The Japanese firm's ultraslim Exilim line just got a new 4-megapixel update. Hugely popular in the market for its sleek, stylish looks and compact design, the firm's latest EX-Z40 not only retains those characteristic traits but also attempts to address one of the more niggling problems of its predecessor (EX-Z4), battery life.

What's New
The latest entry retains the sleek shell first unveiled with the EX-Z3. Apart from a newly designed handgrip, the point-and-shoot unit can easily be mistaken for its older brethren, the EX-Z4. With the main specifications of resolution and optical zoom the same as the EX-Z4, you'd be forgiven for thinking this was just a mere cosmetic upgrade. Thankfully, under the hood of this slim body also dwells a new generation of electronics.

Like the EX-P600 we've reviewed recently, the EX-Z40 also receives Casio's fourth-generation triple-stack MCM (Multi-Chip Module) technology. According to the manufacturer, this allows the camera to deliver higher-quality images while increasing performance and lowering power consumption. If that's not enough, Casio reckons the new MCM allows the vendor to cut down on noise, too.

In Use
The interface found on the EX-Z40 remains as intuitive and user-friendly as its predecessor, and we had no problems operating the unit without first referring to the instruction manual. We anticipate that most consumers will find the learning curve relatively gentle as well. Piloting the system is achieved through a generous 2-inch LCD display that dominates the rear of the camera. To speed up access, there're also new playback and capture function keys which usually grace Casio's QV-R series.

In our tests, we found the EX-Z40's performance to range between average and fast. The unit powered up in a flash, clocking in at about 1 second. However, shot-to-shot intervals proved only average, taking between 1 and 2 seconds with the built-in flash switched off and a slightly longer 3 to 4 seconds with it enabled. This was, in fact, slower than the older EX-Z3--albeit by a small amount.

By far the biggest difference in use is the handling of the camera. The finger hook has been substantially shortened and we found it just a bit harder to get a good hold over the EX-Z4. Still, we didn't experience any blurry photos throughout our tests.

For battery life, the EX-Z40 managed to impress. The original EX-Z3 allowed us to snap over 400 pictures in heavy continuous use but the EX-Z40 was something else. We gave up after 600 clicks as our fingers went stiff!

In terms of image quality, the EX-Z40 delivered generally pleasing photos. However, we found little difference in terms of image quality over the EX-Z4 despite the manufacturer's claims. Like most point-and-shoots, with ISO speeds below 200, we found our images to be sharp and clean. We should also mention that a few of our test pictures exhibited some sharpening artifacts. On the upside, the colors captured were always vibrant and the metering generally gave well-exposed shots.

Verdict
At a sticker price of S$799, the EX-Z40 still commands the typical Exilim premium. With competition heating up in the fashion camera market, there'll be more new choices for consumers such as Sony's DSC-T11 and Olympus' AZ-1. In any case, we think Casio has improved over the original EX-Z3 and builds upon this line as an ideal pocket camera, particularly for light traveling, and should be fine taking on the new wave of rivals.