Casio Exilim EX-Z75

Viewfinder (0.0)
Like the rest of Casio’s current product line, the Exilim EX-Z75 lacks an optical viewfinder. Excluding the optical viewfinder is typical move for camera manufacturers that instead design cameras with just a large LCD screen. Most point-and-shooters won’t mind too much, unless conserving battery life is a top priority, in which case an optical viewfinder may save some power.

LCD (4.5)
The LCD screen is an area where Casio made improvements from last year’s model, the Casio Exilim EX-Z70. The Z75 has a slightly, and we do mean slightly, larger LCD screen; 2.6 inches versus 2.5. The size of the 2.6-inch screen is about average, although some point-and-shoot models have screens that are 3 or 3.5 inches.

The TFT color LCD has a screen resolution of 114,960 pixels, which is below average. Industry standard is currently about 200,000 pixels or more, and some of the Z75’s competitors, such as the General Electric G1 and the Nikon Coolpix S200, have superior resolutions. Though users can still check for focus using the EX-Z75’s screen, the lower resolution may make images look slightly pixilated.

Unlike its big sister, the Z1050, this camera doesn’t possess Casio’s Super Bright Technology that adjusts LCD brightness when outdoors. The LCD brightness on the entry-level Z75 can’t be adjusted at all, a feature that is useful when reviewing pictures outdoors on a sunny day. Users can view images at vertical angles, but the screen tends to solarize at horizontal angles.

The LCD also has an unusual 14:9 format. That’s not a typo, which is what I first thought when reading the specification sheet for the camera. The 14:9 aspect viewing ratio is a deviation from wide 16:9 panoramic viewing on some cameras. The 14:9 ratio allows users to view their photos slightly wider than normal 4:3 or 3:2 ratios. Like watching wide screen movies on a 12-inch television screen, the monitor adds black borders to the sides of the image. The borders aren’t too distracting once users become accustomed to the change. Although 16:9 format would have been a better panoramic shot, the 14:9 option is nice for users who want wide prints.

Since the LCD functions as the shooting guide (in lieu of an optical viewfinder), the monitor displays information while in the Shooting mode: ISO, shutter speed, aperture, metering, a live histogram, and optical grid lines help the photographer along.

Overall, the LCD is average. The Z75’s competition and more advanced Casio point-and-shoots have bigger, higher-resolution screens, but the inclusion of a wide, though limited, 14:9 screen helps improve the Casio Z75’s LCD rating.

Flash (6.0)
The Casio EX-Z75’s built-in flash sits slightly off-center, to the left of the lens. The flash’s position allows users sufficient, although limited, handling of the camera with their left hand. The placement of the flash, one could assume, is meant to help illuminate shots evenly without producing red-eye, a design flaw sometimes associated with the flash being too close to the lens. The flash provides fairly even coverage, with only the occasional image with dark corners.

When the ISO is set to Auto, the flash illuminates 0.33 to 11.48 feet in wide shooting and 1.97 to 6.23 feet in telephoto; average for a point-and-shoot. The camera includes a flash intensity setting that can be adjusted up or down two stops in the Quality menu. Users can also turn the Flash Assist option on or off within the Quality menu. The flash assist lamp is located on the front of the camera near the lens and fires a pre-flash to properly focus in low light situations and reduce red-eye.

The Exilim EX-Z75 has the standard set of point-and-shoot flash features: Auto, On, Off, Soft Flash, and Red-Eye Reduction. The Red-Eye Reduction works in conjunction with the auto assist lamp.

The Z75’s flash is middle of the road. Coverage is adequate, the range is average, and the features are typical.

Zoom Lens (3.0)
Despite the deceiving name of the Zoom series, the EX-Z75 has a typical 3x optical zoom. The Casio EX-Z75 is fitted with an Exilim 3x optical zoom extending lens, constructed of six lenses in five groups with aspherical lenses to reduce aberration.

With a focal length range of 6.3-18.9mm, or 38–114mm in traditional 35mm format, the Exilim camera is capable of shooting a good amount of situations, consistent with other point-and-shoots in its category. The camera effectively produces wide shots for landscape photography but also close-up shots to capture details on far away objects. The camera has 4x digital zoom, but digital zoom significantly degrades image quality, so users should avoid it. Unfortunately, the camera does not carry an optical image stabilization system, although it does have a digital image stabilization (discussed in the ISO section).

Users can zoom the lens in and out using the buttons located on the camera’s back right side. Zooming runs smoothly and quickly, with only a low humming sound that isn’t really detectable to the subject or photographer.

As expected, the lens aperture can’t be manually controlled on this entry-level point-and-shoot. The zoom lens moves smoothly for wide and macro shooting. The lens has a limited aperture range of f/3.1 in wide angle and f/5.9 in telephoto, rendering the Z75 almost useless in low light. Users will have to bump up the ISO or use the flash in low light, especially when the zoom is engaged.

The Exilim Z75’s lens is a weak component. Its range is average, it doesn’t have an optical image stabilization system, and it has a limited aperture.