Casio Exilim EX-Z600

Connectivity
Software
The Casio EX-Z600 does come with a basic editing software suite on CD-ROM and while it’s a start for the budding photographer, it surely won’t be able to stand up to the quality of controlled by Photoshop. Check back later for a full review of the Z600 when we can fully use and evaluate this included program.

Jacks, Ports, Plugs
The only port on the body of the Casio EX-Z600 is the one to connect it to this included dock. This dock has two ports on it for connection to a PC or printer via the USB port or to a television via the A/V out port. A DC in port is also located on the back of the dock for charging the battery.

While eliminating ports helps reduce camera size, moving them to a docking device seems to be a poor choice. By placing ports on another device, the user literally can’t afford to lose the dock. And personal experience tells me that docks are likely to get lost.

Direct Print Options
The Casio EX-Z600 is Direct Print compliant and includes features such as a motion print option for capturing and printing nine video frames into one single image for printing, in addition to the standard EXIF 2.2 and DPOF capabilities found today on nearly every digital camera. A cradle dock can be used for connecting camera to printer or PC via a USB port.

Battery
The battery for the Casio EX-Z600 is impressive, with a total capacity per battery charge of 550 shots. The battery for the Z600 is a Super Life rechargeable lithium-ion battery, which comes included with the purchase of the digital camera. This is certainly an impressive shot count, and it will be interesting to see how successfully the camera lives up to this is during testing for our full review.

Memory
The included memory for the Casio EX-Z600 is 8.3 MB, which is about enough memory to take one or two higher resolution photographs before the card is filled. Users shouldn’t expect to be able to capture more than a few fleeting moments of video either. Users will need to purchase additional memory in the form of SD/MMC memory cards, which can cost a fair amount depending on the size. SD/MMC cards are easily found both on and offline, and the Z600 is compatible with cards up to 1 GB.

Other Features
Angle Correction Feature - The angle correction feature is an interesting option. It can take photographs of white boards, business cards or displays, and automatically adjust them to look as though the photo was taken head-on. While it did work successfully most of the time, a certain amount of finesse was needed to properly misalign the photograph to begin with, which is a little ironic.

Motion Print - The motion print feature, like the keystone feature, is available in playback mode. This feature allows the user to take nine frames of video footage and produce one printed image with all nine images displayed simultaneously.