Casio Exilim EX-Z1000 Digital Camera Review

Casio Exilim EX-Z1000

Digital Camera Review

1.7 Casio's parade of metal-clad, ultra-compact snapshot cameras in the Exilim line has culminated in the Exilim EX-Z1000, a 10.1-megapixel mite of a camera. It has a higher pixel count than many professional cameras, but no manual exposure modes and a modest 3x zoom range. With a suggested list price of $399, it's not the cheapest ultra-compact around – that resolution comes at a price. The question is: does 10.1-megapixel resolution benefit pocket-camera users?
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Connectivity
Software (5.0)
The EX-Z1000 is bundled with Photo Loader and Photohands software, for image management and minor editing. It's possible to organize images, rotate them, color correct, crop and retouch them. The software is limited and clunky. Inexplicably, it uses illustrations of animals on the buttons for color correction, resizing, rotation and printing. The buttons take up too much space on the screen, and don't add to usability.
 
Jacks, Ports, Plugs (6.0)
The Casio Exilim EX-Z1000 comes with a dock, which can connect via a USB cable to a computer or printer. The dock also has an AV port to show images, movies and slideshows on a television. The dock has a power supply for charging the EX-Z1000's battery.

Direct Print Options (6.0)
Via its dock, the EX-Z1000 can connect to PictBridge printers. The user can specify print sizes of 3.5 x 5, 4 x 6, 5 x 7, and 8.5 x 11 inches, or allow the printer to specify size. The user can also choose to print the date on the image. The Casio Z1000 can also create DPOF print orders, to select several images to print, and the number of each to make. The EX-Z1000 can print a DPOF order via PictBridge. It's also possible to print a DPOF order commercially.
 
Battery (7.25)
The EX-Z1000 has a custom lithium-ion battery with a 1300 mAh capacity. The battery lasted through our testing, which is generally pretty hard on batteries. Lithium-ion batteries typically last longer between charges than the NiMH type used in cameras that take AA cells. They are also smaller and lighter-weight.

Memory (3.5)
The Casio EX-Z1000 has a token 8 MB of internal memory, enough to hold one or two full-size, best-quality images. The Z1000 also takes SD memory cards, the most common and least expensive memory format used in small cameras. Given the Z1000's large file size, users will want to get at least a 512 MB card, which shouldn't cost more than $40 or $50.

Other Features (6.0)
Rapid Flash - Rapid Flash allows the user to take multiple-shot bursts with flash – it's a feature unique to Casio.

Keystone Compensation - Keystone compensation straightens up images that should be square. The feature works well, though we accessed it through the color correction menu.

User Select Mode - The user can save up to 999 custom shooting modes. No one needs that many, but no one will ever run out.
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