Value (4.0)
The EX-Z57 is easy to use, very compact, and quite rugged for its styling. The available menu displays are incredibly readable, and unusually well rendered. At $300 online, it is a competitive value. The EX-Z57’s 2.7-inch LCD display is the camera's unique selling feature, and should make the camera particularly attractive to people who enjoy sharing their pictures via the display; however, the limited resolution will take a lot away from its appeal. Larger LCDs have typically commanded higher prices, so it's significant that the EX-Z57 is available at the same price as cameras with smaller displays. This is due to the 115,200 pixels it uses to display images. Additionally, the large screen results in tiny buttons that are difficult to access which can be quite frustrating at times.
The camera is also lacking in image quality. Both our color and noise tests (see the Performance/Testing section) show substandard performance, with little room for redemption. For people who don't care about the display, or who need manual control or fast performance, the EX-Z57 is not a good choice or value. For those looking for a large screen to display their images at events, the EX-Z57 offers an unusually large screen for this point in time.
Comparisons
Kodak EasyShare C360 – The Kodak EasyShare C360 is also a 5 megapixel compact camera with a 3x zoom. Offering 24 fps video capture, the C360 will produce far smother clips than the EX-Z57, with just a 15 fps recording rate. While the EX-Z57’s oversized display is significantly larger than the C360’s 2-inch LCD, the camera’s menu interface is far more convoluted. The C360 has 32MB of internal memory, over three times the storage of the EX-Z57's 9.3MB. The C360's images earned good scores for their low noise, but lower scores for color reproduction. Some of this may be attributed to the lack of a manual white balance option on the C360, a feature that the EX-Z57 offers. However, in terms of control, the C360 is far beyond the EX-Z57. The body of the C360 is much more logically laid out and contains enough working space for the buttons and for proper handling.
Nikon Coolpix 5600 – The Nikon Coolpix 5600, yet another 5 megapixel compact with a 3x zoom, suffers in comparison to the EX-Z57. Its 1.8-inch LCD is small compared to the EX-Z57’s 2.7-inch display. The 5600 contains 16 presets, as opposed to the 23 on the EX-Z57, though not all of the presets on either camera are truly useful. The EX-Z57's White Board and Business Card presets, which remove keystone distortion from certain images, set the camera apart in the preset race.
Fujifilm E550 – The Fujifilm E550 is a 6 megapixel, 4x zoom compact camera available online for less than $300. With much faster operation than the EX-Z57 (it also includes an actual burst mode), the E550 will handle action far better. The E550 also offers ISO settings up to 800, helping it to handle low light better. The E550’s 2-inch LCD screen is far smaller than the EX-Z57's 2.7-inch display, but with 154,000 pixels, it has considerably higher resolution than the EX-Z57's 115,200.
Who It’s For
Point-and-Shooters – The EX-Z57 is a point-and-shoot camera with a large display, making it a suitable alternative for snapshooters looking to show their exposures immediately. Other than that, point-and-shooters would be better off with other alternatives.
Budget Consumers – The EX-Z57 is not a good budget choice. Many other cameras take better pictures for less money. Most budget consumers don't need the big display.
Gadget Freaks – Well, the large screen might quality as a gadget, but otherwise, the camera is fairly barren to the gadget freak.
Manual Control Freaks – The EX-Z57 has relatively little manual control, even for a small compact camera.
Pros/Serious Hobbyists – The large LCD won't appeal to these users. There really isn't anything about it that would, and they'd expect better image quality than the EX-Z57 can provide, even from a pocket-friendly alternative.
