Casio Exilim EX-Z850 - Digital Camera Review

Value

Comparisons
Casio Exilim EX-Z750
The Casio Exilim EX-Z750 was released in March of 2005 with an initial price tag of $449.99 and can now be found online and in stores for markedly less.  The EX-Z750 has the same aluminum body and functional design found with the new Z850.  The imager has slightly less resolution with 7.41 MP but the same 3x optical zoom can be found when shooting with this digital camera.  Users will find a lengthy list of preset shooting modes and manual control over focus, white balance, exposure compensation and others.  This model has 8.3 MB of internal memory and accepts additional SD/MMC format memory cards.  The LCD is the same marginal viewing device with a 2.5 inch measurement and 115,200 pixels.

Sony Cyber-shot DSC-W100
Like the Casio Exilim EX-Z850, the Sony Cyber-shot W100 was unveiled earlier in 2006 and features an 8 MP CCD, a similarly small and useless optical viewfinder, a 2.5 inch LCD with 115,00 pixels and a 3x optical zoom.   This camera doesn’t have the manual controls and while ISO does extend to 1250, the resulting noise is an obvious issue.  Other manual controls found with this digital camera include exposure compensation, metering, shutter speed and aperture.  Unfortunately the user will need to rely on preset or auto white balance settings since a custom option is not available with this camera.  The W100 does retail for around $349 so consumers may find the loss of manual controls to be a fair trade-off to keep to a budget.|

Nikon Coolpix S4
Retailing with an identical MSRP, the Nikon Coolpix S4 sets itself apart from the Z850 and other compact cameras by featuring a twisting camera body design that was originally found with the Nikon Coolpix 900 series camera.  Improvements over the Casio include a 10x optical zoom lens and 13.5 MB of internal memory.  Downgrades include a 2.5 inch LCD with lower resolution, an unimpressive movie mode, fewer in-camera editing options, and a 6.4 MP CCD.  Manual controls continue the under-whelming feature list with users only having access to white balance, ISO, and exposure compensation.  While these setbacks are hard to ignore in comparison to other models the Nikon does score points when it comes to unique design which may be just enough to garner the eye of consumers un-intrigued by the admittedly dull Z850.

Olympus Stylus 800
With the original retail price approximately fifty dollars more than the Z850, the Olympus Stylus 800 is weather-proofed with under-whelming styling and an 8 MP CCD that are comparable to the Z850.  The camera has 22 preset shooting modes which should comfortably handle most general shooting situations.  The LCD screen is the only viewing option and, while only 2.5 inches like the Z850, the Stylus 800 does have a far more impressive 215,000 pixels.  The control options for this digital camera lean towards the point-and-shoot user with no manual focus, two metering modes, EV compensation, no white balance and ISO to 400 at full resolution (diminished resolution for settings of ISO 800 and ISO1600).  Shutter speed is manually controllable although with a smaller range than the Z850 and aperture can be controlled when shooting with the aperture priority setting engaged. 

Canon PowerShot A700
The 6 MP Canon A700 is equipped with a 6x optical zoom lens, a 2.5 inch 115,000 pixel LCD screen, conversion lens capabilities and an optional connection to slave flash units.  This camera has comparable manual control features with user control being possible over white balance, ISO, exposure compensation, flash intensity, metering, shutter speed and aperture.  The Canon A700 does include a My Colors mode for in-camera editing of images which will outdo the filter options, manipulation and control found with the Casio Exilim EX-Z850.  The Canon A700 had an initial MSRP of $349 when originally announced by Canon in February of 2006.

Who It’s For
Point-and-Shooters – The point and shoot user will find the Best Shot scene modes and the Snapshot mode to be simple and geared towards beginners.  The great advantage this camera has over purely point-and-shoot models in the sub $400 range is the inclusion of manual controls that the point-and-shoot user can transition into over time at their own pace.

Budget Consumers – The budget consumer will find this camera to be an interesting option due to the inclusion of manual control options which span the gamut of options in addition to a live-preview menu interface and simple control layout.

Gadget Freaks­ – There really aren’t innovative features on the Casio Exilim EX-Z850 that will grab the attention of the gadget freak.  It’s a straight forward compact camera with manual controls and a point-and-shoot friendly interface for novice users.

Manual Control Freaks – This camera does come with manual controls that enable beginning users to transition at their own pace.  If looking for a compact digital camera with manual controls, the Z850 should impress with extensive controls over focus, metering, flash and flash intensity, white balance, shutter speed, ISO, aperture and exposure compensation.

Pros/ Serious Hobbyists – There would be no reason for the professional or serious hobbyist to look at this sub $400 primarily point-and-shoot pocket digital camera.

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