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Front (7.0)
When facing the front of the Casio Exilim EX-Z850, the 3x optical zoom lens is on the right side of the camera. To the top right of the lens is a tiny circular viewfinder along with a bright LED that functions as an auto focus assist, movie recording indicator, and self-timer indicator. The built-in horizontal flash is located to the left of the lens near the top edge of the camera body. A small monaural microphone is tucked away at the bottom of the camera to the left of the lens barrel housing. The smooth camera body may be aesthetically pleasing with its clean lines and sleek appearance but the lack of a grip or an ergonomic design could easily lead to discomfort and possible slippage in wet conditions. There is a slight peaking at the center of the camera body when traveling vertically across the frame. This subtle design feature will hardly provide any sort of handling advantage over a rectangular frame, but it adds some variety to the look. The EX-Z850 is plastered with Casio’s name and camera line on the front, top and back faces of the camera.
Back (7.0)
The 2.5-inch LCD screen consumes two-thirds of the back face of the Casio Exilim EX-Z850 with larger controls positioned along a vertical strip on the right side. The LCD screen is framed and set above the main camera body. The glossy LCD screen showed finger smudges quickly, so it requires maintenance to keep the surface looking clean and visible. Above the LCD’s upper-left corner is a miniscule and relatively pointless real image optical zoom viewfinder. While an optical viewfinder can come in handy when shooting on low batteries, the secondary viewing device found with this camera is horrifically inaccurate and should be avoided for the most part. To the right of the viewfinder are two LEDs that indicate the operation state of the Z850. Moving farther to the right, in the thin margin between the top of the camera and the top of the LCD, are two buttons clearly labeled for users to switch between record and playback modes. The external interface and position of these buttons will allow for quick transitions between modes. To the right of the LCD, in the aforementioned vertical strip, are (from the top) a mode dial, menu button, four-way controller with set button centrally positioned and a display button. The mode dial moves between settings easily with a catch occurring each time a new mode is entered. The menu button is undersized and hard to access in a pinch but it is well labeled and over time users shouldn’t find it hard to locate. The polished silver four-way control is a good size and easy to engage. The display button suffers from the same problems as the menu button, however, it is still well labeled and easy to find. The two buttons that allow users to switch shooting modes and the shortcut to the menu are on the back face of this camera. These two small vertical buttons are located on the transition between the LCD and the left side of the camera body. The top button switches the camera through shooting modes while the bottom button functions as a shortcut menu when in shooting mode; however, they aren’t easy to find because of their position.
Left Side (7.0)
The only feature on the left side of the Casio Exilim EX-Z850 is the small playback speaker located beneath a mesh grill near the top of the camera body. It is also from this angle that the two vertical rectangular buttons near the back can be seen; they are located on a plane that is tilted from the left side to the back. The burst button sits on top, with the “EX” function menu on the bottom.
Right Side (7.0)
The right side of the Casio Exilim EX-Z850 is as minimal as the left side. The only notable feature is the eyelet for the optional wrist-strap. There are no other design or control considerations on the right side of the camera.
Top (7.5)
The shutter button is a large and polished silver control located on the right side of the EX-Z850’s top face. Surrounding the shutter button is a zoom ring which is controlled via a small tab toward the front. When in playback mode, the zoom ring will switch between display modes and will also deploy up to 8x digital playback zoom. To the left of the zoom ring and shutter button is the small oval on/off button that is set into the camera body. This design helps avoid accidental engagement when transporting or handling.
Bottom (7.0)
The only port on this camera is located in the center of the bottom face. This port connects the camera to a docking station which is included and is the only way to transfer images or charge the camera. Directly next to the port is a plastic tripod mount that can be easily stripped if improperly connected to a tripod. Next to these two features is a cover that is opened by pressing inward slightly and sliding to the right. Once open, this cover swings on a hinge located at the center of the camera body. This cover masks the battery and the SD memory card slot for the Casio Exilim EX-Z850. The hinge for this cover is well constructed and seems durable, which is good because the cover opens a bit too easily and could be jostled open during transport.
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