Digital Trends

Casio Exilim EX-Z1000 July 12th, 2006 | by David Elrich

Features and Design

Casio is known for ultra skinny digicams like the Exilim Card series such as the EX-S600. This 6MP digicam measures 3.54 x 2.52 x .63 (WHD, in inches), weighs 4.1 ounces without battery, has a 3x optical zoom and a 2.2-inch LCD. The EX-Z1000 is 3.62 x 2.3 x .88 and weighs 4.9 ounces. This is a long way of saying the 10.1MP Exilim is very compact and won't break your back. In fact, I popped it into my pocket during my trek to the wilds of Alaska while trying out the Sony DSLR-A100 just to see how the two 10MP imaging devices compared (more on this later).

Unlike the Exilim Cards, this one only has a metallic silver case, rather than the kicky orange or blue of the EX-S600. The EX-Z1000 is rather unassuming with no ostentatious logos or design elements. It simply looks like a silver candy bar. And it looks and feels substantial. The camera has a 3x optical zoom (38-114mm 35mm equivalent) with a built-in lens cover. Also on the front is an AF Assist lamp, a flash and tiny microphone. There's nothing on either side. The top of the camera is only slightly less minimal with a tiny power on/off button, keys for playback and capture, a display button to change LCD brightness and other options as well as the zoom toggle switch surrounding the shutter.

The rear of the camera is dominated by a 2.8-inch LCD monitor rated a fine 230K pixels. Strangely it has a 14:9 aspect ratio rather than the more familiar 16:9 widescreen format. In case you're wondering, the EX-Z1000 can take 16:9 snapshots but the resolution drops from 3648 x 2736 pixels to 3648 x 2048 (both in the best mode).

Along with the screen (there is no viewfinder) there are just a few of the basic controls on the back that are found on every digicam. These include a four-way controller with center set key as well as a buttons for access to menus and Casio's extensive roster of Best Shot (BS) options. Best Shot is the company's phrase for Scene settings and you'll find everything you can think of including an eBay mode for taking shots that'll go with your auction listings.

The camera is supplied with everything you need other than an SD memory card so budget another $50 for a one gig edition. One of the reasons the camera is so small there are no inputs or outputs on the body itself. The supplied A/V out and USB cables are routed from a supplied dock that also charges the battery. The battery is rated a decent 360 shots per the CIPA standard. Unfortunately, there's no printed Owner's Manual, just a very basic guide (about 14 pages in English). The rest of the manual is on the CD ROM, a real pain for those who want to delve into the finer mysteries of their cameras. Not many people walk around with a laptop to peruse their owner's manuals so get ready to print some pages out. The CD ROM also has Photo Loader V3.0, Photohands V1.0, drivers and Adobe Reader. Mac users get Photo Loader V1.1. It's pretty basic stuff but enough to give you a taste of photo editing.

After charging the camera in the dock and loading a 2GB SD card, it was time to take some images.

Image Courtesy of Casio