As far as pocket sized digital cameras go the Casio Exilim EX-Z700 is just about par for the course. It is a shade over 20mm wide and weighs 112g without the battery and memory card. There are not many slimmer cameras around and in terms of weight it is one of the most lightweight you are likely to find. When it comes to standard features the camera has seven megapixels and a three times zoom lens.
For the style conscious the Exilim EX-Z700 comes in four different colours. You can choose between silver, gunmetal, blue and red.
As well as a rechargeable battery you will find a cradle in the box. This is used to charge the battery as well as connecting the camera to a compatible printer, computer and television set.
On their website Casio claim you should be able to take around 460 shots in between battery charges. This is a very high number of shots per charge. You do need to be aware that if you use battery hungry features on a regular basis this will decrease the number of shots per charge. Battery hungry features include shooting a movie and repeated use of the flash unit.
One area where I think Casio could have been more generous is with the built in memory. There is only 8.3mb available. That is not very much for a seven megapixel camera. The Exilim EX-Z700 is compatible with SD and SDHC (high capacity SD cards) and you will need to pick one up before you will be able to do any serious picture taking.
A big plus point is the larger than average 2.7" LCD screen. I found the quality of the screen to be very good. It is also easy to see in bright sunlight. In this area the camera has a clear edge over most of its rivals.
An area where Casio offer more choice than other brands is with the number of scene modes the camera has. It has over thirty. These are referred to as Best Shots. When you select a scene the camera will recognise the type of photo you are about to take. It will adjust the settings to try and ensure the best possible photo. It doesn't always work out the way you plan it, but scene modes can be useful.
Other features allow you to add thirty seconds of commentary to a photo you have already taken. You can also trim or crop photos once they have been captured. This can help you to home in on a particular area in a photograph.
When necessary you can also use the camera purely as a voice recorder.
To add a different feel to your photographs there are a small number of features you can try out. These include some colour options (black and white, sepia, red, green, blue, yellow, pink and purple), plus controls to change the level of sharpness, contrast and saturation.
Movies that are of sufficient quality to play back on a television can be recorded. Sound can be captured with the movie and the duration is only limited by the capacity of the memory card. Zoom cannot be used while shooting is progress, but you can zoom in and out before you start to record the movie.
