2016
Announced Sep 9, 2016
2014
Announced Sep 24, 2014	Announced Feb 6, 2014
2013
Announced Nov 14, 2013	Announced Aug 7, 2013	Announced Jan 29, 2013	Announced Jan 29, 2013
2012
Announced Sep 25, 2012	Announced May 22, 2012	Announced Jan 10, 2012	Announced Jan 10, 2012
Announced Jan 10, 2012	Announced Jan 10, 2012	Announced Jan 9, 2012
2011
Announced Jul 18, 2011	Announced Jan 5, 2011	Announced Jan 5, 2011	Announced Jan 5, 2011
Announced Jan 5, 2011	Announced Jan 5, 2011
2010
Announced Sep 20, 2010	Announced Sep 20, 2010	Announced Sep 20, 2010	Announced Sep 20, 2010
Announced Aug 3, 2010	Announced Aug 3, 2010	Announced Jun 2, 2010	Announced Feb 21, 2010
Announced Feb 21, 2010	Announced Jan 6, 2010	Announced Jan 6, 2010	Announced Jan 6, 2010
Announced Jan 6, 2010
2009
Announced Nov 18, 2009	Announced Nov 16, 2009	Announced Nov 16, 2009	Announced Aug 31, 2009
Announced Aug 31, 2009	Announced Aug 18, 2009	Announced Aug 18, 2009	Announced Jun 11, 2009
Announced Mar 3, 2009	Announced Jan 8, 2009	Announced Jan 8, 2009	Announced Jan 8, 2009
Announced Jan 8, 2009	Announced Jan 8, 2009	Announced Jan 8, 2009
2008
Announced Sep 16, 2008	Announced Aug 20, 2008

Casio today announced it was getting cozy with YouTube, introducing two Exilim cameras that will have a YouTube Capture mode—640x480 H.264 video at 30 frames per second—plus bundled YouTube.

Pros
- Image, color and build quality on a par with competition
- Good range of image adjustments for an auto camera
Cons
- Monitor dot composition about half of most competitors
- Stabilization via ISO boost

NP-80 Ultrathin USB Charger for Casio Exilim EX-G1, Exilim EX-N1, Exilim EX-N2, Exilim EX-S5, Exilim EX-S8, Exilim EX-S9, Exilim EX-Z35, Exilim EX-Z550, Exilim EX-Z800 Camera and More 4.6 out of 5 stars 23.
The camera accepts SD, SDHC, MMC and MMCplus memory media and Casio includes a rechargeable lithium ion battery, battery charger with AC power cord, USB and AV cables, a wrist strap, CD-ROM, and basic reference material with each camera. There are four primary shooting modes.

If you were to ask folks the first name that comes to mind upon hearing the word “camera” chances are you’d get a preponderance of “Canon,” “Nikon,” “Olympus,” and “Pentax,” with perhaps a smattering of “Sony” and maybe even a “Leica” or “Hasselblad” thrown in. Truth be told, “Casio” didn’t leap to mind when I tried it myself. Casio has always meant calculators and watches in my universe, but when DCR.com editor David Rasnake dangled a Canon or a Casio as my next review subject, I bit on the Casio Exilim EX-Z80. After all, Canon compacts tend to be predictably good overall and I’ve reviewed quite a few, but the Casio would a first-timer.

Turns out Casio is “one of the leading consumer electronics companies in the world,” established in 1957. That’s barely two years before Nikon introduced their now-iconic 35mm “F” SLR, and if I read Casio’s history correctly, it would be another 45 years before the introduction of their first “Exilim” camera in 2002. The Casio website describes Casio’s corporate creed as “creativity and contribution” and expresses the company’s “commitment to contributing to society by offering the kind of original, useful products that only Casio can.” Let’s see how they do with a compact digital.

FEATURES OVERVIEW

The EX-Z80 features an 8.1 megapixel sensor and Casio’s Exilim Engine 2.0, which “delivers sharper photos and higher-quality videos using less energy than ever before-and at faster speeds, thanks to an improved signal processor.” There’s a 2.6-inch monitor, face and smile detection technologies, an interesting auto shutter feature, a 3x optical zoom lens, a little over 12 MB of internal memory, and an ISO sensitivity range of 64 to 1600. The camera accepts SD, SDHC, MMC and MMCplus memory media and Casio includes a rechargeable lithium ion battery, battery charger with AC power cord, USB and AV cables, a wrist strap, CD-ROM, and basic reference material with each camera.

There are four primary shooting modes:

Auto: The default setting, which affords the user a surprising number of image adjustment settings
Easy: Another auto mode affording a minimal number of user inputs
Best Shot: A collection of 30 scene presets covering different types of shooting conditions
Movie: Offers seven quality levels at 30 and 15 fps rates

One of the Best Shot scenes is titled Pastel, which produces an image that is, shall we say, different. Here are shots of a windmill on Auto and Pastel.

Auto mode (view large image)

Pastel scene preset (view large image)

The EX-Z80 also allows the user to take existing photos or movies and apply and save the camera setup that produced the image(s) as a user-designated Best Shot – the camera can save up 999 such custom settings.

For a detailed listing of specifications and features, please refer to the specifications table found at the bottom of the review.

FORM, FIT AND FEEL

The EX-Z80 fits the standard mold for a compact digital – rectangular body with gentle curving on the edges and overall size of a small deck of cards.

Styling and Build Quality

Our review unit featured a light blue brushed metal and bright chrome body, but there are pink, red, black, silver and yellow versions available.

(view large image)

The camera seems well built.

(view large image)

Ergonomics and Interface

Most controls on the EX-Z80 presented no problems, but I found the control and set buttons were close enough (the control button surrounds the set button on the camera back) to cause fairly frequent unintended activations of one while attempting to use the other. Folks with big fingers or long nails, you’ve been warned.

(view large image)

Otherwise, the EX-Z80 is a fairly intuitive camera, and the “movie button” at the upper right on the camera back provides a quick, one-push transition to movie recording should the user so desire. One of the movie shooting modes is a “You Tube” optimized format, so Casio is going out of their way to make the EX-Z80 internet movie friendly.

Display/Viewfinder

The 2.6-inch monitor is of typical size for this class of camera, but specs out to about 115,000 dot composition – about half that of many competitors. Like most monitors, it can be difficult to use for composition in bright conditions, and I would hesitate to use it for image review in-camera for deletion purposes in any but the best of lighting conditions.

(view large image)

The relatively low dot composition did not do justice to image

2016

2014

2013

2012

2011

2010

2009

2008

Pros

Cons

Casio Youtube Camera Charger