User Reviews
- Average user rating: 3.5 stars out of 31 reviews Back to product review
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"Good camera but be cautious" on by amagatjr
Pros: Stylish and compact, nice features
Cons: not many; but durability could be questionable
Summary: First of all, I am not very knowledgable with digital cameras; I know the basics i would say. This is a nice, small/compact camera with tons of great features. The image quality is good, it takes a little time to get used to because of the fast snap speed. The LCD screen is large but the resolution could have been better because it is a little grainy.
The only real problem was that I had this camera for a little over a week before it broke on me. The lens seemed to come in crooked after taking a picture and got jammed. Now the camera doesn't work and I need to contact the store or casio to get a replacement under warranty.
Overall, this is a great camera, but since it is so new to the market the durability could be questionable.Updated
I sent in the camera for warranty repair. They confirmed that a component in the lens got jammed and needed to be replaced. It has been about 4 weeks and it has not gotten fixed yet.
They say it is delayed because the part is ordered from Japan and needs to go through customs, shipping, etc.
They don't even call me or email me to keep me updated. Each time i have to call and hold for 20mins and get a response saying they'll "send it out soon, as soon as the part comes in"
nice product, but Casio needs to improve their communication with their customers..- Read replies (2)
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"Great Technology, If It Worked" on by telcomtech
Pros: Small, fast, good sound on video playback
Cons: Need to scroll a lot and tweak options to get best picture, no view finder, breaks easily
Summary: I was happy with this camera at first. It is very small and convenient. If you have a fast enough SD card, the video is smooth with good sound.
Unfortunatly, it had a tendency to wash-out the color when using the flash. Also, the shots often came out too dark without the flash (even if you are outside during the day). There are multiple menus and sub-menus for correcting this; however, it takes time to tweak, so you may not be able to catch the shot you want.
What really bothers me about this camera is that it stopped functioning after less than two months of light use. I understand that Casio is using a lot of new technology; however, function is more important than form, even when you are striving for the smallest camera on the market.
This camera was released about 3 months ago. My guess is that there are some glitches that need to be worked out and there will be a lot of these cameras being sent in for repair. You might want to buy a camera with an established track record in lieu of this one.-
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"Good if photo quality isn't a concern" on by perchie
Pros: Quick, Small, and many neat features
Cons: Poor quality in low light
Summary: I read all the user reviews on this camera, and felt I couldn't go wrong. But I was very unimpressed with the photos, especially when they were taken in low light situautions. I ended up returning the camera for a Canon A610 - which takes amazing pictures in pretty much all conditions.
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"Beautiful camera with lots of features" on by Deranged Cat
Pros: really thin design, 3x optical zoom, alot of best shot scenes, separate Best shot button, beautiful colors, same battery as M and S series, fast shutter
Cons: tiny power button (nit picking), a bit heavy, no coupling shot, Macro mode not as good as Z series exilims
Summary: Ive had an Exilim M2 for 2 years and i loved the camera. What i really liked was how small and thin it was (and how many people would gasp at how small it was), but that the photo quality wasn't too shabby. Well i wanted to move on, and i wanted a camera just as small but 10x better than the Exilim M2. So i got the Exilim S500 and it is GREAT. it is just as big as the Exilim M2, and indeed is 10x better. The best shot scenes are great, the zoom is great and it feels great in your hand.
Everyone has probably heard all the pros, so here are some cons: There is no coupling shot. Even though most people don't care, i think it was the most interesting and fun best shot mode there was, and i expected it would be on this considering it's the newest most advances smallest camera Casio has to offer. In the Z55, the focus for Macro is 4cm, while the s500 is 17 cm. Still way better than the M2, but still slightly disappointing. For Best shot, there are 33 Best shot scenes, and if you choose one and want to go back to camera, there is no dedicated button for that, so youll have to press BS, then scroll through however many before going back to Auto. Just nit picking though. The power button is small as well.
Overall, this is a great camera. I didnt talk much about the pros because everyone knows them. This camera is for someone who wants to look stylish, while keeping a pretty good camera that can take a large variety of photos. Its a fast photo taking camera, with great movies.
Better get a big SD card.
-wes-
ps. anyone care to correct anything i had wrong?Updated
My earlier annoyance of pressing the BS button, then having to scroll back to auto is fixed. When in the BS chooing screen, All you have to do is press "Menu" and it goes back to Auto. awesome.
-wes-Updated
As Amgatjr.. the guy who did a 7/10 on the post up there said.. i also had a problem. the lens has jammed for me too and i need to either get it fixed at wolf camera or send it in to Casio. This apparently seems to be a problem.. it couldn't be coincidence that both of us gave gotten the same problem.
-wes-Updated
The last time it broke, it was around May 2006. I sent it into repair on June 27, paid an outrageous 150 dollars (to me it was outrageous) and finally got it back on August 27, 2 months later. I have the camera for less than a month and the camera lens error happens AGAIN! I send it back and they repair it free of charge, and i get it back 2 weeks later.
The problem was that the two buttons on the camera (the play button and camera button), i had set those to turn on when i pressed the buttons. Mixed with a tight-skin case, the camera would try to turn on while in the case, thus causing the problem. So i turned those features off.
THIS TIME, i didnt even do ANYTHING and the camera broke, all by itself! This is the third time it's broke and i'm sick of treating this camera as if it's going to break by the slightest puff of air. I'm calling casio and seeing if i can get a refund, because this is just ridiculous.
TO EXILIM OWNERS: DO NOT activate the "quick button" things, the buttons near the LCD. it'll just cause problems.
-wes-Updated
The last time it broke, it was around May 2006. I sent it into repair on June 27, paid an outrageous 150 dollars (to me it was outrageous) and finally got it back on August 27, 2 months later. I have the camera for less than a month and the camera lens error happens AGAIN! I send it back and they repair it free of charge, and i get it back 2 weeks later.
The problem was that the two buttons on the camera (the play button and camera button), i had set those to turn on when i pressed the buttons. Mixed with a tight-skin case, the camera would try to turn on while in the case, thus causing the problem. So i turned those features off.
THIS TIME, i didnt even do ANYTHING and the camera broke, all by itself! This is the third time it's broke and i'm sick of treating this camera as if it's going to break by the slightest puff of air. I'm calling casio and seeing if i can get a refund, because this is just ridiculous.
TO EXILIM OWNERS: DO NOT activate the "quick button" things, the buttons near the LCD. it'll just cause problems.
-wes--
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"No regrets." on by sohnrog
Pros: mpeg-4 video capability, portability, eye-catching, wow factor.
Cons: Yellow hue to indoor photos.
Summary: I did a lot of research before buying this camera. I knew going into it that others had had complaints with:
1. Photo quality in low light
and
2. Durability
I agree that indoor photos tend to have a yellow hue to them. This is easily fixed with photoshop. I just reduce the yellow and bump the red and green up a notch.
As for the durability, I bought the camera from Ritz and purchased the product protection plan for $63 for a year (renewable for 4 years). It is a no questions asked replacement policy that is bar none the best available. As long as I bring back a piece of the camera (with the serial number) they will replace it as many times as I break it.
The video is good enough to capture informal events. I wouldn't rely on this camera for high quality video. However, the picture is smooth (30 fps) and the sound quality, though not stereo, is good. There is no choppiness to the picture and no compression distortion to the sound. I just haven't figured out how to edit it yet. I would like to convert it to avi or mpg so I can edit it with premiere. With a 1GB card, I can take about an hour of video.
Also, to be nit-picky: Although the menus are very helpful and user friendly, they appear a bit old-fashioned. The colors are kind of drab. The Casio SD400 has a slick interface with icons and animated menus. The Exilim lacks that style.
Also, as someone else pointed out, you need the dock in order to charge the camera. Kind of anoying if you are going on a long trip. It's especially inconvenient for me because my computer's rear connections are difficult to access since the back is closed in a computer desk case.-
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