Casio Exilim EX-Z3 Digital Camera Review

The Casio Exilim EX-Z3 is undeniably tiny with its dimensions measuring 3.4 x 2.2 x 0.9 inches (87 x 57 x 23 mm) and weighing 4.8 oz (135 g). This digital camera surely will fit in shirt pockets and purses. With its built-in lens cover, it is perfect to bring along anywhere.

The Casio Exilim EX-Z3 has an LCD with the size of 2.0 inches with resolution of 3.20 Megapixels. Its lens come in 3.00x zoom with efficiency of 35-105 mm. and max aperture of f / 2.6 to f / 4.8. It is equipped with macro (close-up) mode. The user can take a shot of an area up to 6 to 50 cm (2.4 – 20.4 mm).

The lens, optical viewfinder, flash, microphone and self-timer lamp can be found just in front of the camera. The left side of the camera only contains a strip of silver lining, while the right side contains an eyelet for the wrist strap. The top part contains the power button and the shutter button. All of the control buttons, optical viewfinder and the LCD are located at the back part of the camera. One of the controls is the Mode switch that enables the user to choose between playback and record modes. The other controls to be found are as follows: zoom, Set, Menu, Display button and the multi-controller. The multi-controller can access the navigation in menu screens and other features depending on the desired function. The bottom part contains the tripod mount, cable connector and the compartment for the battery and memory storage device.

It has the following features:

Record Mode menu: Self-timer, Size, Quality, EV Shift, White Balance, ISO,
Digital Zoom, Review, and a couple of L / R Keys;

 Memory Menu: Flash, Record Mode, Focus, ISO, Digital Zoom, White
Balance and MF Position;

Set-up Menu: Beep, Startup, File Numbering, World Time, Date Style,
Adjust, Language, Sleep, Auto Power Off, Format and Reset;

Play Menu: Slideshow, Calendar, Favorites, DPOF, Protect, Rotation,
Resize, Trimming, Alarm and Copy.


Accessories
Packaged with the EX-Z3 are the following items:

- Li-ion battery (rechargeable)
- USB cradle.
- Cradle AC adapter
- USB cable.
- Wrist strap.
- Software CD.
- Basic manual and registration information.

Basic Features

- 3.2 MP CCD
-Optical viewfinder
- LCD monitor (2 in)
- 3x, 5.8-17.4 mm SMC Pentax lens
- 4x digital zoom
- Automatic exposure control
- Shutter speed: 1 / 2,000 to one second
- Maximum aperture: f / 2.6 to f / 4.8
- Flash (four modes)
- SD / MMC memory card storage
- Built-in memory 10 megabytes
- Li-ion battery pack
- Software CD loaded with Casio Digital Camera Software and
- Instruction manual for Macintosh or PC
- USB cradle

Special Features

- Movie (with audio)
- Self-Timer
- Manual focus option
- Infinity fixed-focus setting.
- White balance (six modes)
- Sensitivity adjustment
- DPOF (Digital Print Order Format) compatibility
- Photo Album utility with USB cradle

Recommended Accessories

- Larger capacity SD or MMC memory card.
- Additional NP-20 Li-ion battery pack.
- Camera case (small)

Pros: Its images have strong details. It performs well in macro mode. The details of the images are clear. Its image processing can preserve very fine details.

Cons: It has the tendency of slightly overexposing its shots even inside the studio. It has limited dynamic range. It does not have very long battery life. It has optical distortion in wide angles and high angles.

Overall: Casio Exilim EX-Z3 caters more to the professional user since it can make them one hell of an artist. Although the Z3 has incredible features, it still maintains a user-friendly setup for novice users. It is practically for those who can only point and shoot when it comes to capturing images. With its incredible features, novice users can feel professional anytime. The Z3 image processing has the ability to preserve very fine details than other digital cameras.

Attached Images

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