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Casio Exilim EX-Z77 7.2MP Digital Camera with 3x Anti-Shake Optical Zoom (Blue) | List Price: $199.99
Discount Price: $149.99
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Brand: Casio
Binding: Electronics
Features: - 7 mega pixel, 3x optical
- 2.6" Wide Bright LCD
- Face Detection Technology
- You Tube Video Capture Mode
- MPEG 4 H.264 Video
Great features, Bad Pictures [Posted on 2007-09-27]
I love the featuers on this camera, it had everything you could ever want and more. The best interface to work with, very stylish and sleek.
The pictures sucked, they were so grainny and noisy. They looked like 5 meg 3000x3000 cell phone pictures. I tried just about every auto setting and manual going up and down with the iso's etc... Unless you where out doors on a sunny day the pictures were terrible.
Sound and video were good to ok quality, and were a big supprise for such a small camera.
The tv playback and callendar were also kind of cool. Eventualy I returned this camera after two weeks and 4 gigs worth of shooting.
Casio Elixium Z77 [Posted on 2007-12-31]
I purchased this product as a gift for and avid E-bayer, specifically because it touts an E-Bay mode. The insturction manual on the camera is woefully inadequate, and the lack of separation between the many languages it is printed in, makes it very hard to follow. The camera does not come with a memory card, an added expense. The battery seems to not hold a charge for long and must be removed from the camera to be charged. All in all I think I could have found a better camera for my friend.
Great, Slim Camera [Posted on 2008-03-07]
I originally bought this camera for my wife. She wanted a camera that was slim and this camera is quite slim. First, the camera design looks sharp, alot nicer than the nikon coolpix 3200 that this camera is replacing. The LCD panel on this camera is large and sharp, great for reviewing photos just after we take a shot. There are loads of features and settings in this camera, far more than my wife would use.
The menu/user interface in this camera is VERY intuitive, you can definitely get by using this camera without using a instruction manual. The speed from shot to shot is extremely quick, Especially compared to the Nikon coolpix and Olympus 5050 we have been using. Picture quality is also superior to those cameras as well.
I had done quite a bit of research on this camera. This camera is essentially the same as the casio EX-Z75(which gets good reviews) except this model is had the Exilim Engine 2.0 for improved picture quality.
Overall, we are quite happy with this camera and we are considering buying a second one.
Small, Solid Camera with many features [Posted on 2008-06-18]
I have used this camera for a wide variety of purposes (a digital photography class, documenting artwork, short films, and documenting general life) and I have been quite pleased with its performance, considering its size and cost (Under $200 at time of purchase).
Benefits
Size: This camera fits in almost any pocket and is very easy to carry around; it is slightly smaller (LxW) and a tiny bit (about 2mm) thicker than my old 40GB iPod.
Solid Construction: The camera feels solid and has taken a lot of abuse and does not show it. I caught myself from falling with it in my hand in a soft case and there was no damage whatsoever afterwards.
Manual Controls: Once you get used to the interface, you can control almost any aspect of the camera you want to, within limits. In my digital photography course, I used the manual controls of the ISO, saturation, color filters, white balance, exposure compensation, and focus all the time to make shots that my professor thought were from a SLR. There are limits to the camera though: manual focus is very difficult to use. And you have no control over the shutter, which is very limiting in low-light conditions.
Features: The "Best Shot" (BS) capability of this camera is remarkably impressive. It is a set of presets for many different conditions including your typical portrait, scenery, backlighting, macro, etc. What makes the BS capability so nice are the unexpected presets like food, whiteboard, and voice recording. There are so many presets that most them will most likely not be used. The Face-recognition feature works well too, though I have not explored it much.
Battery Life: The battery on this camera lasts longer than I would have expected (250-400 photos at maximum possible resolution). This could be because I rarely use the flash, but I often take videos or make sound recordings and the battery still gets at least 250 photos on the highest possible quality.
Weaknesses:
Low-light: This camera does not make crisp photos in low light. In most low light situations, the auto mode will push the ISO to max (800) which makes the photos very grainy. If autoflash is on, it seems to use flash all the time. That said, if you manually set the ISO down and prop the camera on something (due to the long shutter), you can get nice photos.
Flash: The flash is okay. Nothing special, about the same as a disposable camera with a bit better fill. It takes a while to recharge the flash though.
Zoom: Nothing particularly wrong with the Zoom, it is just only 3x optic. The digital zoom works, but like all digital zooms, it only decreases picture quality.
LCD Screen: The colors are not quite accurate, and it sometimes crops your photo when you are reviewing it. I didn't notice its issues until I compared it side by side with a Canon digital elph (Don't know model, SD500 maybe).
Downloading photos: The cord is annoying and the cover is hard to remove. Just take out the SD card and read from the card - it is easier and you don't need to carry around the proprietary cord with you.
Summary:
I would definitely buy this camera again, particularly for its current lower-than-what-I-paid price. With 7.2MP, it makes pretty point and shoot photos for general documentation that can be scaled up to at least 13x17cm without loss in photo quality. With all of its features and manual options, you can do a lot with the camera that I would not expect. Little features like the whiteboard function (it automatically adjusts perspective of a photo so it looks like it was taken straight on) and the voice recording feature (it has a surprisingly good microphone built in) make this camera different from the others I have used (coolpix, digital elphs, etc) The limitations like low light performance, zoom, and a slightly confusing interface seem unavoidable in the ultra-compact camera market. So I would recommend this camera for general use because of its size and solidity, and I would recommend this camera to anyone who wants significant control over their photos but still wants a small point and shoot.
Breaks easily [Posted on 2008-07-19]
I've owned this camera for 4 months. Unfortunately the lens broke after bringing it to the beach. It says "lens error" and will turn itself off. From what I have read online, Casio does not frequently fix "lens errors" under warrenty because they believe they occur because of owner abuse. I'm crossing my fingers that Casio does correct the problem under warrenty, or it could cost me $120. Be very careful using this camera to not get sand or dirt anywhere near the lens, or accidentaly extend the lens when it is inside the camera case. The lens gears/components are ultra sensitive!
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