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S$749
Product Summary
7.2
out of 10View score
The bad: Navigating the camera's menus was a chore; average burst mode at maximum resolution; muted colors; blown-out highlights.
The bottom line: The Exilim EX-S600 is average performing, but its stylish exterior may just win some users over.
Read full review of the Casio Exilim EX-S600 »
Average User Rating
from 7 users
8.9
out of 10CNET Asia Review
Barely a few months after the 5-megapixel Exilim reached consumer markets, the 6-megapixel EX-S600 is out. Not letting its predecessor down when it comes to colors, this camera is available in four different hues with equally fancy names like Fiesta Orange, Sparkle Silver, Luminous Gold and Mistral Blue. However, the most striking difference in the two models lies not on its glossy exterior, but its bunny hop from 5 to 6 megapixels.
Design
Face it, we love compact cameras that perform but somehow we feel it's a conspiracy between vendors to confuse buyers with their near identical shooters. Think hit-confuse-and-run scenarios. Panasonic is guilty of that, and so is Nikon--from the Lumix FX8 to FX9 and the Coolpix S1 to S3, respectively. Now Casio wants to play the same game with its EX-S600. This catching-up game will inevitably end up with buyers having a never-ending list of choices. Except for the inscription along the top edge that says it's a 6-megapixel camera, we find it hard to distinguish the EX-S600 from the predecessor.
The EX-S600 has three dedicated blocks for each of the main recording functions on the camera. Unlike others, the movie record button lets the user skip a step by activating its primary function when it is pressed, rather than having to hit the shutter to start recording. While that saves time, unintentional presses on the button may frustrate users for they will have to delete the useless video to free up memory space.
In our previous review of the EX-S500, we mentioned the barely visible descriptions on the back of the camera especially when the unit was tilted at certain angles. In this new iteration, the problem is corrected. Wordings are in black and clearly visible.
Unlike Panasonic Lumix DMC-FX9's individual directional keys, the four-way control on the S600 is merged into one single key--the center button, on the other hand, is separate by itself. While the keys are responsive, larger digits will find it slightly more difficult to navigate the buttons for they are nearly flush with the body.
For that slim design, Casio has had to relegate connectivity options, including the DC-in, to the accompanying cradle. What's left on the camera is a tripod receptacle on the bottom edge of the unit. While the Sony Cyber-shot DSC-T9 managed to get away with a non-extending lens, the S600 extends by another 2cm when powered up, revealing its 3x optical zoom lens.
We are probably nitpicking but we had difficulty removing our memory card from the camera because it's located too close to the compartment cover. If you have supersized fingers, you may have to depend on your nails to extract your memory card. Then again, unless you have a habit of swapping memory cards between gadgets, this shouldn't cause too much of a hindrance.
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User Reviews
A "must have" camera
Apr 26, 2006Rating: 10 out of 10 (Perfect)
Pros: Ultra-fast, great battery, easy to use, lovely photos
Cons: None
Opinion:
I can highly recommend this camera. I've had it a few weeks now, but it still amazes me. It's fast, sturdy, slim, the battery life is amazing, and it's so easy to use. I had a Sony T9, but brought it back. Glad I chose this Casio next. It won't disappoint. For some reason the T9 is getting better professional reviews, but worse user reviews?! Very strange. I spent months researching and I'm glad of my decision. Buy this camera - you won't regret it!
Slim, compact easy to use. Good feature w/ best mode & MP4 movie.
Apr 9, 2006Rating: 9 out of 10 (Spectacular)
Pros: The most compact camera with MP4 function.
Cons: Do not supply travel charger. But only cradel.
Opinion:
To improve more feature on it like MP3, Wide angle (28mm), more powerful zoom like 4x or 5x optical zoom.Or event with PDA function on it to act as a mobile computer???
Excellent compact camera
Feb 13, 2006Rating: 9 out of 10 (Spectacular)
Pros: Slim/Lightweight, Excellent photo quality, Good battery life
Cons: Zoom sensitivity, menus takes time to get used to
Opinion:
The EX-S600 is an excellent little camera to pocket around, the average end-user will have no qualms with this camera as it offers excellent quality photos for everyday shots. I managed to squeeze 172 shots out of the camera before it refused to power on for me.
I have used casio cameras in the past so the menus were not all too new for me; still, i'd like to have seen Casio group the menu options into detailed subcategories.
My only real qualm with the EX-S600 is the sensitivity, it takes a very precise touch to zoom the lens correctly. However if you are not too lazy, it would probably be ideal to just take a step forward (or backward).
Excellent Camera.
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