Casio Exilim EX-Z55 user reviews

Pros Camera is small, fast, fun features, & great photo quality

Cons none that i can think of at this time

Summary My most recient digital camera was a 6.1 Kodak which got very good reviews. So I bought it. At first it took great pictures then started having problems. So I decided to buy the Casio EX-Z55, I read where the picture quality is so so. I have to tell you, Its fantastic. Much better then I expected. I just got it today & took it to my sons basball game, where I played around with it, tyring different features. When I came home , I uploaded the pictures & were blown away by the quality. Please , if you are thinking of buying this camea, go do it.

Pros Small. Long battery life.

Cons Several feature and quality weaknesses.

Summary On paper the EXZ55 looks great. But once I got it there were a few things i did not like. I had this camera for a couple of weeks and returned it. I later got the Canon SD300 and am much happier with it.

Things I liked about the Z55
- great battery life
- solid construction
- movie recording with audio playback
- very compact


I returned it because

- It's a two-handed camera. You have to hold it with your left and operate with your right. I want to hold and operate with one hand. My old cam ( a canon s100 from way back in 2000) could be held in the right hand while operating the zoom and clicking the pic with the right index finger. But with the Z55's button placement, I was sure that sooner or later I would drop it if I tried use it with one hand.

- Movie / Picture mode can only be selected by menu. Multiple clicks and navigation are required to switch between the two, so you might miss a shot, or you might forget to switch and start recording in the wrong mode. I'd rather have a switch on the outside so I can quickly toggle movie / picture.

- Not the best photos. I had some great shots and some weak ones. I think it's a focus problem rather than a lens or CCD problem. Sometimes the cam figured out what to focus on, giving great pictures. Other times things looked fuzzy and grainy. There was a lot of variability in sequential shots of the same scene and lighting, so I don't think it was user error. With such inconsistent photo quality, what's the point.

- Casio touts the big screen. But it is so low res (fewer, bigger pixels) that I found it hard to view. The SD300 has a slightly smaller (2") screen that I find provides more viewable image.


Other things I didnt like that I could have lived with:

- I didn't like the cradle (althought I've read that some people do). I prefer the chargers where you take the battery out.

- Casio makes two cases that supposedly are tailored for the Z55. But I found that one was way too big, and one was too small. Actually my old Canon S100 leather case fit pretty well.

- The LCD is not recessed, so I expect the screen surface will get scratched up unless you're very careful.

Pros Portable great battery life. Fun best shot settings

Cons Less effective at night, Hope you have a steady hand

Summary This camera is great for my purposes relatively close snap shots, for this it works great day or night. At night don't try to capture anything to far away. I suggest a tripod if using the fireworks setting for example, or whenever youre keeping the shutter open longer cause you wont be able to hold your hand still enough. Aside from that it's great!

Pros My partner on a day to day basis. This camera is the best gadget I have ever bought. Excellent quality pictures, crystal clear, ultra fast. It's battery simply doesn't die!. Also it's stylish and comes with lots of surprises! I simply love the Exilim EX-Z

Cons Too good to find anything wrong with it.