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OCTOBER 11, 2007
Casio Exilim 10.1 MP Digital Camera EX-Z1080
 A BIG Engine Under the HOOD
This camera is simple to operate. As with most Digital Cameras if you shoot many photos you will need to purchase several 1 gig memory cards as the 11.4 MB internal memory is sucked up quickly if you are taking 10MP Poster size photos. Multi Gigabyte cards work well here but I find it best to have several smaller cards be safe. At $279.99 the Casio Exilim 10.1 MP Digital Camera EX-Z1080 is a little steep if you consider it an entry level camera. After using this camera for more than a month I can say there is more there than meets the eye. It is a little short on the zoom at 3X optical and 4X digital. Its 2.6 inch wide screen LCD display is very bright. I have seen pricing from $185.00 to $210.00 at some stores and on the internet. Available in four colors, gray, black, blue, and pink this camera is more than entry level. It is a very versatile digital camera under the hood. Let’s take a look.
In the box:
Camera
Lithium-Ion Rechargeable Battery (NP-40)
External Battery Charger
AV Cable
USB Cable
Strap
CD-ROM
AC Power Cord
Quick Start Sheet
Basic Reference Guide (a thick manual that includes many languages and very minimal instructions)
NOTE: After using the camera for several weeks I went to the Casio web site and downloaded a very detailed 267 page manual that fully explains all the abilities of the EX-Z1080. I suggest you do the same if you want to really get your money’s worth. This is the bible for those who want to use all of the EXILIM EX-Z1080’s many features.
I grabbed the Quick Start sheet and got rolling.
I set up the battery charger and let it charge for the recommended 150 Minutes while I installed the included software CD on my loaner Lenovo ThinkPad. That included Photo Loader with Hot Album 3.1, Photo Transport 1.0 (a way to move photos and movies to and from the camera), and a YouTube Uploader for Casio. Although they were fine for basic use I much prefer Adobe’s Photoshop Elements 5 with its photo organizer feature. Maybe it is what I am used to. I understand there have been some issues with Vista and this software. They worked well under XP during this trial. I then completed the easy setup (Language, Date, and Time) of the camera in about one minute.
The entire camera is designed to give easy access to all of its functions. This simple interface includes only two buttons in the right side of the camera back, two more above the large view screen, and a rocker button that moves through all functions in each menu that makes the camera versatile but not busy. The on/off, shutter, and zoom controls are on the top right
Battery
The battery fits into an enclosure in the base of the camera. It would be hard to install it incorrectly as it is shaped to fit only one way. The same enclosure holds a memory card that is not included. I used a 1 Gig card. I have no problem installing either the card or the battery. Charge time is 150 minutes. The specs say 370 shots can be taken before the battery needs recharging. I am sure that depends on many factors. Travelers will need a spare battery or two.
Memory Card Usage
I show about space for 155 photos at poster size (10 MP each) when using a 1 GB card. Lower resolution and size will allow more to be stored on the card but reduce quality and print size. See the chart below.
PHOTOS
The 1080 was very easy to use as a point and shoot camera. I just left the setting on Auto and pressed the buttons. Some samples are included here and many more are on my Flickr site.
Best Shot Scene
If you have a photo stored on your camera that has great quality, and prevailing conditions are similar to the conditions when you snapped it, you can choose that photo as the Best Shot The camera setting will be reset to your previous setting for that earlier photo. Works well if you move away from auto settings and do not download your memory card contents frequently. There are also a number of scene choices in the camera that will do much the same thing if chosen prior to taking your photo. Night Scene, Portrait, Scenery, low light, fireworks, etc. These are helpful for most situations. This is hard to describe but here are some graphics.
Anti Shake
I did not feel this feature worked well when recording videos. It did help with stills. Using the zoom at the maximum requires steady hands, bracing against a post, or a tripod.
Continuous shooting
I loved holding the button down and firing off as many as seven shots. This available only under the 2 MP photo size. This is a great feature for freeze frame or creating animations.
Really good photos from poster size down to web ready.
Video
I took many videos under bright external as well as low light interior. The daylight exterior clips were very good with great colors and natural contrast. The lower the available light the more the video dropped in quality. I found the EXILM 1080 did a better job with video than most cameras in this range. Zooming caused a major reduction in quality in the digital range. Shaking was noticeable. You can us the LP mode to store 1.5 times the video without that feature.
There are many more features that I am unable to include here. Playing with the Casio Exilim 10.1 MP Digital Camera EX-Z1080 is one of the more fun tasks I had to do during the last month. I have placed sample photos on my Flickr site as well as videos on YouTube. I hope you enjoy this camera as much as I did.
For more information on this and other Casio cameras CLICK HERE
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