 Largest LCD in a digicam, but no more optical viewfinder |
| Review Date: April 30, 2005 |
| Reviewer: Gadgester, Mother Earth |
My local camera store just got their first shipment of Casio's new Exilim EX-Z57 super-slim digital camera, and I eagerly hopped over to check it out.
The EX-Z57 is a very slight upgrade (and one downgrade... read on) of the very popular EX-Z55 model. The Z55 had a 2.5" LCD screen that was considered "huge" just a year ago, but now that so many other digital cameras also sport a 2.5" LCD, Casio decided to release a 2.7" LCD model, hence the Z57. Amazingly, the overall physical size hasn't changed, and the EX-Z55's industry-leading amazing battery life (over 300 even with flash on and LCD on full-time) has been retained, making the EX-Z57 another battery life champ.
As far as I can tell -- and from what the sales clerk told me -- the internals of the EX-Z57 are identical to those of its immediate predecessor. This means very good image quality from such a small camera. Three important issues to keep in mind as you shop for this camera or a similarly ultracompact model:
1. The tiny lens and tiny sensor necessarily limit the sharpness of the picture. If you shoot at the maximum 5MP and print out at up to 5x7", you probably won't be disappointed by the sharpness of the picture. However, as you print larger pictures, you'll see the pictures tend to be softer and noisier than from larger cameras. This is simply a result of the law of physics, and it's a trade-off between size and quality.
2. The small camera also means a small, limited-power flash, so your indoor pictures when the ambient lighting is dim will not come out very satisfactory. Again, this is entirely due to the small form factor. If you want to use this camera to shoot a small group of friends at a dinner party, it's okay. But you should know that as you near the flash range and go beyond, you'll get horrible-looking pictures.
3. A camera this small makes it very hard to hold it steady. Many people with tiny cameras like this complain about blurry pictures. This is because as you press the shutter button, you'll move the camera ever so slightly. With a larger camera body (e.g., a digital SLR), the much heavier camera body requires more effort to hold which has the side benefit of providing a counteracting force to the shutter-pushing force. Hence, with a small camera like the EX-Z57, you must remember to hold the camera very steady as you press the shutter.
Whereas the older EX-Z55 had an optical viewfinder, Casio opted to remove it in order to accommodate the enlarged LCD screen without changing the overall size of the camera. Yes, the Z55's optical viewfinder was tiny and hard to use, but at least it was an option -- and looking through the optical viewfinder instead of at the screen actually helps steady your shots because you hold the camera close to your body (think the principle of leverage). Also, when you are really low on battery, switching to optical viewfinder can squeeze out a few more shots. For a camera purish like myself, it's a pity that the optical viewfinder is no more on the Z57, but for most casual photographers (the Exilim's target audience) this will likely be a non-issue, since they probably would never use the optical vewfinder to begin with.
In summary, the Z57 provides an unbeatable small form factor yet a crowd-pleasing huge LCD screen, amazing battery life and very good image quality (for a camera this size). You can also record movies (albeit only at a stuttering 15 frames per second) as well as sound. It's very intuitive to use, and my friends who have the Z55 are all very happy with it (once I gave them the tip about holding the camera super-steady or on a tripod to avoid blurs). While I don't have money to buy another digital camera at the moment, but if I had some extra spare dough, I would definitely buy this just for the HUGE 2.7" LCD. To a gadget freak like me, it's priceless to be able to impress my friends with something this cool. :) |
Love this camera!
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| Review Date: September 29, 2005 |
| Reviewer: lmira, New Jersey |
| Well, I broke my 2 year old 3.2 megapixel digital camera about a month ago and have been researching buying a new one since. I finally decided on the z57 and I couldn't be happier. I knew I wanted a point and shoot digital and definitely wanted more than 3.2 megapixels. I narrowed my search down to the Olympus Stylus 500, the Konica Minolta x60 (my old digicam was a Minolta and I loved it so that's why I was considering buying another one) and the Nikon Coolpix S1. I only came across the Casio Exilim Z57 when I was reading reviews on [...] when they suggested this camera, based on the reviews I was reading. I read the review about it first and the thing that really stuck out about this camera was how fast it was. I then came here on amazon and read reviews and the one thing that caught my eye was that someone said it didn't have a 'trick' flash, which means there's almost no shutter lag. My old camera had this which caused a lot of problems for people keeping their eyes open in my pictures. Since I was so used to a tiny camera, I wanted to go see this camera in person. I went in, saw it, held it and was amazed at how small it was!!! The screen is huge and it's extremely fast. One thing that turned me away from the Olympus Stylus 500 was that the shot-to-shot review was extremely poor. If I'm not mistaken, it said that if you used the flash, the shot-to-shot delay was almost 8 seconds. I know that when I'm in a situation where I want to use the flash, chances are, I want to take a picture asap and 8 seconds is a lifetime, especially if you're waiting anxiously to take another pic. I think they said on the review I read about the z57 that the shot-to-shot delay with the flash was something like 2.2 seconds. What a world of difference! The best shot selections make it easy to decide which one you want to use. I thought that after having a digicam without a protruding lens, I wouldn't like that this camera had one, but I can't even tell the difference. I think this camera is a great value (less than $300!) I've only had it for a few days and couldn't be happier. The more I keep playing with it, the more and more I love it. After doing all my research I think I made a great decision going with this camera. |
Slimming down in style...and profile!
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| Review Date: September 26, 2005 |
| Reviewer: S. Fernandez Jr., Paradise Hills, CA |
It was just a few days ago when I was sitting in the library studying when I thought about "slimming" down my technical gadgetry. After now owning a Motorola Razor and a Game Boy Micro, it was time to choose a digital camera that could in small spaces just like the two mentioned above, it was time to look for a camera that would heed my calling.
I went to the nearest Wal-Mart and I browsed around. I was searching for a camera that fit my budget. It had to have a big, yet decent LCD screen, battery life, great picture taking ability, and of course, compact size.
And there it was. The CASIO EXILIM EX-Z57. I tinkered around with it and I found that it felt nice all around.
The LCD screen was 2.7". It was great to have because when your at a club taking pictures, you would want to have people see how it looked instead of squinting to check it out.
The menus were easy to navigate and simple to understand.
The size is decent. Since this is the first slim camera I've ever owned, it does well. It may not be as thin as a SONY's, but it works for me.
I'm impressed on how there are different modes for your pictures by choosing the right size you need, and the quality. Good!
The flash is great. I'd like to say that it does not have a "trick flash." The flash bulb doesn't flicker or do strange things to make your smile or your eyes do weird impressions. It's a simple straight flash that gets things moving quickly.
Thank goodness! I dislike trick flash.
If you're looking for a camera that has great compact abilities, size, weight, and style, then this is your camera. I would recommend this brand and make to anyone who would like to buy this. |
Perfect point and Shoot
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| Review Date: December 19, 2005 |
| Reviewer: Adam P. Penner, CA, USA |
This camera is above all, an attractive and functional point and shoot. It has the biggest LCD screen on the market. It has a solid feel and construction. You will not be dissapointed with the images until you are in low-light situations. With the less than adequate flash, any medium to low-light shot beyond 5-7 feet gets VERY noisy. Otherwise, the image quality is very typical of any compact 5 mp camera.
The EX Z57 has plenty of options for those of us who want more than snapshots. Manual ISO, white balance, and manual focus are nice. Battery life is also unbeatable.
This camera is intuitive, reliable, and an eye-catcher. I have shot over 1700 photos with no problems, with low-light being the only exception.
** the screen is not easily breakable and very scratch resistant
** you'd never use the viewfinder if it had one |
Casio Digital
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| Review Date: September 14, 2005 |
| Reviewer: J. Forbes, IL |
| Small size infuluenced purchase along with battery life and fast operation, size of LCD screen and features. Only negatives is lack of view finder, which causes some movement when using zoom and only 3x optical zoom. |
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