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12 out of 12 people found this review helpful
4.5 stars
"Tiny and Fast"
Pros: ULTRA-fast startup, extremely small size, many practical features but not over the top like some others
Cons: Shorter battery life than some, optical zoom mechanism is loud, some sound effects are annoying
Summary: I purchased this camera after roughly a year of playing the field and having narrowed it down to the Casio EX-Z57 and S100/S500 and this one. I wanted a small, pocketable camera that had a large screen but not a lot of technical bells and whistles that I wouldn't use anyway. This turned out to be the perfect option given those criteria.
I had been leaning toward the Casios, and especially the S500, but the fact that it still isn't available and that it has a smaller screen ruled it out. Same goes for S100, plus it was lacking in megapixels. So I narrowed it down finally to the Z57 and X60 and handled them both side-by-side in the store. What it basically came down to for me was size, performance, and general usability.
The KM X60 is actually a good deal smaller than the Casio Z57, and while the LCD on the latter is larger, it's really not noticeable.
The Casio Z57 felt really cheap to me. The buttons were wobbly and plastic-feeling, where as the KM X60's were solid and easy to feel and press. It just felt like it was built with higher quality and wouldn't fall apart.
I've read each camera's website and specs extensively, and the KM X60 boasts the fastest startup time in the world, while the Casio Z57 boasts a short shutter lag (very important to me) and long battery life. In ACTUAL use, the KM X60 indeed has the fastest startup time I've ever seen, faster even than I expected. The Casio Z57, however, actually had a comparable shutter lag to the KM X60, and what they don't tell you is that the flash adds a considerable amount of time.
I didn't get a feel for battery life, but I'm sure the KM X60 is sufficient for my purposes; I doubt I'll ever be photographing continuously for 400+ photos and hours upon hours, so I didn't feel like spending money on something in the Casio Z57 that wasn't too important to me in the first place.
As far as usability is concerned, many people make a big fuss over the ease of use of Casio's menus and features, but I personally much preferred KM's layout. The font is large, it's simply organized, and it's not at all overwhelming. I got the feeling Casio was trying to do too much and sacrificing quality in the process. In the end though, KM does have a lot of features that are simple to use, but they won't shove them in your face at the same time, which I love. Sometimes, you just want to take a damn picture.
