The Casio Exilim EX-S12 is a 12 megapixel pocket camera with a 3x zoom lens. It is one of the slimmest digital cameras around. It is easy to use and can shoot High Definition movie footage.

The main attractions are likely to be the compact size of the camera, plus ease of use. More or less anyone should be able to use this camera.

Outdoor 1 (Medium Zoom)
This picture looks good to me. On close inspection I can see the Exilim EX-S12 has handled the glare from the sun well, apart from some of the blue lines on the boat taking on a purple tinge.

Outdoor 2 (No Zoom)
There are one or two minor imperfections in this picture. If you blow it up to full size you will start to notice a touch or purple fringing here and there. The Exilim EX-S12 also struggles to show much detail in the darker areas of the shot. Those points aside you should not have any major issues as long as you are not over ambitious with the size of prints you make.

Outdoor 3 (Maximum Zoom)
Even in the more distant areas of the shot focusing works well. It is above average and there is plenty of detail in areas such as the roofs of the houses. The colours work well too. This picture has a warm glow to it.

Outdoor 4 (Building)
There is plenty of brightness in this photo and I like the way the Exilim EX-S12 uses the light. As with the second picture there is a touch of purple fringing rearing its head here and there. I also feel that this camera sharpens the images a little more than I would like to see. Again if you are only planning to make snapshot sized prints this is unlikely to be an issue.

Outdoor Portrait
This shot is darker than I would like to have seen. I repeated the test and I produced the same result a second time as well. This may be the reason why the shot lacks a bit of definition in my opinion.

Indoor Portrait with Flash
To my eyes this photo is less than pin sharp. That is a bit disappointing as the camera should not find it difficult to focus in these conditions. On the plus side the lighting is even.

Indoor Portrait without Flash
Although this picture was taken indoors and no flash was used the lighting should have been sufficient to have produced a better shot than this. It has a dull look to it and the photo lacks definition.

Colours
Overall I like the colours produced by the Exilim EX-S12. Using my second outdoor test shot as an example there have a subtler feel to them than many brands manage.

Macro
I must admit I struggled with my macro test shot. You do need to be 10cm away from the subject before focusing kicks in. This is further away than most cameras need to be. If close up photography is important to you then it is best to look elsewhere.

ISO 400 and ISO 1600
Noise creeps in quite quickly once light falls away. Although this is very common with digital cameras it was very noticeable with the Exilim EX-S12.

Overall
There are one or two places where this camera does not manage to hit the heights and this does leave a couple of question marks against the camera. It is much better outside in bright light.

Firing off a single shot was slower than standard at 0.45 seconds. Five shots took 16.15 seconds. With flash on times were 0.52 seconds for one shot and 19.63 seconds for five.

To turn the camera on and take the first shot took 2.54 seconds. This is a good time.

You can compare this camera to other models by taking a look at the Shutter Lag Comparison Table.

This is one of the slimmest digital cameras around. It has a very simple design and is available in pink, silver, green and black

94.2 x 54.6 x 14.9mm

112g

Lithium ion

The Exilim EX-S12 is compatible with SD and SDHC cards, as well as eye-fi cards. It has enough built in memory for 8 - 9 photos.

Click here to save money on memory cards..

Very good. As with other Casio digital cameras you should not have much of a problem getting used to the Exilim EX-S12. You can opt to display key functions on the right hand side of the menu. This makes them very easy to access and change.

Options displayed on the right hand side of LCD screen - ease of use

Closer macro mode

There are plenty of small compact digital cameras to choose from. Try taking a look at the Canon IXUS 100 IS.

This is a very competitive market. Although the Casio Exilim EX-S12 does a fair job I feel there are better value models around.

Front View

Back View

Top View

Sample Menu

Description:	12 megapixels and a 3x optical zoom lens
Ease of Use:	9
Features:	8
Colour:	8
Macro:	7
Indoors:	7
Value for Money:	8
Style:	8
Movie Mode:	9
Image Quality:	8
Build Quality:	8
Total:	80
Verdict:	This is an extremely slim digital camera. It scores highly for ease of use and can also shoot High Definition movies. Picture quality is below top level, but it should get you by for most snapshot opportunities.
Review Date:	September 2009
Related Pages:	Casio Exilim EX-S12 Specification Casio Exilim EX-S12 Sample Images Casio Exilim EX-S12 Features

	GBP 129.99
	GBP 145
	GBP 180.95
	GBP 200
Click a flag for prices from other countries:

Camera	Rating
Panasonic DMC FX60	86
Canon IXUS 120 IS	86
Sony DSC TX1	86
Canon IXUS 110 IS	86
Canon IXUS 100 IS	86
Panasonic DMC FS62	85
Samsung ST550	85
Nikon Coolpix S570	85

Although every effort is made to ensure the accuracy of the information on this site, please make sure you double check the feature set and specification at the point of purchase.

Casio Exilim EX-S12