Model Design / Appearance
The camera has a generally rectilinear design, but the right edge peaks slightly when it reaches the middle of the camera. This echoes the raise that also occurs from the top and bottom edges as the center of the camera is reached. On the left side of the camera, the ring for the lens moves slightly out from the edge, a movement which is echoed in the sliver of camera which surrounds it.
The camera comes in either silver or black finishes, a trend among other manufacturers like Kodak, Fuji and Panasonic. The camera is fairly unembellished with polished silver highlights surrounding the lens and present on all of the controls.
Size / Portability
The camera is a slender 0.81 inches in depth, with a height of just 2.24 inches and a length of 3.48 inches. The overall weight for this camera is just 3.95 ounces, not including the battery. The Z600 can easily slide into a back pocket, a bag or a purse without the user needing to think twice, and while not nearly as small as other models by Casio, this model is certainly not going to overwhelm the casual photographer.
The zoom lens retracts into the body of the camera when not in use, and there are no other protrusions of note that could catch or snag on the pocket of the user. The only real benefit to the otherwise vastly undersized on/off control on the top of the camera is that it’s unlikely that users will accidentally turn this camera on when transporting it.
Handling Ability
The handling on the Casio EX-Z600 is comfortable, although the lack of grip beyond a small horizontal bar beneath the playback and rec. buttons on the back doesn’t make this camera a great option for the next family vacation to Niagara Falls, where slightly slippery hands mean inevitable doom for this camera. The camera itself is short enough and thin enough that the user can comfortably hold it in either one or two hands, and the placement of the microphone on the 
top and away from fingers means that accidental muffling will be extremely difficult. More grip or texture would’ve been nice for users with larger or less than mobile finger tips.
Control Button / Dial Positioning / Size
The control placement for the Casio Exilim EX-Z600 is a bit problematic, with the few external controls positioned too close to one another. It’s hard to imagine users with less dexterity or larger fingers using this camera without a fair amount of frustration. In addition to these placement concerns, the on/off button is undersized and indistinguishable from the polished silver detail which surrounds it, though its placement is fine. The four-way control is well sized and was simple to use in menu navigation and manual control manipulation, and because users can set the left and right arrows to control manual controls of their choice, at least this area of the Casio Exilim provides comfortable access.
Menu
There are a number of menu options available on the Casio EX-Z600 in recording mode, playback mode, and camera setup. The menus available in still image and movie modes are identical even if the features themselves (like manual control over focus) aren’t available in both modes. The menu structure is a transparent overlay, which allows continual live view of the frame while moving through the menu structure. Manual control features like white balance have a linear list structure alongside this live view window, so the user can instantly monitor the changes made each time the white balance setting is altered. The Casio EX-Z600 has four menu structures that have this linear structure.
The rec. mode menu is accessed by pressing the menu button directly above the four-way control when the Z600 is in shooting mode. The rec. mode menu options for the Z600 are as follows: Focus, Burst, Self Timer, Anti Shake, AF Area, AF Assist Light, L/R Key, Quick Shutter, Audio Snap, Grip, Digital Zoom, Review, Icon Help and memory settings spread over three pages.
The quality menu is also accessed by hitting the menu button in shooting mode. This quality menu functions as the major source of access to manual control, which is a bit odd since one would assume that these features would be placed in the most immediately accessible menu. The quality menu settings are as follows: Size, Quality Still, Quality Video, EV Shift, White Balance, ISO, Metering, Filter, Sharpness, Saturation, Contrast, Flash Intensity and Flash Assist options also spread out over three pages.
The third and final menu located within the shooting mode options allows access to the setup controls of the Casio EX-Z600 and provides choices of: Screen Brightness, Sounds, Startup, File No., World Time, Adjust Date, Date Style, Language, Sleep Auto Power Off, Rec/Play for powering on, USB, Video Out, Format and Reset.
When the camera is placed in playback mode the options for user control are; Slide Show, Calendar, Motion Print, Movie Editing, Keystone, Color Correction, Favorites, DPOF, Protect, Date/Time, Rotation, Trimming, Dubbing and Copy settings.
Ease of Use
The Casio EX-Z600 certainly has a basic structure for menus and provides a live view screen beneath a transparent menu display that allows users to constantly monitor the frame as they navigate the menu and change settings. The controls themselves are undersized as previously mentioned; the only really comfortably sized controls are the zoom, shutter and four-way control. Better control labeling (or different colors) would be beneficial to this camera too, since the on/off button is lost on the current model. The minimal level of external controls and the intuitive menu structure do make these shortcomings surmountable however as the user becomes more accustomed to the layout and design.
