Casio Exilim - Any Good?

[marwan74]

I have a Sony Cybershot DSC-T1 5MP Digital Camera with 3x Optical Zoom that i bought 2 years ago, and while it's a great cam, im looking to replace it fr something slimmer. Should i go with Sony Cybershot again, or should consider one of those super slip Casio Exilim line? I'm looking for something with great video quality at VGA resolution with 30fps and excellent picture quality for it's class.

big SLR cams are the best, but im looking for somthing pocketable.

also, are there any cams that record video at 30fps and higher that VGA res? what would you guys recommend? i hear there are some digital cams that record video in widescreen 16:9 aspect ration.

thoughts?

thanks!

edit: how is the Casio Exilim EX-Z1000? the viewfiner is 16:9, does that mean it records widescreen video? also, i know there is a cybershot cam that can take RAW pictures. what does that mean? and how big would the picture files be? ...should i stick with cybershot or switch to another band like Casio or other for small pocket sized cams?

[mynameis_Kaz]

IMHO I would go into a store and handle these super slim cameras. Whilst they are indeed pocketable, they are also very uncomfortable to use.

[clonmult]

We've gone from a Canon A70 (more like a "regular" camera) to a Casio EX-Z60 (and prior to that, I've been a long time user of manual SLRs, Canon AE-1, AV-1).

Sure, its slim, extremely pocketable, but it does actually feel very good in the hands, everything is well placed, its not difficult or uncomfortable to use.

And for your info, I've taken side-by-side pics (macro) with my N73 and the EX-Z60. There is not a big difference.

Flickr (http://www.flickr.com/photos/53601971@N00/) The two Heineken bottles are the side-by-sides. thats a 6mp camera versus a 3mp N73, and personal preference is for the N73s images.

And I would say that you will not get much better pictures from the 10mp Casio than you will out of say a 5/6/7 mp version of the same. Despite the extra resolution of the sensor, they are still limited by the same (relatively) cheap optics, which cannot resolve that much more detail.

[wabre]

even the macro-shots of my k750i are very nice. though i wouldn't take a macroshot for a comparison for quality of a 3 or 6 mpx cam. without being an expert, i would say a macroshot misses the dynamic range of colors, depth or low light vs. lot of light of a landscape or other daily pic.

the fact that a digital camera would take rather "real" pictures compared to a digitally processed with more color camphone pic, could make you like the pic of a camphone more, although it does not reflect the reality as near.

i like the casio as well for the size as you can carry it wherever you want and it will definitely work much better in ANY situation than a mobile phone. not even talking about the fantastic vids it shoots. although i am a bit worried concerning build quality of a casio. i compared them to some sonys or canons and the buttons seemed like they would go their own ways after a short while.

[marwan74]

wow, the N73 is better.

ok then, this rules out casio for me.

[wabre]

yeah, N73 is better, so how comes you were even considering a REAL digital cam....hehe

[Mweb]

I have a Z1000 and many other Exilim models in my collection, the N73 is grossly inferior even to a Casio s100 (3MP).
http://www.letsgodigital.nl/en/casio_exilim_exz1000/review.html
http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/casioz1000/
http://www.imaging-resource.com/PRODS/Z1K/Z1KA.HTM
Three reviews that say the Casio is Tops!!

[The Lostprophet]

z1000 is my fav compact camera at the moment, its great value for money! its a nice size. picture quality seems fantastic to me for a compact camera. 10.1mp for under ?200 as well cant go wrong ;)

[marwan74]

yeah, N73 is better, so how comes you were even considering a REAL digital cam....hehe

cuz unless it's extremely bright, the N73 takes sh!t pictures plagued with purple fog. I used to have an N73 and sold it to the poor camera. It only performs well in very lit areas. I have a K800 and the cam does a better job.

I have a Z1000 and many other Exilim models in my collection, the N73 is grossly inferior even to a Casio s100 (3MP).
http://www.letsgodigital.nl/en/casio_exilim_exz1000/review.html
http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/casioz1000/
http://www.imaging-resource.com/PRODS/Z1K/Z1KA.HTM
Three reviews that say the Casio is Tops!!

thanks.

what are RAW pictures? is that unconpressed? and does it take widescreen video or is it 640x480 only?

[Mweb]

640 X 480 but V high quality, yes RAW is totally uncompressed, huge file sizes and slow to process, but great quality, some compacts offer it, i think there is a casio that does true widescreen.
http://www.exilim.co.uk/exilimcard/exs770/

[marwan74]

BEST SHOT, is that like Best Picture on the Sony Ericsson K800? it takes very quick sequence shots, then shows you the preview to select which to save?

[wabre]

cuz unless it's extremely bright, the N73 takes sh!t pictures plagued with purple fog. I used to have an N73 and sold it to the poor camera. It only performs well in very lit areas. I have a K800 and the cam does a better job.

that was meant like a joke...of course N73 takes good pics, as does the K800i. but honestly if you like to see details in a pic and somehow a good reproduction of the natural environment, then a mobile does just not perform well compared to cams. it's very important to KNOW also how to use the device. there are users who can shoot astonishing nice pics with a mobile and others who don't know how to handle a digital cam. but whoever is into individually serious photography is not using a mobile for that special moment to capture! and i am sure that with one of those CASIO cams you'll be able to satisfy completely your needs. if you would compare a video by the already very good N93 to one of those from a CASIO you would sell the mobile immediately...

[Xtrasystolic]

even the macro-shots of my k750i are very nice. though i wouldn't take a macroshot for a comparison for quality of a 3 or 6 mpx cam. without being an expert, i would say a macroshot misses the dynamic range of colors, depth or low light vs. lot of light of a landscape or other daily pic.

the fact that a digital camera would take rather "real" pictures compared to a digitally processed with more color camphone pic, could make you like the pic of a camphone more, although it does not reflect the reality as near....

Totally agree on that.

[Mweb]

BEST SHOT, is that like Best Picture on the Sony Ericsson K800? it takes very quick sequence shots, then shows you the preview to select which to save?

http://www.exilim.co.uk/bestshot/
Bestshot explained :)

[m33]

RAW is uncompressed data straight from the sensor. Jpeg is a lossy format that is made in the camera. You can read more about RAW format here http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/RAW_image_format

In my 10Mpix dslr jpeg takes about 2,5 – 5 MB per image (JPEG fine) and RAW 6 – 11 MB

The problem with the Compact cams with large resolution is that the sensor makes more ISO noise in dark photos. Because often when producers increase the resolution they don’t increase the sensor size.

Sensor size....
1/1,8” is Casio Exlim z1000 sensor size and APS format is the sensor size of most dslr. The high end dslr use full format sensors (35 mm).

http://img130.imageshack.us/img130/251/sensorspm0.jpg


Theoretically 2 - 3 Mpix is enough for small prints and 6 Mpix is enough for A4 prints. I say theoretically because the quality of pixels is more important than the actual amount. For example a 3,2 Mpix compact cam takes often better picture than a mobile and a 6 Mpix dslr takes a better picture than a compact cam with the same resolution.


What kind of motive do you usually take picture of (indoor, outdoor, portrait, landscape, night shot….)?

What ever you do, don’t get blinded by the mega pixels….

[ratei]

also, are there any cams that record video at 30fps and higher that VGA res?

Canon Powershot S80 can record videos @ 1024x768 though only at 15fps. There are some other models from Ixus and Powershot than can record 60fps when set at 320x240 - good for slow motion movies. I dunno much about Casio cameras anyway but I know It's better than any camera phone. My friend has one (but I dunnothe model) and he's fine with it.