Ab Work Outs: Casio Exilim EX-Z80 8MP Digital Camera

Casio Exilim EX-Z80 8MP Digital Camera - Black

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)This is my first Casio digital camera. I've mostly used canon compacts and and the pentax tiny optios in the last years. What I have always looked for in a digicam is, in order of importance:

A. Must be small enough to fit in my jeans pocket without adding too much bulk.

B. Must be cheap (around US$200, better if it is at US$150 like this one, though I would pay up to US$250 for something with mega-great reviews).

B. Must offer decent image quality. I don't care if it is not the best, and I don't care about megapixels (for me, 4 MP is enough), but it must be better than a cell phone, and reliable (90% of the shots should come out crisp, not blurry/crappy)

C. Must have decent video, at least 640x480 at 30 fps. I don't care about the format (avi, mov, etc.), though I appreciate it more if it offers a compression format like divx or h264, for optimizing storage card space (so I don't have to buy more expensive memory cards).

D. Must be fast. Okay, obviously I'm not expecting SLR-quick-operation, because no P&S can offer that, but I DO expect a quick turn-on. I totally hate those slow-shutter-lag cameras that take a lot to turn on. What's the point if you want to capture spontaneous fun moments?

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Okay, this camera filled all my requisites and I'm very satisfied. I've had it for a few weeks and I'm falling in love with Casio. I bought this small and sleek camera (about the same size as a credit card, even thinner than the canon SD1000) because of the great reputation of Casio with video mode, and I use a mac (supported by this camera), so I can edit the clips with my iMac at home.

This camera has many many features, like all that popular stuff typical of these days (auto-shutter, face detection, shake reduction, etc.), and many "Best Shot" modes (they make it easier for you to take a pic, so you don't really need manual adjustments), but in my opinion, the absolute BEST thing this camera offers is an EXCELLENT VIDEO MODE. In a 2GB card you can fit 45 mins of super high quality movies (even better quality than some digital camcorders), and the camera has a "movie button" that you just press and it just starts recording, so you don't have to go through the menu and lose time looking for the REC icon.

You can use the shake reduction mode with the video, and there's an option for youtube uploading that I don't really care about. Youtube mode lowers the resolution, limits the recording to youtube requirements (10 mins max for file, smaller file size) and uploads the clip directly to your youtube account without needing to use the web browser, as a software (that only works with windows) detects the clips when you connect the camera to the PC.

Picture quality... well I can't complain. I've seen better quality in other digigams, but don't worry, the colors are very natural, the quality is very sharp, and the best thing: pics don't come blurred like with more expensive cameras from other brands. A bonus: if you use the "dim light mode" Best Shot scene, pictures taken with very low light come very very nice! even if you move your hand a bit, thanks to the nice shake reduction. And you won't see many "grains", really. This is something worthy to appreciate.

Overall operation is fast, the camera is very 'intelligent' and selects the ISO according to the light with great exactitude, so it rarely uses flash like other small cams (very good to me, because I'm not a flash guy when indoors). However, if you want to use flash for snapshots it does it too, and with a very powerful light, so dont worry.

Now, let me add that something I liked about this little machine is it's sturdiness. WOW. I have already dropped it 2 times, one from 4 feets into concrete inside a pouch, and the other time into the sink in a bathroom, with the lens out. I though this camera would not survive these kinds of hits, but I was wrong! It still works like a charm! ZERO damage, just a small scratch when it wasn't protected by it's case.

As always in my reviews, I will tell you why I removed one star from this product:

- Seems like lens just loves dust! Don't laugh, I'm serious, I've had other cameras for much longer time and they didn't really have dust problems, but this thing attracts many white small spots that are very hard to remove. They still have no effect on the images, and I hope it doesn't happen soon. Anyway, when it happens I will replace it, as I tend to use these cheap digicams as semi-disposable gadgets (I guess the cost of the lens-cleaning will be too much).

- Sucks at macro. Really. I don't care about this feature because I just use my cameras to capture great moments in my life instantly, but if you are one of those persons who love to take very detailed close-ups of small insects and that kind of stuff, it may disappoint you. There are more advanced casio cameras out there (costing a few $$$s more), more suited for the "professional" that will satisfy those kinds of needs. This z-80 casio is geared towards the "casual-shooter".

- Battery life dissapointed me. I had the idea that casio cameras were the best at battery life, but this one is not. The canon SD1000 I gave to my girlfriend lasted longer with one single battery. And it's not the video that drains the energy, the pictures are the ones to blame. I will try lowering the flash intensity to see if it reduces the consumption. Anyway, I'm buying another battery because it is always recommended to do it with any ultra-compact camera.

Bottom line: If you use the video function A LOT in your digital cameras, and you want the best video mode in a very affordable (cheap) digicam right now, combined with asolid-as-a-rock ultra-compact body that shouts elegance and decent image quality, this is the one to get.

Casio has proved me that they can make GREAT digital cameras. Possibly my next buy will be one of their exilim "S" (card) series, because of their very slim build (more than this one!). I hope this reviews helps you decide.

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Product Description:
Stylish affordable 8MP compact digital camera. Auto Shutter, smile detection face detection, instant video button, 2 hrs of video on a 2GB SD card, You Tube ready, iTunes for easy transfer of videos to iPod, iPhone, iTouch; 2.6-inch wide LCD, 3x zoom