The Casio EX-Z100 10-megapixel camera is slim and packed with point-and-shoot features. Check out our in-depth review.
Review summary of the Casio Exilim Zoom EX-Z100:
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 A rarity for Casio, the Exilim Zoom EX-Z100 is a fairly ugly camera. Still, it packs all the innovative features typical of the Exilim line, and Casio's YouTube software remains a nice inclusion. On other hand, the camera costs considerably more yet produces lower quality images than other Casios we've seen, and it's expensive for a camera with no image stabilization. For the price, better compacts can be found. Release: March 2008. Price: $250.
Pros: Advanced face-detection and automatic shutters.
Cons: Few advanced features and controls. No image stabilization.
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Full Casio Exilim Zoom EX-Z100 Review:
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Design - Mediocre
Casio is so typically adroit at creating nice looking, nice feeling point-and-shoots that the aesthetic shortcomings of the Exilim EX-Z100 are doubly disappointing. It's a dull camera, both too thick and too airy, and its plastic shell of a body just seems to be waiting to fall apart. Ultimately the EX-Z100 is among the most expensive of Casio's compacts, yet it feels like it belongs at the bottom of their lineup.
The core design is identical to other Casio products: the back is almost entirely devoted to the 2.7" LCD viewfinder, the back-right houses the majority of the controls, and the power and shutter buttons are on top. We still like the twist-zoom wrapped around the shutter release, and we still like the exclusion of an electronic viewfinder in favor of a more focused design. Still, with this iteration Casio has lost the slim, svelte appeal of their other point-and-shoots, all in favor of an unseemly bulk that sells the EX-Z100 short at very first glance.
Features - Good
The Casio Exilim EX-Z100 is the exact same camera is their Exilim Z200 but without any image stabilization. Considering the slight difference in price and the measurable benefit in having stabilization, we categorically recommend the Z200 over the Z100.
The EX-Z100 mostly maintains Casio's stable of point-and-shoot features, from their top-notch automatic shutters and face-detection to their above-average burst modes. The camera also features a 28mm wide-angle lens, though still no panorama modes or super-macro support.
As is becoming the norm for higher-end compacts, the EX-Z100 features dynamic-range expansion, configurable in the system menu. In our tests it was similar to the point-and-shoot implementations of Nikon's D-Lighting, in that it tended to boost shadow-detail but never accomplished much with blown highlights. Dynamic range correction remains pointless for RAW shooting, but since the Casio Exilim EX-Z100 can only deliver JPEGs, it's a great way to avoid crushed contrast-gamuts.
The EX-Z100 also has above-average video recording, including native support for 16:9 aspect-ratios and resolutions up to 848x480, both of which handily surpass the meager requirements of YouTube uploads. Video is recorded to an H.264 stream, audio to a 44.1khz AAC stream at ~90 kbps, and both are multiplexed into an MOV file, so the potential for quality is high.
Interface - Good
The EX-Z100's interface is exactly the same as that of most other Casio cameras, which is largely a good thing. Shooting parameters are quickly selectable during use, and system settings are configurable in three easy to navigate menus. We don't particularly like Casio's decision to bury macro and focus settings in the system menu, especially when the four-way controller only has two allocated shortcuts. Focus and macro modes are among the most important settings on a camera and should be treated as such, not banished to the same menu that has grid-assist and meter-mode settings.
Casio has included a decent storage / printing utility, but unfortunately the software has no real editing capabilities. Thankfully, the bundle also features Casio's YouTube uploader, which makes sending videos from the camera to a YouTube account a painless, one-step process. Otherwise the Casio EX-Z100 comes with the standards: a USB cable, an A/V cable and an external charger.
Image quality - Mediocre
The EX-Z100 features a 1/2.3" sensor, giving it an ~8% increase in surface area over typical 1/2.5" point-and-shoot sensors. On one hand, this is an appreciable improvement over most compact sensors. On the other hand, considering the Casio EX-Z100 is packing 10-megapixels into its images, i.e. 20% more information over the standard 8-megapixels, it needs all the surface area it can get. At best, we expected the noise distribution would be as good as an 8-megapixel camera with a smaller sensor. That said, the Casio EX-Z100's noise management is as good as could be expected, considering its higher pixel-count. ISO-50 is functionally noiseless. Noise isn't readily perceivable at full zoom until ISO-200, and it isn't notable sub-100% zoom until ISO-800, but it is considerably dense at ISO-1600.
Wide-angle test
This wide-angle sample is marred by a softened quality, with poor edge definition and a fair amount of blooming. Colors are muted, probably a result of the overall narrow contrast, and the blue fringing along both sides of the image are easily visible, even below 100% zoom.
Edge test
Most of the problems in the wide-angle test are reproduced here, in this telescopic edge test. Sharpness is improved at higher focal lengths, leading to a clearer image. On the other hand, color reproduction is still drab, and blue fringing remains a problem throughout the leaves and branches.
Macro test
The Casio EX-Z100's macro function is so-so: the camera only maintained focus up to roughly five inches, such that the illustrious Tweetledum only fills the center portion of the picture. In the age of 'super-macro' compact lenses that can practically focus on a subject flush with the lens's surface, the macro performance here is unimpressive.
Price and availability
The Casio Exilim Zoom EX-Z100 will start selling for $250 () in March 2008.
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