Casio Exilim EX-Z300
Digital Camera Review
Nov 26, 2008
- By Tim Barribeau
2.1
The Exilim EX-Z300 is a slim and shiny 10-megapixel point-and-shoot camera from Casio, that has an impressive zoom ratio of 4x, and a maximum aperture of f/2.6, which should let you shoot at very high shutter speeds. However, once we got it into our labs, we found that it performed slowly, and while it did very well in some tests (like resolution and manual noise) it also really struggled with others (such as automatic noise and white balance). These uneven test results and slow speeds coupled with the annoying user interface made this a less than favorite. For full details on the $299.99 camera, follow the link below.
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The Casio Exilim EX-Z300 sits at the top of the $200 to $300 price range for basic point-and-shoot cameras. Its look and feel are similar to dozens of other models on the market, with only a slightly longer-than-usual 4x zoom and a maximum aperture of f/2.6 to distinguish its feature set. It falls to Casio, then, to make the Z300 stand out from the pack through its performance and features, like the Makeup Mode, which is meant to blur out facial imperfections in your friends and family. Unfortunately, these features failed to cause much of a stir. In our testing the Z300 did very well in some sections (like resolution and manual noise) but poorly in others (like automatic noise and white balance). The camera is geared toward auto modes, as many of the settings that can be changed require extensive menu navigation to alter, and there's no way to manually control shutter speed or aperture. Unfortunately, performance in automatic mode was unimpressive, which basically describes our overall take on the camera. The list price for the 10-megapixel Casio Exilim EX-Z300 is $299.99.
Section
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The Good
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The Bad
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Tour
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Solid construction
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Uninspired design, small buttons
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Testing/Performance
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Good resolution and manual noise scores
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Very poor white balance and automatic noise reduction scores
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Components
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4x zoom, bright flash
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Average LCD screen
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Design/Layout
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Pocket sized and light
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Petite controls, no modes dial
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Modes
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Extensive image presets
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Slow continuous shutter mode
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Control Options
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Manual focus, good range of ISOs
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No manual shutter or aperture controls
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Image Parameters
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Wide range of image sizes
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Makeup mode produces harlequin-like results
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Connectivity/Extras
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Good battery life
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Sub-standard included software
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Value
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Not a bad camera...
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...but not really worth $300
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