Overview
The Casio Exilim EX-Z33 is one of the cheapest pocket cameras you will find from a known brand. Apart from its price the main attractions are likely to be its small size, plus the fact the Exilim EX-Z33 is extremely easy to use. As you might expect the features available are quite basic. One area of concern is that this camera can be slow to respond when the shutter button is pressed.
Main Features
Megapixels:
Zoom:
LCD Screen:
Dimensions:
Weight:
10
3x
2.5 inches
94.1 x 56.1 x 18.1mm
102g
Macro:
HD Movies:
Manual Controls:
Batteries:
Memory Cards:
10cm
No
No
Lithium-ion Rechargeable
SD/SDHC
Features
Headline features are 10 megapixels and 3x optical zoom. That is about the minimum currently available on a typical digital camera. 10 megapixels is still plenty to make good size prints. As with other Casio digital cameras there is a wide range of predefined scene modes to help you with your picture taking.
There are no HD movies available, but you can shoot in widescreen for playback on a television. There is also a special YouTube capture mode to make it easier to upload video footage to the Internet.
Other features widely available elsewhere, but not with the Exilim EX-Z33 include image stabilisation. With a relatively short lens image stabilisation is of lesser importance. The camera also needs to be 15cm away from a subject to focus. This is much further away then standard. These are sensible compromises for a camera at this price point.
Handling
Casio go for a minimalistic approach when it comes to buttons and controls on the back of the camera. This means controls such as the self timer are included in the menu system rather than having a dedicated button. Zoom is controlled by a ring on the top of the camera. The shutter button sits in the centre of the ring. There is also a button to press when you wish to record a movie. The advantage of this is that you do not need to place the camera in movie mode first.
As with any smaller camera accessing some of the buttons can be fiddly. The buttons used by Casio are particularly small when compared with other cameras. The positioning of the movie button in the top right hand corner is a little awkward and you may find yourself inadvertently shooting a moving from time to time.
The quality of the LCD screen is a little dubious. I found the screen to be darker than normal and not all that easy to see, especially in bright conditions.
Image Quality - See Sample Images Below
Outdoor 1 (Medium Zoom)
The first test shot has vivid colours. Blues and green have plenty of punch.
Cheaper cameras are prone to struggle with the lightest areas of a photo. This is the case here with a loss of detail in the lighter areas of the boats and also with the woodwork under the roof of the building. Aside from that it is a pleasant looking snapshot.
Outdoor 2 (No Zoom)
With the lens fully zoomed out the Exilim EX-Z33 has performed very well. The levels of sharpness are very impressive. Part of the reason for this is likely to be that Casio have not been over ambitious with the shortest focal length of the lens. There is the faintest hint of darkness creeping into the corners of the shot.
Outdoor 3 (Maximum Zoom)
Zooming in works well too. There is a slight loss of sharpness to the right of the shot. This is not to a level that will be noticed unless you are planning to make shots larger than A4 in size.
Outdoor 4 (Building)
This is a fair effort for a camera at the lower end of the price spectrum. The Exilim EX-Z33 is able to lock onto to the brickwork in the shot and produce a sharply focused photo.
Outdoor Portrait
For this photo I used a white balance setting of shady to boost the colours. This has worked, but I also feel there is a very slight green tint to the shot. Otherwise the camera has done well.
Indoor Portrait with Flash
This shot highlights the fact that the flash unit is not especially powerful. Not enough light has been produced to brighten the hair and show its true colour. This leads to a small loss of detail away from the centre of the shot as well. The pink in the skin tones is also stronger than it should be.
Indoor Portrait without Flash
In this instance I prefer the shot taken without flash. It is a good effort. The hair colour is more accurate as are the skin tones. The lighting used was reasonable, but even so the Exilim EX-Z33 does well to show this level of definition.
Macro
You are always going to struggle to get in really close with this camera. It focuses well enough from the requisite 15cm, but this camera is not really for anyone who is interested in close up photography.
Colours
The colours pack a punch in all my test shots. On the whole the camera has no problem producing bright, colourful snapshots.
Noise
Noise will creep in when the light gets low. This may be more of an issue with this camera than with others owing to the lack of power in the flash unit.
Summary
When it comes to picture quality the Exilim EX-Z33 holds its own very well when compared to similar cameras in its price range. For a basic snapshot camera in does the job well.
Style
This camera is very small and compact. You should have little difficulty slipping it into a pocket. It is available in black, silver, sky blue and pink.
Shutter Lag Times
Single Shot
Five Shots
Single Shot With Flash
Five Shots With Flash
Turn on Time
1.62 seconds
15.42 seconds
1.99 seconds
18.87 seconds
2.55 seconds
Ease of Use
With its limited amount of features there are not many areas where the Exilim EX-Z33 is likely to trip you up. As previously mentioned you do need to access the menu more often than you need to with other digital cameras.
Points I Like
Ease of use - low price
Where it Could Improve
LCD screen - slow response times - weak flash unit
Verdict
The compromises with the Casio Exilim EX-Z33 tend to come with the features, shutter lag and flash unit. When it comes to picture taking the camera does a better than many of its rivals. It offers good value for money.
Product Shots
Front View
Back View
Top View
Sample Menus
The camera used in this review was kindly provided by UK Digital Cameras
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Related Pages
Casio Exilim EX-Z33 Review Casio Exilim EX-Z33 Specification Casio Exilim EX-Z33 Sample Images Casio Exilim EX-Z33 Features
Review Date
August 2010
