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Casio Exilim EX-Z40
Company:
Casio Inc., www.casio.com
Price:
$399.99 list
Spec Data:
4 megapixels; 3X optical zoom
Pros:
Tiny and lightweight. Extended battery life. Very good menu functions and wide variety of preset shooting configurations.
Cons:
Average image quality, with noise at some settings.
Bottom line:
Despite its diminutive size, this camera has plenty of stamina and in-camera help menus that newbies will appreciate. Its overall score is dragged down a bit by the merely average image quality.
Review
The 4-megapixel Casio Exilim Zoom EX-Z40 is a pocketable, lightweight digital camera. For an ultracompact model, it has an impressive battery life. We like the EX-Z40's slim profile, solid feel, and in-camera help system, but unfortunately, its image quality was only average.
We also like the EX-Z40's Pan Focus ability, which lets you quickly press the shutter button all the way down to take a picture without engaging the auto-focus. You lose some control, but it's a good for real-time shots you don't want to miss while the auto-focus gets its bearings.
The Pentax zoom lens operates smoothly and retracts into the camera body, where it's protected by a built-in plastic cover. One design complaint: The recessed power button can be awkward for larger fingers.
The EX-Z40's menus, displayed on a 2-inch LCD, offer options such as multiple adjustable white-balance settings and exposure controls, and a histogram. Novices will appreciate the 21 scene modes, including our favorite, the Coupling mode (see the Casio Exilim Pro EX-P600, page 105, for more details). Each of the scene modes is concisely detailed on screen, using sample images and text. Movie capabilities are limited to 320-by-240 at only 15 fps with audio.
On our tests, the EX-Z40's image quality was decent, but graininess was evident in darker areas and also in macro shots. Colors were very good and realistic. The camera is a reasonably speedy performer as well.
Overall, the EX-Z40 is best suited to casual users and novices who value battery life, LCD size, and on-screen help over top-level image quality.
Click here to read our full review of the Casio Exilim EX-Z40.
