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175 of 183 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
EX-Z55 HAS IT ALL!, October 30, 2004
Note to AMAZON REP. REVIEWING THIS EDIT: I HAVE MADE SOME MINOR CHANGES (SPELLING, CLARITY, ETC. OF MY ORIGINAL REVIEW) AND ADDED AN UPDATE AT THE BOTTOM. PLEASE PUT THIS ONE IT'S ITS PLACE AS IT HAS ALL NECCESSARY CHANGES AND UPDATES. I HAVE SENT THIS BEFORE WITH NO LUCK...HOPEFULLY THIS MESSAGE HELPS. THANKS!!
MY REVIEW: This camera is absolutely wonderful! In searching for a new digital camera, I was looking for several things...small size, excellent picture quality, and fast reaction time. Not many things...just big improvements over my last camera (a Nikon Coolpix). The Exilim Z55 has these features and MANY MORE! I do my research - and this camera came out on top!
Below is my review(...)
I cannot believe how much thoughT Casio put into the features and orgnaization of this camera. You can access each feature quickly and easily. In a short time I was already able to use almost all the features of this camera (I never figured out half them on my other camera, or they would take so long to change that I didn't bother). I didn't really care about the large LCD display when buying the camera...but now it's one of my favorite features. Because of this display, I can switch between the different scene modes easily. At the press of the button I can access the 23 different scene modes and decide which one to use. because of the big LCD display, there is room for Csaio to give the user a short description of what each scene mode does right on the camera...so I understand when to use it and what it is doing. Also, when alter modes such as white balance, you can see on the LCD displayhow the change will affect the picture. This is because the icon help menu pops up on top of whatever you are viewing (no blue screen). And, of course, the large LCD display makes it very easy to see pictures, aand delete the ones that you don't want (another easy thing to do at the puch of a button. These two things (ease of use and LCD display) did not go into my decision to buy this camera but have been surprisengly wonderful and helped me really anjoy and get the most out of my camera.
Picture quality - wonderful. On the Exilim z-40, people complained about low light picture quality. Not on the z-50. Casio has done several things to correct it...this camera has flash assist (see casio website for more info on this), as well as gives the user the ability to quickly change the flash intensity. I'm telling you, if you use the features of this camera (which is not hard to do at all)...your pictures will come out great! Color saturation is beautiful and the pictures are very crisp and clear. At the stores, I took pictures with this and 3 different cameras (a Nikon, Kodak, HP)...the Casio's pictures were great (looked like 35 mm camera pictures), clear, crisp, colorful... and not as dark as some of the others. And this was before I knew how to use any of the cameras features.
Fast reaction time...no more missing that first smile, the half second you child actually looks at the camera, or the one second someone takes to blow out the last candle on the cake. Casio's ex-z55 turns on in 1.5 seconds and takes the picture within .01 seconds after pressing the button. I LOVE IT!!!!
Battery life! They just keep going and going and going. You can take like 400 pictures with this camra on one battery! I don't worry about taking time to view pictures, play around with modes, etc because I know I still have plenty of battery life let. This first day I got this camera, I played around with it contantly fr hours and at the end of the day, still had a full bar. Plus, Casio gives you a rechargeable battery which you can recharge right in the camera by putting the camera into the cradle/docking station (another nice feature; also provided) each night. Now that I mentioned it...the docking station. Need to download picutres...no more messing with wires and connecting them to the back of the computer. Just place the camera into the docking station (which is plugged into your computer at all times (if you choose and I would), and download them. Not to mention, your battery won't go dead downloaded pictures, as the docking station will power it while you download. See what I mean...CASIO THOUGHT OF IT ALL.
Along with several other cameras, after much research I narrowed it down to this camera and the Canon S500, but after reading many reviews about the dreaded E18 error which eventually leaves the camera unusable, I leaned more to this one and I am so glad! The Exilim has a steel case so is not subject to change of pressures, and tempurture problems as some other aluminum bodies camera. Seriously, if you are looking for a pocket size camera with many features and great piture quality. Take a look at this camera...you will be impressively surprised. I appreciate a company who takes the time to really think about their product, how to make it easy to use, and really makes improvements over their last model. I don't give out 5 stars to everything, normally I don't even leave reviews on things I have purchased, but I am so impressed with this camera and really think people need to come and check it out.
If you want to see this model in person, most Circuit City's have one on display. Go take a look...you won't be disappointed.
I'll be sure to update this review if I do find out anything unfortunate...but I don't think I will need to. Hope this information helps...Good luck with you're new camera and ENJOY!
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72 of 75 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Another winner from Casio, December 2, 2004
I bought this camera after owning the EX-S3 (3.2) Casio card camera for a year. I took the other camera with me on a military deployment and it stood up to sand, heat, humidity and then freezing cold, so I already knew that this line of cameras is very hardy. This camera exceeds all expectations. It has a large screen, takes movies with sound, snapshots to which you can add a voice tag if you wish, and has a variety of snapshot modes for black and white, extreme closeups, portraits, sepia tones and split images where you take one half of the photo and then the second half with another subject in it. It takes excellent pictures at night. There is very little distortion for low light pictures or movies. Learning the indicators and modes is easy and intuitive. This camera is not as small as the 3.2 or 4.0 megapixel cameras - it is thicker, but still able to sit in a shirt pocket (not a pants pocket). The battery life exceeds the EX-S3 model by at least 300 photos. Cons: 1)No camera case. 2) Extra batteries cost a lot. I advise not buying an "off-market" battery, because they don't quite fit in this camera. I have bought two and they were too short to make a decent contact. So stick to the Casio battery. 3) Manual is on a CD - you have to print it out yourself or look at it on a computer screen.
My best success with this camera was using the extreme closeup mode (called "macro mode") to take pictures of old snapshots in a family album. I didn't use a tripod, I held the camera in my hands and the pictures were phenomenal. I was able to focus in on one person in a group shot and my photo looked as though that was the original - of just that person. This is an esoteric use, but I was pleasantly surprised. I agree with one reviewer here who says to get a 1GB memory card - definitely needed or you may run out of memory space after taking movies and snapshots for hours. One last thing: you can change the size of the photos you take, from email size to a size that you can make a poster out of. You can also take a picture then later crop the photo to focus on one item more closely, while you are looking at the photo on the camera's screen. There are several features that this camera has, but you don't find out unless you get into the manual a bit. I recommend this highly.
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46 of 49 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
An ultracompact that packs a lot; better value than Z50, January 19, 2005
The Casio EX-Z55 is especially notable for two salient features not found in other ultra-compact, ultra-thin digital cameras:
1) A *huge* 2.5" LCD screen (vs. 2" on the slightly cheaper Z50). You probably have seen labels on other tiny cameras that claim "large 1.8-in LCD." Well, this tiny Z55 has a whopping 2.5" (diagonal) screen which is almost twice as big as the 1.8" ones.
2) Incredible battery life for such a small camera. Casio rates this at 400 pictures using some industry standard measurement (called "CIPA"). In comparison, the Canon SD300 is rated at 140, the Pentax Optio S5i at 160, and the Panasonic DMC-FX7 (with vibration reduction) at 120. I have not measured real-world battery life since I didn't have the camera for long, but I took over 200 pictures (about 1/4 with flash and all with the LCD on) and there was still plenty of juice left.
Unlike many ultra-compacts, this camera does have an optical viewfinder, albeit a tiny one. If you want to prevent blurry pictures, you may want to use the optical viewfinder more, as holding the camera close to your face helps steady your shots.
Now, what about the Picture Quality?
First, as I always tell people: be realistic in your expectations. This is a very small camera, which means it has a very small lens (and aperture) and a very small sensor inside. The law of physics simply cannot be defied. The guy who owns a Canon EOS Digital Rebel of course complains about the picture quality of this Casio; it's like you own a Ferrari Enzo and then tries to expect the same performance from a Toyota Corolla. No matter how refined the Corolla is, it simply does not have the same power or performance as the Enzo, simply because it's in a different class, intended for a different audience, and has a much smaller engine.
Digital SLRs such as the Nikon D70 and Canon EOS Digital Rebel are large and expensive for a reason: they are designed to wrestle the best performance out of digital sensors (CCD or CMOS). The Casio EX-Z55, like other ultra-compacts, is designed to be pocketable (even in a shirt). Cameras like this simply cannot take ultra-sharp pictures; their tiny lenses simply won't allow that.
OK, enough philosophizing. The Casio is best for casual shots. You know, the shots at a party or club, the candid shots of kids and pets, the family shots at the local park or zoo. This is a take-anywhere-shoot-anywhere camera. It's even pretty fast in starting up so you can just take it out, turn it on, and shoot. It's best used as a point-and-shoot (also known as an idiot's camera).
If you compare the Casio's picture quality vis-a-vis that of the Pentax Optio S5i or Canon SD300, you'll see it holds up pretty well. In fact, I would say for this tiny amazing thing, the picture quality is pretty high. The picture is a little on the soft side, but that can be sharpened in most image editing packages. If your intention is to make prints, the picture quality is sufficient, esp. after you apply a little bit of sharpening. Let me put this way: for most casual shots (which is what we consumer photographers do anyway), the Z55's picture quality does not disappoint.
But don't take my word for it. Hop over to Best Buy or Circuit City or Radio Shack and take a look at this amazing camera yourself. If you want a pocketable camera with good picture quality and amazing battery life and a large, impressive LCD, the EX-Z55 should be your top choice.
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