Casio Exilim EX-G1

Viewfinder (0.00)

There is no viewfinder on this camera: everything is done through the LCD screen.

Display (4.15)

The EX-G1 has a 2.5-inch LCD screen on the back with about 230k pixels. That’s an average size and resolution for a compact camera, but it does mean that the screen is smaller and grainier than many other cameras. Although the resolution is average, the screen is clear and bright, and is big and sharp enough to check the focus of an image without too much zooming in.

Flash (4.75)

The small flash of this camera is located to the left of the lens. That puts it a little close to the lens, and this does mean that you see a lot of red eye. The camera tries to correct for this, though, both by offering a re-eye reduction flash mode and with an editing tool that detects and removes it.

There is also an unusual flash mode called Soft Flash, which uses a lower, longer flash that gives the image a slightly softer feel. In addition, this camera offers an LED recording light, which uses a small white LED to illuminate the scene. This makes it easier to see what you are taking a photo of, but it is pretty bright, and could irritate some subjects.

Lens (2.00)

The lens of the EX-G1 is a 3x zoom with a focal length of 6.6 to 19.8mm. That’s equivalent to a 38 to 114mm lens on a 35mm film camera, which is a shorter range than many compact cameras. This is because of the thin profile of this camera and the completely enclosed nature of the lens: it doesn’t come out of the camera body in use. The lens also has a very limited aperture range of f/3.9 to f/5.4.

Below are examples from the zoom range of the camera. As you can see, it has a decent wide angle, but doesn’t provide a long enough zoom to reach the banner of our local cinema.

Zoom Ratio Examples
6.66 mm	11.5 mm	19.98 mm

Battery (5.00)

The EX-G1 gets it juice from a small Li-Ion battery (mode number NP-80) that can hold only a rather small 700mAh of charge. This means that the battery life of the EX-G1 is limited. Casio claims a battery life of 300 shots, but we got significantly less than this in our informal tests.

The battery is also rather difficult to remove: you have to simultaneously pull back the latch and lift the cover. Fortunately, Casio has included a lug that makes it easier that can be attached to the wrist strap. This battery has to be removed from the camera to be charged: it cannot be charged within the camera. A spare NP-80 battery will cost you about $34.

Memory (3.50)

The EX-G1 has two memory locations: about 35.7MB of internal memory, and a microSD card slot that supports MicroSDHC cards. Casio doesn’t specify the maximum supported card capacity, but the largest capacity cards currently available hold 8GB of data; enough for about 950 photos at the highest resolution and quality setting.

Jacks, Ports & Plugs (3.00)

A single port under a cover on the right side of the camera body connects the camera with the rest of the universe. This port can be used for connecting to a computer (with the included USB cable) or to a TV, with the included composite video cable. High-definition video is not supported. The USB port is a standard mini USB type, meaning that you can use a standard USB cable if you loose the included one: you don’t have to buy a proprietary one.

Other Hardware (6.00)

Waterproof

The EX-G1 is waterproof to a depth of 10 feet, which means it can be used for snorkel diving or other shallow underwater fun, but not for tank dives or diving to the Titanic.

Drop-proof

The EX-G1 is built to withstand being dropped onto hard surfaces from heights of up to 7 feet.

Cold-proof

The EX-G1 can keep taking photographs in temperatures of down to 14 degrees Fahrenheit (around -10 degrees Celsius). Casio does warn that the battery life of the camera will be severely reduced at low temperatures, though.