The Casio Exilim EX-Z100 is a 10 megapixel camera. It will slip into a pocket and is available in 6 colours.

There are so many pocket cameras to choose from and many have a very similar specification. There are not too many with a wide angle lens though. So the 4x wide angle lens of the Exilim EX-Z100 helps to differentiate it from other cameras. This will be attraction if you are looking to take pictures where you would like to be able to squeeze extra width into the shot. This could include groups of people, interiors or landscape photos.

As with other Casio Digital Cameras there are one or two extra features than most other brands come up with. For example the Exilim EX-Z100 can take widescreen movies. It also has a very large selection of scene modes.

Outdoor 1 (Medium Zoom)
My test shots start with quite a standard effort. The colours are well balanced and focusing is sharp enough. There is a loss of detail in the lightest areas of the boats. This will show up on larger prints.

Outdoor 2 (No Zoom)
The centre of the shot shows good levels of sharpness, but this tails off towards the edges. This can happen with wide angle lenses as they find it difficult to squeeze the extra detail in and still retain sharp focus.

Outdoor 3 (Maximum Zoom)
If you move away from the centre of this shot focusing soon falls away. When the zoom lens is pushed to extremes, either zoomed right in or right out, the Exilim EX-Z100 struggles for sharpness.

Outdoor 4 (Building)
As with my other outdoor test shots focusing slips away as I move out towards the edges. Although the overall sharpness of the photo is better than my last two test shots. I would still like to have seen a sharper image.

Outdoor Portrait
The Exilim EX-Z100 finds it easier with a closer subject. The colours have a natural feel to them and are not as harsh as some cameras manage. I have used a white balance setting of shady in an effort to maintain the colour balance.

Indoor Portrait with Flash
With flash turned on the Exilim EX-Z100 manages to produce a bright photo. The lighting is also spread well throughout the shot. Once again I feel the photo could have been that bit sharper.

Indoor Portrait without Flash
This is another photo where I like the colours and without flash there is a softer feel to the photo. Noise does creep into the shot though and this just takes the edge off the definition.

Colours
Throughout all my test shots the colours appear to have a natural feel to them. There is enough colour for my own personal tastes, without being overpowered.

Macro
The Exilim EX-Z100 is not really built for macro photography. It does have a macro mode, but the closest focusing distance is 15cm and for a true close up photos will need to be heavily cropped in the way my test shot has been. Looking at my test shot I am happy with the brightness and detail showing in the shot, but macro photos are only likely to be of worth if they are for computer or Internet viewing.

ISO 400 and ISO 1600
These are two standard shots with noise becoming more and more apparent. At ISO 1600 colours are beginning to break down as well.

Overall
The Exilim EX-Z100 does not quite hit the mark for me. While you should be able to get away with many of the focusing problems with smaller prints, these are likely to show if you increase the print size.

Shutter lag times were very good for taking single photos. One picture without flash clocked 0.19 seconds. Five photos took 15.38 seconds. With flash a single photo recorded 0.42 seconds and five took 18.97. It is very rare for a camera to record under 0.2 seconds.

It took 2.29 seconds to turn the camera on and take a picture.

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

The Exilim EX-Z100 has a very simple, unfussy design. It is a rectangular shape with rounded edges. It is available in six colours: blue, sliver, gold, brown, pink and black.

93.0 x 55.0 x 21.2mm

111g

Lithium Ion (NP-40). Both a battery and charger are supplied as standard. Casio estimate you should be able to take around 400 shots before the battery needs to be recharged.

The Exilim EX-Z100 is compatible with SD and SDHC cards. 12.1 megabytes of storage have been built into the Exilim EX-Z100. This is enough for around 6 photos.

Click here to save money on SD cards.

Very Good. I find Casio Digital Cameras to be among the most simple to use. There are some extra features tucked away when compared to other brands, but the menus are well presented and there are few buttons to become acquainted with.

Ease of use - widescreen movies - shutter delay times

Photos could be sharper - build quality could go up a notch or two

The Exilim EX-Z100 is up against some stiff competition with plenty of pocket sized cameras on the market. If you are attracted by the wide angle lens then another camera to consider is the Panasonic DMC FX35.

Sharp photos are a big thing for me. Taking this into account I thought the Casio Exilim EX-Z100 struggled in too many of my tests. That's a shame as it has some decent features for a pocket sized, point and shoot camera and it also did well in my shutter lag tests.

Front View

Back View

Top View

Sample Menu

Description:	10 megapixels and a 4x optical zoom lens
Ease of Use:	8
Features:	8
Colour:	8
Macro:	6
Indoors:	8
Value for Money:	7
Style:	8
Movie Mode:	8
Image Quality:	6
Build Quality:	8
Total:	75
Verdict:	I had issues during my tests with the sharpness of the images I took with the Exilim EX-Z100. These may not be so apparent on smaller prints, but if you increase the size this is likely to become noticeable.
Review Date:	July 2008
Related Pages:	Casio Exilim EX-Z100 Specification Casio Exilim EX-Z100 Sample Images Casio Exilim EX-Z100 Features

	GBP 99.99
	GBP 120.00
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-Z100