Overview
The Casio Exilim EX-S770 is a seven megapixel digital camera with a three times optical zoom lens. With a width of 17.3mm this is one of the slimmest digital cameras you can find and you should have no problem at all slipping it into a pocket.
In terms of features the Exilim EX-S770 is a fairly standard digital camera, although it does have one or two gadget type features and also some useful movie functions. It is easy to use and is likely to appeal to someone who considers the size of the camera to be one of the most important factors.
Main Features
Megapixels:
Zoom:
LCD Screen:
Dimensions:
Weight:
7
3x
2.8 inches
94.5 x 60.4 x 17.3mm
127g
Macro:
HD Movies:
Manual Controls:
Batteries:
Memory Cards:
15cm
No
No
Lithium-ion Rechargeable
SD/SDHC
Image Quality
I have found in the past that with cameras like the Exilim EX-S770 you have to be prepared to compromise to a degree when it comes to picture quality. I am not sure what the exact technical reasons are but the extremely thin cameras like this one do have more trouble than their larger competitors when it comes to produce good quality photos. I would imagine this has a lot to do with the size of the lens.
There is not that much wrong with the outdoor shots. Focusing could be a touch sharper. This is especially true in the second shot where the zoom lens is not being used. Otherwise when the light is good the Exilim EX-S770 is able to produce acceptable shots when it comes to sharpness. I would also say the fall off in sharpness as you move towards the edges of the photo is in line with what I have experienced with other cameras and is not a great concern.
On the whole colours are true, although in the dedicated test for colours I thought blues came out with a purple tinge. I can also see some evidence of some purple fringing around the outer edges of light coloured objects where the sun catches them. This problem usually only occurs in cameras that have much longer zoom lenses.
Another noticeable problem is the way the Exilim EX-S770 handles glares from the sun as it is reflected back towards the camera. At this time of year it is a problem for all digital cameras with the sun lower in the sky. Even so the result here is not very good with a lot more detail being lost from the boats than I am used to seeing.
The Exilim EX-S770 has produced an outdoor portrait shot with plenty of colour. In fact the skin tones look a little pink. There is certainly a stronger look to the colours in the shot than there usually is. This shot was taken in the shade and I used the shade white balance setting to add a little extra life to the photo. Perhaps this overdid it slightly. Even so I prefer the result here to the one I took using automatic white balance.
Moving indoors I would describe the two tests I carried out in lowlight to be disappointing. The camera is unable to focus properly. Although the extreme lowlight conditions of the beer bottle shot could possibly be used as an excuse I do not think that is the case for the portrait shot. Although the lighting conditions were not perfect I think it is fair to expect a better result than this.
The macro shot is roughly in line with expectations. It is clear and bright without being one of the best I have taken. I would say you should be able to take acceptable close up shots in general. It is worth noting that the macro mode only lets you focus from 15cm away. Therefore my shot had to be heavily cropped in order to give a close up effect.
The test for higher ISO proved a disappointment as it does with so many digital cameras. Once you get up to levels around ISO 400 there is a significant deterioration in picture quality.
Overall I would say the picture quality of the Exilim EX-S770 is a slightly disappointing. Even so there are many worse digital cameras than this one out there.
Shutter Lag and Recycling Times
I was able to take a single picture in 0.35 seconds and five photos in 11.19 seconds. These are average times.
You can compare this camera to other models by taking a look at the Shutter Lag Comparison Table.
Features
The 3x optical zoom lens has a focal length equivalent to 38 to 114mm in 35mm format. There is also a 4x digital zoom feature available.
To compose images there is a 2.8" LCD screen. The screen is made up of around 230,400 pixels. I found the screen very good even in bright sunlight. There is no viewfinder.
The built in flash unit has a maximum range of 3.9m. This falls to around 2m when the zoom lens is in use. The flash modes are Auto, Flash On, Flash Off, Soft Flash and Red Eye Reduction. You can also adjust the intensity of the flash.
There are a number of focusing options. For the focusing area you can select from spot and 9 point multi. The focusing modes are auto, macro, pan, infinity and manual.
There is a wide selection of scene modes available. These are known as best shot on this camera. The scenes available are portrait, scenery, portrait with scenery, children, sports, candlelight portrait, party, pet, flower, natural green, autumn leaves, soft flowing water, splashing water, sundown, night scene, night scene portrait, fireworks, food, text, collection, auction, backlight, anti shake, high sensitivity, monochrome (black-and-white), retro (sepia), twilight, old photo, business cards and document, whiteboard and silent. All you need to do is select the most appropriate scene and the camera will use the optimum settings to take the best possible photo.
To give your photos different effects you can try colour filters (black and white, sepia, red, green, yellow, pink, purple and blue). You can also change levels of sharpness, saturation and contrast.
Camera shake caused by slight movements of the camera while a photo is being taken can be reduced through an anti shake feature. It is possible though that you will see increased noise levels if you use this feature.
Other general features include a histogram, being able to record a short burst of sound when a picture is being taken, adding a voice memo after a picture has been taken, using the camera as a voice recorder and a self timer (two or ten second delay).
Casio have made a number of different resolutions available. These allow you to take photos that are smaller in size. This can help to save space on the memory card. In addition to this there are also special sizes ideal for taking photos to playback on a widescreen television or having made into 4 x 6" prints.
After a photo has been taken you can trim/crop the image or make a smaller copy.
Among the more advanced functions are metering (Multi-pattern, centre weighted, spot), exposure compensation (-2EV to +2EV in 1/3EV steps), ISO sensitivity (50, 100, 200, 400. 800 with Anti-Shake or High Sensitivity modes) and white balance (auto, sunshine, cloudy, shade, fluorescent 1, fluorescent 2, tungsten and manual).
Shutter speeds and apertures are controlled automatically by the camera, although you can increase the shutter speed times in night mode (4 seconds) and firework mode (2 seconds). The standard working range for the shutter is 1/2 to 1/2000 seconds. The aperture of the lens is F2.7 (W) to F5.2 (T).
There are continuous shooting functions for normal speed, high speed and rapid flash.
Movie mode is quite comprehensive. You can record movies with sound up to the capacity of the card. The highest resolution you can use is 640 x 480 pixels. Top speed is 30 frames per second. Digital zoom can be used when shooting your movie as well.
There is also a setting called Past Movie. When you place the camera in Past Movie mode it continually shoots footage. When you start recording the movie it includes the five seconds before you started recording as part of the movie. You can also take a still photo while recording a movie.
You can store documents such as spreadsheets and word documents in the camera. They are saved as Jpeg files. In order to do this you need to connect the camera to a computer.
Casio supply all the necessary cables, software and a cradle to connect the Exilim EX-S770 to a television set, computer and PictBridge compatible printer.
Ease of Use
This is another in the growing number of digital cameras that are easy to use. I like the way Casio use part of the LCD screen to show the main current settings. This also makes it easier to change them. There is nothing especially difficult about this camera and it is suitable for someone who does not feel confident with digital cameras.
Cost
You can pick up a Casio Exilim EX-S770 for around £190. This compares to around £145 for a Pentax Optio S7, £210 for a Sony DSC T10 and £230 for a Nikon Coolpix S7c.
Owing to the issues I had with picture quality it is difficult for me to describe the Exilim EX-S770 as good value for money. Despite this I am sure it will appeal to many.
Style
This camera is all about its slim body. It is one of the slimmest cameras you can find. In fact you have to be careful how you stand it up to ensure it does not fall over. It is available in three colours red, silver and blue.
The camera has dimensions of 94.5 x 60.4 x 17.3mm and weighs 127g.
Batteries and Memory Cards
Power is supplied to the camera by a rechargeable lithium ion battery (NP-20). Both a battery and a charger are supplied with the camera as standard. Casio estimates you should be able to take around 200 photos with the camera between battery charges.
There are six megabytes of storage built into the Exilim EX-S770. I was only able to take three shots with the camera before the memory was full. This is poor as it is not even enough for you to really check the camera over. Therefore I would suggest buying a high capacity card to go with the camera. It is compatible with SD and SDHC cards.
Click here to save money on SD cards..
Points I like:
Super slim size
Movie functions
Where it is not so hot:
Very small internal memory
Picture quality in lowlight
Summary
The main attraction of the Casio Exilim EX-S770 is its slim shape and its extra gadget type features. If these prove to be the main requirements when you are buying then you will have to accept a degree of compromise with this camera when it comes to picture quality, especially in lowlight situations.
Casio EXILIM EX-S770 Front View
Casio EXILIM EX-S770 Back View
Casio EXILIM EX-S770 Top View
Sample Menus
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Related Pages
Casio Exilim EX-S770 Review Casio Exilim EX-S770 Specification Casio Exilim EX-S770 Sample Images
Review Date
November 2006
