Casio Exilim EX-Z29

Viewfinder

There is no viewfinder on the Z29; everything is done through the LCD screen.

LCD

The LCD screen on the Z29 is a 2.7-inch model with 114k pixels. That's on the low side, and it shows in the images on the screen, as they look distinctly grainy and blocky. But the screen is good enough for most uses; you can see if images are in focus and pretty accurately judge framing and the like.

The LCD screen on the Z29 is a bit on the grainy side

Flash

The flash is behind a small window located just to the left of the lens. This is a little close for comfort; flashes that are too close to the lens can cause excessive red-eye. But the camera does have red-eye removal, so we'll wait to see if this is a problem when we get a unit in for a full review.

The small flash is located next to the lens

Lens

The lens of the Z29 has two sections that telescope out from the body when the camera is turned on. It only has a short zoom range; it's a 3x zoom with a native focal length of 6.2mm to 18.6mm. That's equivalent to a 37.5mm to 112.5mm length on a 35mm film camera. That's a rather unimpressive range, even for a cheap point and shoot, as there are plenty of models that have 5x or larger zooms (such as the $199.99 Samsung SL620) for only a slightly higher price.

The lens of the Z29 is in two telescoping sections

Jacks, Ports & Plugs

The sole connection from the camera to the outside world is from the combination USB/AV port that is located under a small plastic cover on the right side of the camera. The Z29 comes with a cable that provides a USB connection and analog video output, but this uses a proprietary connector on the camera end; if the cable gets lost or damaged, you'll have to buy a new one from Casio.

The combined USB/AV port uses a proprietary connection.

Battery

The Z29 is juiced up by a small battery that holds around 720 mAh of charge. Casio claims a battery life of about 290 shots or 145 minutes of use, which is pretty average for compact cameras.

The battery of the Z29

Memory

SDHC cards are the Z29's flavor of choice for storing photos, and they fit into a tidy little slot next to the battery.

The memory card slot of the Z29