Model Design / Appearance (7.5)
The V8 embodies a retro-look, appearing like it just popped out of the 80s. Although it is somewhat dated, the camera isn’t half bad-looking. The V8 design is linear and symmetrical with balanced proportions and uniform controls. It possesses the innovative feature of a sliding lens door that powers the camera on. Electing to use a new design for the V-series, the V8 deviates from its contemporary-looking siblings in the Z- and S-series cameras. With a retro look more akin to old school walkmans than contemporary point-and-shoots, the V8 is still an attractive, neat camera.
As for build quality, the body is constructed of mostly hard plastic that won’t compete with the strength of all-metal bodies, but keeps the camera light.
Size / Portability (7.5)
Measuring 3.76 x 2.35 x 1-inch,, the Casio V8 shares the same dimensions as its predecessor, the V7, which Casio called “the “world’s slimmest digital camera with a 7x optical zoom” at the time of its release in January 2007. At its thinnest, the V8 is 0.82-inches thick, just like the V7. For a 7x optical zoom camera, the V8 is an effectively portable camera.
Like its predecessor, the V8 also weighs 5.26 ounces without battery or memory card. At more than half a pound, the V8 isn’t too light on its feet when compared other Casio cameras in the Z or S-series. But for a 7x zoom, users really can’t complain; the camera’s strengths lie in the fact that a point-and-shoot can carry a midrange zoom in a reasonably tiny, portable package.
Handling Ability (5.0)
The Casio EX-V8 suffers from the curse of the point-and-shoot that typifies other small pocket cameras. While portable, the V8’s flat design lends itself to uncomfortable handling if used for extended periods of shooting. There are virtually no hand grips on the plastic body, lacking textured materials to hold onto. Even the addition of a small rubber pad on the body’s front would aid users shooting with the V8.
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If planning to shoot for long periods of time, like nine innings of a baseball game, consumers should think about a longer zoomed compact that comes with a rubber right-hand grip for comfort during long shoots.
Control Button / Dial Positioning / Size (4.0)
 While aesthetically-pleasing, the button controls on the back aren’t intuitive. The disorganized array of buttons is awkwardly placed and inappropriately sized.
There are two equally sized circular dials on the back control dial; the mode dial and four-way controller. The mode dial is typically reserved for the top of point-and-shoots, but Casio places the mode dial on the right hand corner of the V8’s back. While this provides easier access to the manual, aperture, and shutter controls, the mode dial inappropriately takes the place of the more deserving zoom toggle, which is more frequently used. Every time a user wants to take a close up photo, users will have to slightly stretch their thumb toward the center zoom toggle, blocking sound from the audio ports.
The playback and menu buttons are also too small, making it irritating for a new user to press.
The four-way controller provides adequate access to the main functions. The multi-selector could stand to gain some icon labels, however, to mark the functions of each direction on the controller.
In general, the button design prioritizes form versus function.
Menu (7.75)
The Casio V8’s menu system is relatively easy to use, following standard three-tabbed menus that cross manufacturer lines. If a user is accustomed to another point-and-shoot, it will be easy to navigate through Casio’s menus, which remain consistent in terms of organization with competitors. The main functions are divided into three tabs: Record, Quality, Set Up. Each tab then opens into submenus. The menus are thorough, with plenty of options to change image size, color enhancement, and sounds.
The Record menu has the standard choices to adjust focus and continuous shooting. Interestingly enough, Casio also included a unique Face Recognition menu so users can change the face-finding settings beyond simply enabling or disabling the function. Users can set the camera so it will recognize programmed family members to focus and expose just those recognized faces. Users can also optimize the face recognition system for either speed or a large group with multiple faces.
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Record Menu
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Focus
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AF, Macro, Infinity, Manual
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Continuous
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Normal Speed, High Speed, Flash Cont., Off
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Self-timer
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10 seconds, 2 seconds, x3, Off
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Face Recognition
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Family First, Normal, Off, Priority, Record Family, Edit Family
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Anti Shake
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Auto, Camera Shake, Image Blur, Demo, Off
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REC Light
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On, Off
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AF Area
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Spot, Multi, Tracking
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AF Assist Light
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On, Off
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Digital Zoom
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On, Off
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L/R Key
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Continuous, EV Shift, White Balance, ISO, Self-timer, Off
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Quick Shutter
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On, Off
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Audio Snap
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On, Off
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Grid
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On, Off
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Review
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On, Off
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Icon Help
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On, Off
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Memory
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Flash, Focus, White Balance, ISO, AF Area, Metering, Self-timer, Flash Intensity, Digital Zoom, MF Position, Zoom Position
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The Quality menu features allow users to change size options and compression adjustments. In addition, the ISO and metering were left to this menu instead of the Record menu. The minor readjustment in order won’t be too confusing once a new Casio user has accessed the menu once or twice.
The Quality menu also includes a mix of pre-capture adjustments so users can shoot, for instance, in black and white without having to apply the desaturation effect in post-capture editing.
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Quality Menu
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Size
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8M (3264 x 2448, A3 Print), 3:2 (3264 x 2176, A3 Print), 6M (2816 x 2112, A3 Print), 4M (2304 x 1728, A4 Print), 2M (1600x1200, 3.5 x 5-inch print), VGA (640 x 480, E-Mail)
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(Still) Quality
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Fine, Normal, Economy
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(Video) Quality
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UHQ (640 x 480), UHQ Wide (848 x 480), HQ (640 x 480), HQ Wide (848 x 480), Normal (640 x 480), LP (320 x 240)
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EV Shift
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+/- 0.0, 0.3, 0.7, 1.0, 1.3, 1.7, 2.0
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White Balance
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Auto, Daylight, Cloudy, Shade, Fluorescent N, Fluorescent D, Incandescent, Manual
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ISO
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Auto, 50, 100, 200, 400, 800
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Metering
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Multi, Center Weighted, Spot
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Dynamic Range
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Expand +2, Expand +1, Off
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Portrait Refiner
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Noise Filter +2, Noise Filter +1, Off
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Color Filter
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Off, B/W, Sepia, Red, Green, Blue, Yellow, Pink, Purple
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Sharpness
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+2, +1, 0, -1, -2
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Saturation
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+2, +1, 0, -1, -2
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Contrast
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+2, +1, 0, -1, -2
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Flash Intensity
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+2, +1, 0, -1, -2
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Flash Assist
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Auto, Off
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The Set Up menu's ample supply of options allows users to personalize their camera. For example, most point-and-shoots have a timestamp. The Casio V8, however, takes the clock a step further by allowing a user to specify how they would like to view the date: Year/Month/Day; Day/Month/Year; or Month/Day/Year. Users can even set the camera to a hometown or world time.
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Set Up Menu
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Screen
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Auto 2, Auto 1, +2, +1, 0
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Sounds
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Startup (5 sounds, Off), Half Shutter (5 sounds, Off), Shutter (5 sounds, Off), Operation (5 sounds, Off), Operation volume (7 stops), Play volume (7 stops)
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Startup (with logo)
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On, Off
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File No.
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Continue, Reset
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World Time
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Home, World, Set, Quit
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Timestamp
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Date, Date & Time, Off
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Adjust
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00/00/00
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Date Style
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YY/MM/DD, DD/MM/YY, MM/DD/YY
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Language
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English, Spanish, French, Italian, Portuguese, Japanese, Traditional Chinese, Simplified Chinese, Korean, Danish, Finnish, Norwegian, Swedish, Czech, Hungarian
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Sleep
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30 seconds, 1 minute, 2 minutes, Off
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Auto Power Off
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1 minute, 2 minutes, 5 minutes
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(Playback Button) Power On
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Power On, Hold: On, Disable
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USB
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Mass Storage (USB Direct – Print), PTP (PictBridge)
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Overall, the menu system is effective, with a load of options for more control. New users might shy away from the multitude of choices, but will probably find them useful once familiar with the camera.
Ease of Use (7.0)
The Casio Exilim EX-V8 targets the point-and-shoot crowd looking to upgrade from their first 3x zoom camera. The camera provides enough support for new users to venture into photo functions normally reserved for advanced shooters, such as ISO sensitivity and EV shift. The camera has live previews of those features, giving new shooters room to explore.
While the camera carries an intuitive sliding door, it also possesses less-than-stellar handling and a misguided back button design. Even with those vices, the V8 has enough virtues that make it respectably easy to use – a thorough menu system and commendable portability for this 7x zoom camera.
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