The Casio Exilim EX-Z57 joins the crowded field of 5 megapixel sub-compact point-and-shoot cameras. With an oversized 2.7-inch LCD and sturdy metal construction, the EX-Z57 will appeal to a variety of users in search of a small camera for snapshots. Unfortunately, our testing shows that the camera's image quality is generally poor, with marginal color accuracy, and substandard control of noise. Available online for around $300, the camera is priced competitively.
The EX-Z57 succeeds Casio's EX-Z55, retaining a similar lens and many of the same internal components, although the stylistic decision was made to omit the tiny optical viewfinder in favor of a larger LCD display. While the enlarged 2.7-inch screen is huge for a camera of this size, the display is composed of just 115,200 pixels, which is about the same resolution as many smaller camera displays, but spread across a larger area. This results in decreased quality of the displayed image, as well as compromising control and button accessibility.
