Casio Exilim EX-Z280 Review

The Casio Exilim EX-Z280 is a fairly typical, pocket digital camera. It has 12 megapixels and a 4x wide angle lens. Looking through the features everything you really need is there for snapshot photography including image stabilisation and high definition movies. The LCD screen is 2.7 inches in size.

The Exilim EX-Z280 is easy to use and operates as a point and shoot camera. Gold, pink and silver versions are available.

This is a straightforward, mid priced digital camera.

Outdoor 1 (Medium Zoom)
This is not a bad start for the Exilim EX-Z280. The sunlight causes many digital cameras a problem with this shot. On the whole detail is good, although there is a loss of definition around the back boat.

Outdoor 2 (No Zoom)
Compared to other similar digital cameras this picture is below par. There are problems with sharpness, fringing and a lack of detail in both the lighter and darker areas of the shot. This suggests the Exilim EX-Z280 may find the going tough when there are high levels of contrast in a shot. It looks like the extra wide angle of the lens may be overstretching the camera.

Outdoor 3 (Maximum Zoom)
With the lens fully zoomed in the camera produces a better photo. The shot is much sharper and the fringing evident in the last shot has disappeared in this test.

Outdoor 4 (Building)
Focusing is uneven in this photo. The left hand side of the building looks very soft. Focusing improves at the centre of the shot, but with a lack of crispness and definition in general this is another below par photo.

Outdoor Portrait
Moving in closer removes the focusing issues the camera has had with my more distant shots. Nevertheless I feel the shot lacks the warmer colours most other digital cameras manage to inject into this test shot.

Indoor Portrait with Flash
This photo works well. Lighting is even and gets to the darker areas of the hair. The level of the light is about right and helps to retain colour in the shot.

Indoor Portrait without Flash
With flash off this is also a decent effort. As is typical of most digital cameras some detail is lost without the use of flash, but the Exilim EX-Z280 compares well against other smaller compacts.

Colours
On the whole the colours produced have a gentler tone than most brands manage. This is especially noticeable in the outdoor portrait and the second outdoor scenic test. Colour strength is a matter of personal taste and you may prefer the subtler colours this camera produces.

Macro
My macro shot works well enough. With my set up it is difficult to stop the shiny silver, front of the Exilim EX-Z280 from reflecting back off the glass of the watch. I did struggle to get a sharp shot from the 5cm distance mentioned in the specification. By moving the camera back an extra couple of centimetres the result was much better.

Noise
Noise did creep into some of my shots. This was noticeable in the shady areas of the boats in the first shot. I could also see a break up of the sky in the second and third shots.

Overall
Well the Exilim EX-Z280 is not perfect and there are many cameras around offering better picture quality. Most of the problems I have mentioned can be greatly reduced if you stick to snapshot sized prints, but there are still many better cameras around.

The Exilim EX-Z280 posted a set of average times. The first shot took 0.28 seconds with five shots totalling 18.25 seconds. With flash on times increased to 0.57 seconds for a single photo and 21.02 seconds for five.

To turn the camera on and take the first shot took 2.45 seconds. This is a good time.

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

There is nothing flashy about the Exilim EX-Z280. It almost looks like an identikit digital camera.

98.2 x 54.9 x 20.1mm

112g

Lithium ion (NP-80).

The built in memory is big enough for around 8 - 10 photos. The Exilim EX-Z280 is compatible with SD and SDHC memory cards.

Click here to save money on memory cards..

Very good. The Exilim EX-Z280 is quite straightforward. I like the fact that Casio display some of the key settings down the right hand side of the screen.

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

Overall picture quality

If you are looking for something a little out of the ordinary try taking a look at the Sony Cybershot DSC WX1. This camera has a very fast burst mode and can also stitch together impressive panoramic shots.

I find Casio digital cameras can be a bit hit and miss. Not every digital camera can sit at the top of the tree. In my opinion the Casio Exilim EX-Z280 struggles to keep pace with the best quality models in the highly competitive pocket camera sector. Aside from the picture quality it is a solid, if unspectacular offering.

Front View

Back View

Top View

Sample Menu

	GBP 129
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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-Z280