Just posted! Casio EX-Z850 review

Monday, 24 April 2006 14:30 GMT

Just posted! Our concise review of the Casio Exilim EX-Z850.The EX-Z850 is Casio's latest ultra-compact flagship model, offering a huge feature set in a very slim, all-metal body. The EX-Z850 doesn't change the basic formula of the EX-Z750 much, but does offer a raft of small improvements; there's an extra megapixel, a couple new Best Shot modes, improved screen brightness, a more powerful flash (with some extra modes), a movie light and a 'high sensitivity' mode, with up to ISO 1600 on offer.Find out what we thought after the link.

Casio Exilim EX-Z850 Review

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Announced just before PMA in February 2006 - almost exactly a year to the day after the camera it replaces - the EX-Z850 is Casio's latest ultra-compact flagship model, offering a huge feature set in a very slim, all-metal body. The EX-Z750 was very well received when it was launched, and remains to this day the most highly-specified 7MP ultra-compact on the market. The EX-Z850 doesn't change the basic formula much but does offer a raft of small improvements; there's an extra megapixel, a couple new Best Shot modes, improved screen brightness, a more powerful flash (with some extra modes) and a movie light. As is becoming standard on this type of camera the Z850 also includes a 'high sensitivity' mode, with up to ISO 1600 on offer.

8.12 Megapixel CCD
3x optical zoom lens
High speed start up and operation
2.5-inch TFT super-bright screen and optical viewfinder
MPEG-4 movies at up to 640x480 / 30fps
34 Best Shot scene modes
440-shot battery life (CIPA standard)
In-camera special effects
Post-shot white balance and exposure adjustments
Aperture priority, shutter priority and manual exposure options
EX button for fast access to shooting controls
White LED light enables both still images and movies to be taken in low light conditions and acts as an AF assist light

Casio EX-Z850 Key specifications

Street price	• US: $359 • UK: £250
Body Material	Metal
Sensor	• 1/1.8" CCD • 8.32 million total pixels • 8.1 million effective pixels
Image sizes	• 3264 x 2448 • 3264 x 2176 (3:2) • 2816 x 2112 • 2304 x 1728 • 1600 x 1200 • 640 x 480
Movie clips	• 640 x 480 HQ @ 30fps • 640 x 480 Normal @ 30fps • 320 x 240 LP @ 15fps • Limited by the memory card and the battery life
Lens	• 38 - 114 mm (35 mm equiv) 3x optical zoom • F 2.8 - 5.1 • 3x optical zoom / 8x digital zoom
Shutter speeds	• 60 - 1/1600 sec in Shutter Speed Priority and Manual Exposure modes • 1/2 - 1/1600 sec in Program AE mode • 1 to 1/1600 sec in Aperture Priority mode
Focus	• Contrast Detection AF • Auto • Macro • Pan Focus • Manual Focus • AF area: spot, multi, free
Metering	• Multi-pattern • Center-weighted • Spot by CCD
Shooting mode	• Still • Still with audio • Continuous Shutter (normal and high speed, flash continuous, zoom, multi) • 34 BEST SHOT modes • AE compensation +/- 2.0 EV in 1/3EV steps
Sensitivity	• Auto • ISO 50, 100, 200, 400
White Balance	• Auto • 6 modes • Manual
Image parameters	• Saturation (5 levels) • Contrast (5 levels) • Sharpness (5 levels) • Color filter effects (B & W, Sepia, Red, Green, Blue, Yellow, Pink, Purple)
Continuous	• Normal speed • High speed • Flash continuous • Zoom, • Multi
Flash	• Built in • Modes: Auto, on, off, red-eye reduction, soft flash • Range: Wideangle: 0.1 - 4.3m, Tele: 0.5 - 2.4m
Storage	• SD/MMC Memory Card • 8.0 MB internal memory
Viewfinder	Optical
LCD monitor	• 2.5" TFT LCD • 115,200 pixels
Connectivity	• USB 2.0 Hi-Speed • Cradle
Power	• NP-40 lithium-ion rechargeable battery
In the box*	• Casio Exilim EX-Z850 • Strap • NP-40 lithium ion battery • AC power cord • AV cable • USB cable • USB cradle • AC adapter • Software CD ROM (inc. Photo Loader and Photohands)
Other features	• Self timer 2 or 10 secs, triple self timer • Date stamping • Keystone correction (playback mode) • Real time RGB histogram • Playback image editing functions (inc white balance and brightness corrections)
Weight (exc batt)	130 g ( 4.6 oz)
Dimensions	89 x 58.5 x 23.7 mm (3.5 x 2.3 x 0.93 in)

Photography