Customer Reviews

Casio Exilim EX-Z600 6MP Digital Camera with 3x Optical Anti-Shake Zoom (Silver)

5 star:		(49)
4 star:		(10)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

After I've tried another model, EX-Z60 (you can read my review of that one also if you'd like), and fell in love with it, I did some more research, and decided to go with a Z600 instead. I also considered a Z750, Z850, and S600 models as well, but still chose Z600 over the other ones. You might want to ask why? Well, I was looking for a true P&S (point and shoot) type of camera, and both Z750 and Z850 are more for someone who wants manual control. There are also a lot of complaints about Z850's poor video quality (amongst other problems), and Z750 has some kind of a lens defect. In any case, like I said I didn't want a "professional" camera, although I do know quite a bit about digital photography (I used to work for Kodak in Digital Imaging Department for a few years), but was looking for something a little more simple to use. Of course, picture quality and price were some things that I considered when looking for a camera. I used to own a Canon prior to purchasing Casio, and I have also tried a few other brands/cameras as well; Kodak, Sony, and some others. None of them have really impressed me. I continued to look around, and last week I came across a Z60 at Walmart (great return policy, btw), so I gave it a "shot". I was literally blown away by the picture quality. Add to it a bunch of cool features, a nice looking design, and a reasonable price, and you've got yourself a "perfect" camera. Now, back to why I chose Z600 over Z60, and why I didn't buy an S600. After I "discovered" for myself Casio Exilim series, specifically Z60 model, I did some more research and realized that Casio has actually a lot to offer. Believe or not, they've just released a 10MP compact digital camera! In any case, using selected criteria, I've narrowed down my search to Z60, which I've already tried; Z600, which I've only heard/read about; and S600, which a very good friend of mine owns. I was very indecisive for some time, but finally decided to go with Z600. Here is a list of Pros and Cons for a Z600 (I got it two days ago from BeachCamera), and a little bit of comparison between it and the other two models:

Pros:

Design - It's very compact, yet it's very convenient to hold and operate. I got it in silver finish, and it looks totally awesome! How does it compare to Z60 and S600? In my opinion, it's slightly better looking than a Z60. It's also just a bit smaller, and weighs a little less. Also, and this is very important to me, the zoom on the Z600 is right on top of the shutter button, which I think is very convenient - you zoom in or out on the object, and then take a picture using the same finger. On a Z60, however, and it might be just a slight inconvenience for some people, and other might not even notice it, the zoom buttons are actually on the back of the camera, to the right of the display. Like I said, not a big deal, and probably a matter of preference. Now, the S600 - well, this is by far the best looking digital camera that I have ever seen. It's called a Card Camera, because it looks and feels like a credit card. There is no doubt it will attract a lot of attention from people around you. Why didn't I buy an S600 then - read on and you'll find out.

Picture Quality - Awesome!!! Bright, crisp, clear, and very "color-true"... especially in Macro mode (when you shoot an object up close). I have shot pictures in normal conditions, poor light conditions, indoors, outdoors, portraits of people, food, trees, architecture, and anything else you can possible think of, and it has yet to disappoint me. Z60's picture quality is just as good. S600, on the other hand, suffers from underexposure and blurriness a little bit. Maybe I'm been too picky here, but when I put my pictures next to what the friend of mine shot with his S600, I could clearly see the difference - mine been better that is.

Features - Amazing, simply amazing. For a little tiny compact camera, it's packed with various modes and features. Anti-shake stability control, 33 best shot modes (including EBay mode, where the pictures are specifically optimized for selling items on EBay) are just to name a few. I would also like to mention a huge 2.7" LCD (display), but I want to put it in a separate category. Z60 has pretty much the same features. For some reason though I think anti-shake (or DSP - Digital Stabilization Process) feature works better on a Z600. S600, however, lacks a few things, like EBay mode for example. It does, however, takes video in MPEG-4 format, comparing to AVI on a Z600 and Z60. It's a much better format in a sense that it's a better quality format, and also requires 5 times less space. That could be a selling point for some people, but I think the main reason for a camera is not to take videos, but to take pictures, and in this category both Z600 and Z60 are hands down better. Plus, the video on a Z600 and Z60 is not that bad either.

Display - Huge, super bright 2.7" LCD. It's not only bigger than the 2.5" on Z60, and 2.2" on S600, but it is also specifically designed to be able to see under bright sunshine - something that neither Z60 or S600 have to offer.

Battery Life - I thought that Z60's battery life was good. I didn't think it was possible, but this one is even better. It lasts forever!!! S600 is not even close.

Price - Z60 is the cheapest one in the bunch. Z600 is about 20 bucks more (shop around online, but I found BeachCamera to have the best deal so far), but considering you are getting a bigger display and slightly better functionality, I think it's well worth it. S600 is a bit pricy though. It's about 50 bucks more than the Z600, and 70-80 comparing to Z60. In my opinion, you're just paying for the looks.

Cons:

Well, once again, it's a matter of preference, and I realize that for some people it might be a plus, but I don't like the USB cradle. You have to use it not only for transferring pictures, and hooking the camera up to the TV, but also for charging the battery. Slight inconvenience, but an inconvenience nevertheless... at least for me. I believe S600 also comes with the USB cradle. Z60 just has cables, and I would really prefer that with the Z600. Maybe I'll just buy those separately.

Summary:

There you have it... I think I've made the right decision with buying a Z600 over Z60 or S600. It's a very nice camera and I am enjoying it enormously. I hope you will too.

We have tried all other brands, Fuji, Sony, Cannon and Nikon-and in the compact 'card size' category, nobody does it better than Casio Exilim: the EX-Z600 is even better!

Pros:

-New faster processing means lens opens and closes instantly and take pictures FAST and anti-shake technology (actually works)

-Screen is higher resolution than in the past, and the brightness and hard protective panel over it makes it one of the best and most durable screens out there, also 2.7" (unlike ppor Cannon displays)

-Buttons, menus and operation is VERY easy (unlike Niko and Sony)

-Pictures are color true, very crisp and overall high quality

-Battery life is insanely long--you cannot even attempt to drain it in one day! Best in market!

-Very small yet comfortable and easy to manage

-Comes w/ cradle

Cons: Battery must be charged in cradle but you can buy OEM battery chargers

I purchased this camera a few weeks ago. I decided to purchase this rather than the Canon SD600 despite my excellent history with Canon cameras. At the time, the SD600 was about $50 more than this camera, but the price of the cannon has dropped since. In short, I'm happy but not trilled with this camera. If I was to do it again, I'd go with the Canon.

What I loved:

The battery life. Excellent. The best part of this camera is the battery. Super impressive.

What I liked:

Styiling - good looking camera that makes a statement. It feels sturdy and solid in your hand. People always want to take a look as see your camera. The large screen is also bright and impressive.

Good start up time. The camera was quick to turn on and off. Feels very responsive. Also it is very quick to take shots when no flash is needed.

The menu system was easy to get use to and easy to navigate.

What I was content with:

Picture quality was good but not great. The shots were a little soft and the color was dull. But not too bad. This was all stuff that could be corrected in the computer. I think the color saturation on the Canon is better. The in camera IS didn't seem to help much and the high ISO lead to noisy photos, but not too bad.

The red-eye was very pronounced, but again, not any worse than what should be expected with this type of camera.

The 33 best shots were nice, but in reality, I'd never use most of these.

What I was disappointed with:

The action on the button was very tight. This may have just been my camera, but the button was very tight and difficult at times to press.

The macro mode is not that good. A six inch focus range is not that good. The canons can focus at less than an inch.

What I didn't like:

The video qulaity was not very good. It was very noisy indoors and the high quality video was not that good quality even though it made huge files.

In short, I am trading in my Casio and going to go back to Canon. This is a nice camera that takes good photos, but for me, the button action and the video quality were deal breakers. If the battery is the biggest priority, then this is definately a great choice. If you use your digital camera to capture video, this camera is not a great option.

This is a great camera for point and shoot pictures. The picture quality is wonderful. Perhaps for a professional, it wouldn't be good enough, but for most people, the quality of the pictures is great.

The movie function is good, but not great. There are 3 different video qualities for movies. Personally, I couldn't see much difference between the normal quality and the high quality (both are 640x480), so I leave it on the normal quality to save disk space. I did find that when taking videos of people or animals, it's best to have them within 10 feet of the camera. If they are 20 feet away or further, and you try and use the zoom, it's much too blurry. But if you are just shooting movies of a birthday party, or opening Christmas presents, the video quality is very good. Shooting movies outside is fine too. If you are just taking nature shots, the video looks just fine. But if you try and zoom in on the bird in the tree, you will be very disappointed. That is not what this camera is for.

The size of this camera is very small, and easily fits in a shirt pocket. But it's not too small. I find it's a perfect balance for ease of portability and ease of use.

I outfitted mine with a 2GB Corsair 133x SD Card. If you want to shoot video, make sure that you get a high speed card. When I played back my first videos, they stuttered, and I thought maybe the camera couldn't keep up for some reason (because I had a high speed 133x card). I later found out it was Windows Media Player 10. There was nothing wrong with the videos at all. They play fine using Quicktime. They play very smoothly with no distortion or stuttering. The movies are created in AVI format, and Windows Media Player seems to have problems with those.

Using a 2GB card, I can take over 500 pictures at the highest 6MP quality. I can record about 20 minutes of video at the best quality, and about 45 minutes of video using normal quality.

I use a laptop and really didn't want to transfer my pictures and video with the cradle, so I bought an IOGear USB card reader
[...]
The SD card pops out very easily from the camera to pop into the reader and into my laptop. I can also use it as a normal USB Drive this way.

One thing I didn't like about the camera is that the zoom function is a little noisy. If you are shooting video and use the zoom, it is so loud that it gets in the audio track. I don't use the zoom much, so it's not that big of a deal, but it is somewhat annoying.

The documentation is also pretty sparse. There are a lot of options on the menus, but they aren't really explained in much detail in the documentation that comes with the camera. I had to go online and find the FAQ for the camera.
[...]

The FAQ answers many more questions, but there still needs to be detailed instructions for all of the features.

If you are looking for a very compact camera that can take great pictures and good video, this one is great for the price. You won't be disappointed.

Great little camera

-fast shot (can shoot 3 pics in a sec, depending how you set it up)

-anti shake feature

-clear picture

-different templates for different picture environments

-compact design

-large LCD

-long battery life (up to 550 per charge)

-attractive sleek design

-comes in three colors (I got silver and love it)

what more can you ask for from a snapshot camera? If you are not a professional photographer and are looking for a good camera to capture moments in everyday situations you will love this camera. I recommend it highly!

Only con:

-It does not have a view finder (which is good for daylight). I never really used the view finder since usually you just aim and shoot but this might be a drawback for some.

My son is about to turn 1 year old and I've been researching a new camera for awhile now. My problem with my old canon(which we paid about $250 for) was the fact that it took too long to take the picture and with a busy baby like mine he would move and I would miss the shot. Also if he would wave his hand around and the picture would be blurry. So I first saw the commercial for the Sony Cybershot where they portray a moving object and the picture still comes out clear. Therefore I decided to research all cameras with "anti-shake" capabilities. I found 3 that I liked and decided on the Casio Exilim in blue. There are so many features and although I paid $300 for it, it was very well worth it. Let me tell you the speed this camera's shutter has. I can take picture after picture in record time.

I even took the camera and waved it around as I was taking a picture and it was still clear. No blurriness at all. The 2.7inch display is so nice and the camera is so slim you can throw it in your pocket, purse, diaper bag, wherever.

Every picture seems so clear. At 6MP they should come out real nice on my photo printer.

With his first birthday right around the corner I'm so happy I got a new camera in time. I don't want to miss any moment of it. All the features on this camera are great and I'm looking forward to better capture memories of my son. I highly recommend to any parent with busy children.

Great camera, love the size of the unit, the 2.7" screen, the speed of turning on/ taking pictures/flash pics. It's really fast. I bought a high speed 2 GB card for fast operation. A case is not included but recommended.

The docking works quite well, the USB upload to the PC for pictures is also very fast. I have Windows XP, did not have to load any software; simply plugged the USB cable from the craddle to the PC.

The printed manual is not useful, the CD manual is very good but you obviously need a computer. I found the camera easy to use, good intuitive design. I like the payback and record buttons, along with their associated menus. The large 2.7" screen is quite an important feature for the "ease of use" for this camera.

The macro feature works well, the colors are vivid in all mode.

Remember this a point and shoot camera. The 6 MP is overkill for most of us but, the larger file size allows you to crop a picture, yet you still have sufficient resolution for an 8X10 print (using the normal file setting!)

I tryed the movie mode, I will stick with my Camcorder. The USB upload to the PC degrades the image; I had better luck with putting the SD card in my card reader.

I was replacing a Nikon CoolPix 990; I was looking for a useable/readable screen, longer battery life, fast recycling in mormal/flash operation for faster picture taking, great color, great resolution, 3X or more zoom, 4-6 MP, small size...this it!

I just got this camera I think it is awesome! I lost my camera about 4 months ago and finally decided to go looking for a new one. My roommate just got a cannon sd630, which is pretty nice as well. It costs about $100-$200 more though and the quality of the pictures and the features seem to be the same or in favor of the casio. The cannon does have a slightly large LCD at 3" while the casio has an lcd of 2.8" which is barely noticable. The overall size of the casio is smaller, which was a huge selling point for me. I wanted very compact with good pic quality. I got very compact with great pic quality. I would recommend this camera to anyone.

Loosing our digital camera on our last vacation was a blessing in disguise!

About a month and a half ago we lost our old (3MP) digital camera on a trip to Mexico. At first we were initially bummed out b/c obviously we lost all our great pics with it. But when we returned home it gave us the opportunity to research (extensively) and upgrade to the Casio EX Slim Z600.

I won't write a long diatribe extolling all of the technical virtues of this camera. Rather, as a lay-photographer/lay-techie I can't say enough great things about this camera.

For starters, the Z600 is extremely user-friendly to operate. Even my technologically inept fianc can use it with adeptness! Essentially, we switch b/t the "normal setting" or the "Best Shot" feature. The "Best Shot" menu provides you with a number of different settings to fit what type of shot you are going for, or what type of conditions you are trying to capture it in. The anti-shake feature in this menu is excellent, but doesn't completely eliminate shaking (although I don't know if any model does). The menu is also graphically arranged with a sample shot to assist you in choosing a setting.

The pictures are outstanding, but in all honesty I have seen some other digital cameras produce a little better shots. HOWEVER, unless you are Ansel Adams or Margaret Bourke-White, the pictures are perfect for every-day and special occasion happy-snaps.

Other parting comments: The cradle is nice, but it's the only way to transfer your pics to your computer. I don't think a USB cable exists that you can use in case you loose or damage the cradle (or leave it behind at home). I could be wrong about this, but during my research I couldn't find one. Finally, it LOOKS COOL! We love the blue color and everyone who sees it makes a comment on how nice it seems. Hey, what's wrong with having the things you own look cool?

I would highly recommend the Z600. . .if it's within your budget. Also, I compared this model to the slimmer one Casio makes and actually found the slimmer design to be TOO SLIM (if you can believe it). There are times that an event takes place that I want to capture quickly and this type of quick-draw situation with a camera that slim makes it difficult.

Enjoy!

I upgraded to this camera finally severing the link to the previous Olympus 3020 Camedia. The Olympus cost me >$500, 5 years ago, and served me well, but the thing sucked up battery juice like a kid on a can of soda at the water park.

I like its small size, yet big preview window, quick start up and fast writing to flash. I was happy that it is plug and play with the XP Windows operating system (i.e. no other software required). I've already experienced its ability to capture action shots, and it is heads&tails better then the Olympus. My German Shorthaired Pointer was caught at the beach, in mid air, with outstanding quality, and with the camera in the default turn on mode.

Unlike others, I like the cradle port. Recharge and download in one location is perfect for me. With the Olympus I had to remove the batteries, go find the charger, plug it all in, wait, and reverse the procedure. What this meant was that the next time I used the camera, I usually ran out of juice because I was too busy/lazy to bother charging up the batteries.

If you are looking for a small/tiny point and shoot camera that has the quality of a BIG camera then look no futher.