The Casio Exilim EX-Z29 is a 10.1-megapixel camera that's priced aggressively at $149.99. But while it may be a big hitter in the megapixel race, it's strictly farm team material in other ways; it has no optical image stabilization, records only standard definiton video and has only basic facial recognition.
Casio has been known for producing cameras with a clean, stylish look, and this trend continues with the Z29; the brushed aluminum case looks attractive and should stand up to some rough treatment. The Z29 is available in black, pink, blue, silver and purple; we looked at the pink model.
The Z29 is available in a range of colors, including pink
Front
The Z29 doesn't have a ton of features on the front of the case; there is the lens, the flash (to the left of the lens) and a small indicator light below that. Under the lens is a small hole for the microphone that records audio in movies.
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Back
The LCD screen is the major feature on the back of the Z29, but there are also a number of control buttons. From the top, we have the zoom controls, the playaback and record buttons, the 4-way controller and the menu and best shot button. The last button is Casio's equivalent of a mode dial; it allows the user to switch between the 23 best shot modes.
The back of the Z23
Sides
There are no major features on the left side of the camera.
The left side of the Z23
The right side has a bit more going on; this is where the USB/AV port lives (under the small plastic cover) and where the battery and memory cards call home (under the larger cover).
The right side of the Z23
Top
The top of the Z23 has a few features; in the middle of the body is the power button, and to the right of this is the shutter button. At the edge of the camera body is the loop for connecting the wrist strap.
The top of the Z23
Bottom
The bottom of the Z23
The bottom of the Z23 is home to the tripod socket and a series of small holes that cover the speaker used to play back recorded sound.
