Model Design / Appearance (6.25)
The Casio Exilim EX-Z850 features a silver metal body that feels sturdy. However, the camera is definitely a downgrade in terms of styling, compared to the more expensive 10-megapixel Casio Z1000. This camera is boxier and includes an optical viewfinder and numerous external controls that have been purged from the cohesive Z1000 to provide a thinner body frame and a larger LCD. In terms of functional design, the EX-Z850 is mostly on the mark but it falls slightly short in terms of visual appeal.
Size / Portability (6.5)
The Casio Exilim EX-Z850 can fit in your pocket but it’s a bit uncomfortable with measurements of 3.5 inches in length, 2.3 inches in height and 0.93 inches in width. The approximate weight of 4.59 ounces, not including the battery or memory card, makes the EX-Z850 a solid camera with a dense feel. The port cover for the battery and memory card tends to open when being pulled from a pocket and the potential for this plastic cover to snap seems fairly likely. An eyelet for an optional wrist-strap is located in the center of the right side.
Handling Ability (6.0)
Handling and controlling the Casio Exilim EX-Z850 is compromised because the camera lacks a right hand grip or ridge to enable a better one-handed shooting style. This isn’t as much of a problem on a thinner or lighter camera but with this camera’s girth and heft taken into consideration, two-handed shooting became the default method for capturing snapshots. On a transition face, between the left side of the camera and the LCD, are two small buttons that were occasionally triggered inadvertently during grip adjustments. The extending lens barrel will help keep users’ fingers away from the lens, which is great considering how often it happens when shooting with a compact point-and-shoot. There really isn’t a place to comfortably put the thumb of the right hand and it ends up resting in between the four-way selector and the mode dial. Overall, comfortable handling on the Casio Z850 takes a backseat to the compact design.
 Control Button / Dial Positioning / Size (5.5)
The larger controls on the Casio Exilim EX-Z850 are placed appropriately and are easy to engage when shooting quickly. The mode dial snaps succinctly when transitioning and users will immediately know when new modes are being engaged without having to visually monitor adjustments. With this camera, smaller external controls are not as accessible, forcing users to take their eyes off the LCD to hunt for features such as the EX menu shortcut, burst/continuous shooting, menu, and display. The zoom ring that surrounds the shutter button had a tendency to jump rather dramatically when adjusted. Nuanced zoom control won’t be possible with this interface. The shutter button is well placed and large enough to enable quick snapshots without hassle. Initially concerned about the design of the four-way navigational ring, this external controller didn’t hinder navigation and wasn’t a problem during hurried maneuvering.
Menu (7.5)
The Casio Exilim EX-Z850 has a number of shooting menu options including full and abbreviated menus. When the menu button on the back of the camera is pressed, a three column menu structure is displayed as text on a transparent live preview background. The three menus are Record, Quality and Setup and can be easily scanned using the four-way controller and set button. The Quality menu is the default menu and is initially displayed when the menu button is pressed. It provides users with the following options and settings.
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Quality Menu
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Size
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8M, 6M (3:2), 6M, 4M, 2M, VGA
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Still Image Quality
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Fine, Normal, Economy
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Movie Image Quality
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HQ, Normal, LP
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EV Shift
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+/-2 EV with 1/3 step increments
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White Balance
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Auto, Daylight, Cloudy, Shade, Day White, Tungsten, Manual
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ISO
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Auto, 50, 100, 200, 400
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Metering
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Multi, Center-Weighted, Spot
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Filter
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Off, B/W, Sepia, Red, Green, Blue, Yellow, Pink, Purple
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Sharpness
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+2, +1, 0, -1, -2
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Saturation
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+2, +1, 0, -1, -2
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Contrast
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+2, +1, 0, -1, -2
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Flash Intensity
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+2, +1, 0, -1, -2
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Flash Assist
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+2, +1, 0, -1, -2
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To the left of the Quality menu is the Record menu. It provides users with the same text overlay on a live preview background which is found when entering the Quality menu structure. The Record menu provides users with the following control options.
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Record Menu
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Self Timer
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Off, 10 seconds, 2 seconds, x3
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Anti Shake
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Off, Auto
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REC Light
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Off, Auto, On
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AF Area
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Spot, Multi, Free
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AF Assist Light
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On, Off
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L/R Key
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EV shift, White Balance, ISO, Metering, Self-Timer, Off
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Quick Shutter
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On, Off
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Audio Snap
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On, Off
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Grip
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On, Off
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Digital Zoom
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On, Off
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Review
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On, Off
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Icon Help
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On, Off
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Memory
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Flash, Focus, White Balance, ISO, AF Area, Metering, Self-Timer, Flash Intensity, Digital Zoom, MF Position, Zoom Position
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The third and final menu is the Setup menu located to the right of the Quality menu heading. The following camera settings can be manipulated by the user of the Casio Exilim EX-Z850.
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Set Up Menu
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Screen
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Auto 2, Auto 1, +2, +1, 0
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Sounds
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Startup, Half Shutter, Shutter, Operation, Operation Volume, Play Volume
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Startup
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Startup on, Startup off
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File No.
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Continuous, Reset
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World Time
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Home Set
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Timestamp
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Date, Date & Time, Off
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Adjust
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Adjust Date/Time
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Date Style
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YY/MM/DD, DD/MM/YY, MM/DD/YY
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Language
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Set Language
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Sleep
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30 sec., 1 min., 2 min., Off
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Auto Power Off
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2 min., 5 min.
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REC/Play
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Power On, Power On/Off, Disable
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USB
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Mass Storage (USB DIRECT-PRINT), PTP (PictBridge)
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Video Out
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NTSC, PAL
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Format
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Format, Cancel
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Reset
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Reset, Cancel
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In addition to these full menus, the Casio Exilim EX-Z850 also has a shortcut shooting menu. It helps users avoid opening the lengthier Quality or Record menus. With the shortcut shooting menu, each option is listed as a tab along the bottom edge of the LCD screen. Scanning between control options is done with the left and right arrow. The up and down arrows alter the parameters of each individual option as they are highlighted. The options listed within the shortcut menu allows for access to these controls.
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EX Shortcut Menu
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Size
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8M, 6M (3:2), 6M, 4M, 2M, VGA
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White Balance
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Auto, Daylight, Cloudy, Shade, Day White, Tungsten, Manual
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ISO
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Auto, 50, 100, 200, 400
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AF Area
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Spot, Multi, Free
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When in playback mode, the same menu button on the back of the camera used for shooting menu access can be used to access two separate menu tabs. The first tab is the Play tab and provides the following control options.
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Playback Menu
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Slideshow
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Images, Time, Interval, Effect, Cancel
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Motion Print
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9 frames, 1 frame, Cancel
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Movie Editing
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Cut Front, Cut Middle, Cut End, Cancel
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Anti Shake Off
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On, Off
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Brightness
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+2, +1, 0, -1, -2
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Keystone
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Correct Keystone In Images
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Color Correction
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Correct Color Error
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Favorites
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Show, Save, Cancel
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DPOF
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Select Images, All Images, Cancel
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Protect
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On, All Files: On, Cancel
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Date/Time
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0000/00/00, 00:00
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Rotation
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Rotate, Cancel
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Resize
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6M, 4M, VGA, Cancel
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Trimming
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1.1x to 8.0x
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Dubbing
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Shutter to Start
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Copy
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Copy Selected Images
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Overall, the menu system is nicely organized but some users may be confused about finding the white balance options in two different menus.
Ease of Use (5.75)
The Casio Exilim EX-Z850 is a straightforward point-and-shoot digital camera that enables full auto, partial manual, preset scene, or full manual shooting formats to be engaged without strain. Users of this camera would be wise to spend an afternoon experimenting prior to more important shooting because the included manual is neither informative nor helpful. Further, the lengthy list of preset shooting modes tends to complicate matters rather than simplify. For example, just in the Best Shot mode there are 34 presets. The camera’s overall ease of use with regards to shooting modes and menus disappears when the camera is switched into playback mode. While controls like movie edit, rotation and trim work as expected, other features like keystone and color correction, produce results that are sure to confound any user. The keystone feature applied an extremely heavy crop and zoom technique that lost most of the information found in the original photograph. The color correction feature also had lackluster results. The color correction feature doesn’t actually correct color at all; instead it corrects keystone issues. How this managed to happen with one camera model is embarrassing, but the fact that this problem also happens with the Casio Z1000 and several other Exilim models makes this manufacturing error inexcusable.
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