Casio - Exilim EX-Z75 digital camera Review

I bought my Casio Exilim EX Z75 after reading a review here of a similar Exilim. I love it!

A Closer View

After reading the review I went to Consumer Reports which at the time (May) picks the Casio Exilim EX Z75 as a favorite. You can find it for around $200 or less. We bought it online and it came with a case, another battery and some more memory so we paid a bit more.

The camera comes with an 8MB digital card storage, a rechargeable lithium ion battery (NP-20) x1, a small charger in which the battery goes for 90 minutes to get recharged and a hand strap. It also comes with a built in flash, USB cable and a CD for uploading pictures.

The manual is online and - no kidding - is over 200 pages. I am technologically challenged but getting better. Since this is my second camera and I'm the picture taker I wasn't totally overwhelmed by the manual. There were a few features I had to go over a few times such as the exposure compensation.

This is a 7.2 megapixel camera. I read elsewhere that someone was unhappy because the 7.2 gave him grainy pictures. Let me explain. There are modes this camera will function in. One is easy mode and one is best shot. The 34 best shot modes give me a whole host of options allowing me to take the best possible picture. For example if I am taking splashing water versus scenery or slow moving water versus fireworks I can pick the mode I want. In order to get the best picture I do have to play around with the modes, the flash modes (dusk, daylight, overcast, etc.) and the megapixels. You can just put the camera in easy mode and have everything on auto and not have to play with anything. For many you'll be very happy with this camera. However if you want more, you have more - much more with this Casio.

It has a 3x optical zoom and 4x digital zoom (Image size: 3072 x 2304 pixels, 12X in combination with optical zoom). Again on the right setting I can get a picture of something quite far away nice and clear.

My camera is small measuring about 3.75" wide x 2.38"high x .77" deep. It weighs about 4 and a half ounces. The LCD is 2.6 inches which is nice and large. It is also one of the only disappointments I have. In bright sunlight it is harder than, let's say the comparable Kodak, to see. I find myself looking for the viewfinder!

It comes in blue, pink and silver. I got the silver.

There is a 1-year warranty from Casio.

What I like

~ I like the fact I can record my voice without a picture!

~ I like the fact that I can video record and the picture comes out really well- I mean really, really well. I have some amazing videos.

~ I like the compact size.

~ I like the setting information on the right hand side. This makes it really easy for me to change from auto flash to no flash or to soft flash or to change the millimeters.

~ I like the self-timer that gives me 3 options: 10 seconds, 2 seconds, or triple self-timer which shoots 3 pictures off of the same timed picture.

~ I like that I can change the function to continuous and I can press down on the shutter and get picture after picture.

What I don't like:

~ I guess I prefer old fashioned batteries rather than the rechargeable lithion.

~ The memory: We bought an additional 2GB memory card through the package I referenced above. I think that was a good option.

~ I don't like the flimsy piece of plastic that covers the port of the camera in which the USB cable goes.

~ I'm not crazy about how the battery comes in and out. If you don't have long nails you may have a little trouble.

Although the Casio EX-Z75 may not be right for the professional I think that it's great for someone like me who wants nice pictures rather than just ok pictures and can play around to get that quality. It isn't hard to master.

Jo's Viewpoint

I like it! but there are a few "I don't likes" to get 5 stars