Casio's super slim EX-S880 looks like it could fit in our wallet, so we know we can take it anywhere, but could they pack enough features in the miniscule frame?
Review summary of the Casio Exilim EX-S880:
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 A thin card-styled camera, the EX-S880 is both good-looking and functional. The metal case is attractive yet durable, but the standout feature is the dedicated video record button, and what it means for the interface. By having only one shooting mode but two separate buttons for video and still photos, Casio has churned out the most convenient camera for shooting both stills and videos that we've tested. Release: September 2007. Price: $200.
Pros: Slim metal case, dedicated video record button, included dock
Cons: One-handed shooting awkward, included dock is required to transfer and charge
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Full Casio Exilim EX-S880 Review:
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Design – Very Good
We’ve voiced our affinity for the metal casing on Casio’s cameras before, and the S880 continues the positive trend. The thinnest Casio we’ve tested yet, we could slip it in our front or rear pants pocket or shirt pocket, and though it was a bit thicker than others we have tested, but it was still small enough for a pants pocket. Yet just like the others, it’s solid, feels very well-made, and the metal body resisted minor falls and scrapes. All the buttons were responsive, and most were labeled well enough to understand without too much difficulty. The lens retracts into the body when the camera is turned off or in photo review mode, providing reasonable protection.
The 2.8" LCD is as big and bright as any we’ve seen. A dedicated display menu allowed us to select one of 5 presets, including night and power save modes.
Ergonomically, we liked the way the camera sat in our hand, and the buttons lined up with our fingers. However, the large screen crammed most of the buttons off to the far right side, making it awkward to operate single-handedly.
Interface and Features – Very Good
The deep menus--required because of the litany of included features--were easier to navigate than expected. We liked both Best Shot and the YouTube capture mode. Best Shot is essentially a group of presets that is supposed to optimize conditions for picture-taking in certain scenarios. We found the two "Layout" modes to be the most interesting, allowing us to see up to three images in succession as we took them.
The YouTube capture mode and YouTube Uploader software remains unchanged from previous versions we’ve tested. They serve to simplify the process of uploading content to the viral video Web site. The uploader program pops up as soon as a camera or card is connected to the computer, and every video is listed. A few short steps later and you're ready to be an internet superstar. However, the pre-formatted YouTube settings don't make for very crisp video, and the camera is certainly capable of much better.
One trend we are noticing to be more and more common is the ability to zoom during video recording. Once considered a rare luxury, we’ve come to expect it on high-end point-and-shoots, and the S880 delivers. The 3x zoom is nothing to write home about, and with no continuous autofocus during video capture, zooming can cause some focus issues, but, nevertheless, it is a welcome addition.
But the zoom feature was overshadowed by something we can’t believe isn’t on every camera that shoots video - a dedicated video record button. Most cameras use the photo shutter as the start/stop button for video recording, which requires the user to change modes from still photography to video before being able to capture the shot they want. With the dedicated video button, there is only one capture mode: if you want to take a picture, use the shutter, if you want to take a video, click the button with the red circle on it. Brilliantly simple.
Our jones for widescreen video was soothed by the UHQ wide mode, but unfortunately there is no widescreen option in the YouTube capture mode. We generally don’t penalize cameras for this. Users who requires higher quality video most can handle uploads without the bundled software.
Image Transfer – Very Good
The included software bundle is relatively weak. The few options include burn to disk, send by email, print, slideshow and order prints. However, the largest resolution possible for e-mailing photos through the program is 800x600, and you can't order prints online, but rather need a blank memory card to store photos for your local photo developer to print for you. We’ve voiced our displeasure with Casio’s software in the past; nothing significant has been changed with this model.
The internal memory only holds a few pictures, but the fact that it had any was nice enough. We also liked that it was easy to transfer images saved on the camera’s internal memory to an SD card-- the most common and inexpensive format—and we also liked the compatibility with SDHC cards.
Camera Quality – Good
The EX-S880’s 3x zoom is average. We would have liked to see more, but the camera’s extremely slim design makes 3x excusable. ISO settings should have offered a little higher than ISO 800, but at least it was easy to adjust manually. The auto-focus was quick and relatively quiet, especially when compared with its bulkier cousin, the V8. Anti-shake worked well on both video and still shots, and like the ISO settings was easy to adjust.
Startup on the S880 was quick, and we were able to go from the off position to a focused, finished photo in under 3 seconds. Successive shots took about two seconds. We liked the in-camera editing functions, which included rotation, resizing and cropping, but we thought the LCD’s resolution was too low to see if our editing improved the photos.
Image Quality – Good
We were very pleased with the quality of images the EX-S880 produced. We experienced minimal noise, proper focus and, in instances like our full auto sample, incredible detail. Some of the Best Shot modes, like Layout and Silent (we can only infer a reference to the silent film era) were more of a novelty than anything else, but still produced quality images.
Shot taken with fully automatic settingsTaken with fully automatic settings and about 1.5x zoom, we were impressed with the level of detail acheived with this shot. Every scratch and groove on the metal street signs and pole is visible; the focus even extends to the closest bricks on the wall in the background.
Shot taken in Layout modeThese three images are stacked to reach maximum size within the frame. The default background color (white) can be changed when the picture is taken.
Shot taken in Silent modeWe're not sure what this mode did other than make the image black and white, but it remained crisp so we don't really care.
Accessories – Very Good
We generally like camera docks (well, functional ones, at least), and the S880’s included dock is no exception. We hate having to take out the battery and charge it with a battery charger. We’re still waiting for Casio to let us to charge via USB (the included AC adapter was just yet another wire to get tangled in), and bypass the dock if we wanted. We also disliked the thought of having to buy a new dock just to see our pictures (in case we lost the original one), and no USB ports on the camera meant we couldn’t sync with another computer (like one at a friend’s house). Inconveniences aside, the camera comes with most everything needed to take pictures and videos and put them on your computer or play them on your TV, and the battery life (220 still images) was adequate. We still lament for the days when companies would include necessary accessories like an SD card, but at this point it’s a pipe dream. Bundled accessories included a Lithium Ion Battery, the dock, an AC power cord, camera strap, USB cable, AV cable and a CD-ROM with software.
Price and availability
The Casio Exilim EX-S880 is available now for $300.
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