Casio Exilim EX-Z850

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By Kevin Wu Li
Apr 17, 2006

The 8.1-megapixel Exilim EX-Z850 was introduced as a replacement for its predecessor, the Exilim EX-Z750. The Z850 is not the most attractive camera model in terms of color, design and style, but it definitely is one of the more compact cameras to tout around, not to mention its long-lasting battery life as claimed by the manufacturer.

Design
Measuring 89 x 58.5 x 23.7mm, almost the size of a credit card, the Z850 is ideal for individuals looking for an ultracompact snapshot camera. Weighing 130g without batteries, it is, however, not the lightest compact shooter available in the market right now.

We are pleased that most of the commonly accessed features are assigned shortcuts on the camera. On the back of the Z850 lies a 2.5-inch Super Bright LCD accompanied by a rotatable mode dial and a circular four-way disc-like directional pad. On the left of the LCD are the continuous shutter and EX buttons. The highly ergonomic mode dial traverses between the various recording modes with ease, a feature we find pleasantly appealing.

The Z850 comes with an optical viewfinder, but the size of it really makes us question how often the user will use it. Barely a few seconds of squinting into the peephole and we find ourselves falling back on the LCD monitor, which comes as a relief.

However, we are baffled by the arrangement of the Set button at the center of the circular keypad. On more than one occasion, we accidentally pressed the surrounding keys while attempting to hit the central Set button. The problem becomes more evident on people with larger digits.

In addition, there are Play and Record buttons which double as on/off keys. The Display button is located at the bottom right-hand corner of the Z850. Pressing it cycles through the available display settings--histogram, image details, turning off the LCD. The histogram is, however, more useful for slightly more advanced users who are keen to know if they are missing out any shades or highlights in their pictures.

The Menu button, located just above the directional keypad, leads to the onscreen menu. We like the user-friendly and easy-to-understand interface that makes browsing through the menu a breeze.

The speaker is found on the left edge of the Z850. We're probably nitpicking, but we still prefer the speaker to be at the front since there's a possibility our fingers will block the speaker when it's at the side, especially when taking videos.

To recharge the 1230mAh Lithium-ion battery and transfer your pictures, you'll need the USB docking station that comes supplied with the Z850. Apart from using the cradle, there is no other way to transfer data unless you have a separate card reader.

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