the sleek style and professional quality this camera has to offer. The average user will be impressed with the bonus features, and the person without a computer will be impressed with the editing abilities on the camera itself. I can not speak enough about this camera, its docking cradle, or the features it contains (if you couldn't tell). Its so intuitive- so user friendly, you have to wonder why other camera manufacturers haven't made it this easy. I am glad to see that Casio is getting back into the market, and the Exilim Z40 is definately a phenominal product. I hope if you purchase it, you enjoy it as much as I do. |
Much more than I expected
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| Review Date: October 7, 2004 |
| Reviewer: JA, Colorado |
I did about a month of research before I finally purchased this camera and I must say that I made the right choice. Here are the reasons why I purchased it and why I am very pleased with my purchase (not in any particular order).
1. Doesn't have the lens problem (E18) that Canons do
2. Has high quality pictures with hardly any wait time to focus and inbetween shots
3. Best Shot mode is very convenient
4. Many more manual controls than most ultra-compact cameras
5. Extremely small and light weight
6. Battery life excedes any competitors'
7. 2" Display
8. Comes with a docking station for very easy transfer of pictures to either PC or Mac
9. The price
I hope that this helps anyone who is considering an ultra-compact camera, it takes great pictures and is extremely convenient. Why spend more for the Canon S410 and get less? |
Nice!
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| Review Date: May 4, 2004 |
| Reviewer: Cali man, California |
| I read a lot of camera reviews before purchasing the Exilim EX-Z40. The reasons I chose this model are: Speed, display screen size, camera size and battery life. My experience so far has been very good. The day I got my camera, I stowed it away in the front pocket of my casual shirt, (I could have fit two or three Exilims in there), and went to a t-ball game. I snapped over 70 pictures in aboout 90 minutes. The camera powers up fast (less than two seconds), and with outdoor light, photos can be taken one right after the other. This allowed me to take two or three shots of a subject, and keep the shot I like. Another positive is the overall ergonomics of this camera. It looks cool, and just feels good in your hand. All the controls are well placed, and the power on/off button is recessed, so as not to have the camera accidentally turned on in your bag or pocket. The two inch display is nice, especially when using the on-screen menu. The print size on the menu seems large because the menu is so big. The downside of the large display is that Casio did not increase the resolution while expanding the display. At around 85,000 pixels, the display is lacking the detail that will allow you to decide on the spot which pictures are good and which are great. Sorting the bad from the good will have to be saved for the computer. I was impressed with the quality of the photos I took with this camera, especially action shots. I had feared that this camera would not take good action shots, however, I was wrong. When I got home and ran the slide show on my PC, I was thrilled at the quality of the photos. Some of them looked so real, I thought I was looking out a window, and not at my computer screen. This camera definately produces photo quality images. Another good surprise I had was the fact that of the ten or so indoor shots I took of people, not one of them had any hint of red eye. Since almost all small digicams have problems with red eye, I assumed that would be the case, but so far, no red whatsoever - and I wasn't using the red eye reduction feature either! I hope this holds true in the future. One thing about the indoor shots though - they were a bit grainy. The docking cradle that comes with this camera is light, compact, simple to operate, and very functional. After shooting all day, simply place your camera on the cradle, and with the press of only one button, you are watching the slide show of all your photos scroll by on your camera display or on your computer screen. It really is that easy. The cradle also charges the battery, and can send photos directly to your printer. The negative on the cradle is that there is no AV output. If you don't plan on viewing your photos on the TV, then it's no big deal. The battery life on this camera is excellent as stated by Casio. The full printed operating manual does not come with the camera. You can read it on the provided CD ROM, or print the 180 page manually from the CD. The only other negative I have is the fact that there is no review after capture with the display off, only with the display on. Many cameras in this class have the review-after-capture feature, which allows the camera to be operated with the display off (battery saving) and when a photo is taken, it is displayed on the screen for two or three seconds, and then the display goes off again. This is a nice feature that I wish this camera had. Maybe it does, and I haven't found it yet. Like many shoppers out there, I compared this camera to the Canon Elph before purchasing. The Elph may have a slight edge on picture quality, but not much. It does have an AV output. The battery life will not come near to the Casio's, and the Canon has a goofy rubber cover over the AV and USB ports on the side of the camera. This cover seems very flimsy, and is not secured well to the camera. The Canon has good speed, but I'm not sure if it's as fast as the Casio. The Canon can be pruchased a bit cheaper, but doesn't come with the cool cradle. Either choice will do you well. Overall, this little camera is a lot of fun, and will provide excellent photos for anyone who wants a pocketable, go-anywhere camera. |
Love, Love-Hate, Love again
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| Review Date: August 4, 2004 |
| Reviewer: Jeffrey J. Kaney, Rockford, IL United States |
OK, here's the deal; I have had a Cannon Camera in the past and really liked it. I saw all the great comments that Cannon always had and all the bad comments for the older model of the Casio digital Cameras. It took me a long time but I finally pulled the trigger and purchased this camera. It was love at first sight, then it became a love-hate relationship, followed by love again. Why the rollercoaster of Digital emotions? Well I will tell you. You will love the size, the quick action, the programs are better than average that is bundled with this camera, and the wonderful battery life. I have yet to see anything less than full on the battery. That is the love. To avoid the love-hate thing take my advice, bit the bullet and download the full PDF file that is the Manual that they are too cheap to include. Read is all and then take more pictures. Your experience will be much much much better. Little hint: there are two types of auto-focus and you will do well to fully understand both.
After about 3 months and over 300 pictures I love it. I'm sure there are better quality cameras on the market but this is for snapshots. It's is so small we take it everywhere and that alone makes this little guy worth it.
Last note, go ahead and buy a big SD card, do it right when you order the camera. You will want it. With the large screen you will want to store plenty of picture and fun Video's to show all your friends.
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