Anyway… just bought this one…
[thumb=D]exilim3.JPG[/thumb]
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And, just to give an idea of the size… here you go:
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The advantages as I see it, is the camera is so tiny, it can easily fit in a purse or a pocket, so I don’t have to tag along my Olympus C-700C UZ all over. Actually the “wearable” size was the primary reason why I opted for this Casio. It is 4.0 mega pixel compared to 2.1MP of my trusted ol’ Olympus… however the Olympus will smoke it in terms of optical zoom… this one has 3x, whereas the Olympus has 10x. Then again, for a camera of this size (Z4), its pretty impresive they were able to fit a 3x opt zoom at all.
When switched off, the camera is ultra-compact, when you switch it on, the lens pops out and the camera is ready to take the first shot in less than 1.6 seconds. Thats pretty impressive, I must say. It has bunch of nifty features all over, plus a 2"TFT. The small size is a two-edged sword. The camera is so small, you always worry someone will drop it while handing over. Takes a SD or MMC, so thats another 50 bucks for a 128MB. The cradle charges the camera as well as transfers the pics to the computer. Apparently they have redeisgned a smart batter usage system, so it takes 560 snaps on one charge of the battery. Plus it can record and play (with sound) short video clips). Not bad, eh?
Will post some pics soon, so we can see how good/bad/ugly the picture quality is. :fingers crossed:
ps. Casio used to have Exilim Z3, which was 3 MP, but they have now discontinued it in favor of 4 MP Z4, for the same price.
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*Originally posted by Faisal: *
The advantages as I see it, is the camera is so tiny, it can easily fit in a purse or a pocket, so I don't have to tag along my Olympus .
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*Originally posted by Faisal: *
^ Is that the most intelligent comment you can think of, on the topic? Come on. I am sure you can do better. Try again. :)
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oops I am sorry, the comment was not really on the topic. but i suppose you could fit your olympus if you bought a bigger purse, did you think about doing that instead of buying another camera? I mean if you are carrying a purse anyways, might as well have it large nuff to accomodate the bigger camera, but then the purse may not go well with the gown and pumps right?
Bhai.. this camera is for my wife, so she can keep it in her purse and take as many pics as possible. Due to its bulk, my Olympus would be the last thing she wanted to take along to kids' school or soccer practice or whatever. This one stays in her purse at all times, so we don't miss any "Kodak moment". Aur koi curiosity ho tau woh bhi pooch lain.... :p
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*Originally posted by Faisal: *
Aur koi curiosity ho tau woh bhi pooch lain.... :p
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let me know how the results are, additionally aside from casio is there another company makign these slim digital cameras too? I thought I had seen some by fuji or pentax..how does this stack up against those. I am travelling a lot over next few montsh and would love to have a portable digital camera which can fit in a jacket pocket and would not be bulky.
It s an allright camera :)
I assume your a 'snapper' (some one who takes snaps whenever he feels like it. It s a good camera, abit expensive thought, but on the other hand, verry compact and solid. :)
3X optical is enough, if your not a pro/ semi-pro photographer.
Other than that, Minolta has DiMage X, and its new variants Xi and X20. The difference with DiMage is that it does not have a protruding lens (Casio’s lens hides inside when shut off, and comes out when its switched on)… thats bcz Minolta engineers have used a side-angle technology to provide 3x optical zoom without a lens. While this is good news from a size persepective, the pic results leave something to be desired. Not to mention that DiMage is 2MP and has smaller screen. Price is about the same (Amazon will give it to you for 350 bucks).
Some offerings from Olympus Stylus are also small, but nothing really competes to this Casio in terms of size and features. Price is a bit hiked right now, and thats because the Z4 has just been launched in US… in fact its launched on Oct 1, 2003.
False. Z4U (presumably the 'U' indicates its a US version) also records video. In addition, they have also added a speaker, so you can view AND listen to video clips right on the cam. I blv the speaker was missing from the older Z3.
I assume, you mean Optio S4 from Pentax. As I mentioned, there is very little to choose between Casio and Pentax in terms of size. I would assume the prices are also similar, and both use the same lens. There can't possibly be much difference between features, and it will take an extremely hardcore photographer to tackle photographic differences between the outputs. The dpreview site, which I gave earlier compared the offerings from Pentax and Casio, and if you read it through there is really nothing which separates the two much. Its all a matter of what is available and any personal brand-liking. Thats all.
i just checked out the Casio website and found no mention of movie clips.. but then again you have the camera so you must know better!!
Looks like you were set to buy a Casio.. or were there any other shortlisted?
I'd have gone for the Pentax.. if at all.. what does the Casio offer extra that was high on your list?? it's not even a whole lot cheaper if price were to be an issue.
One of the Optio's tested to deliver the best color accuracy in digital cameras by Pop Photo and as Phil on dpreview has noticed that altough they share the same lens, color accuracy isn't identical between the two brands.
Pretty much. I checked reviews of both Casio and Pentax. The difference between output is not something anyone will notice unless one is a hardcore photographer and checking outputs under a magnifying glass. Casio sports a 2" TFT, while Pentax has 1.6". Price is the same.
Faisal bhayya, that's for the Z3 yaar.. the Z4U has made some changes...rumor has it that Casio added ISO400 and stripped it off video recording capabilities..
and Phils evaluation of resolution and color accuracy are kinda subjective when he evaluates the results... it appears the Casio does a LOT of in camera sharpening to make the images look 'punchier' .. but they are certainly not cleaner and/or color correct than the Pentax cameras.
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*Originally posted by PakistaniAbroad: *
puts the rumor to rest :)
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Not really. Yesterday when I was 'playing' with the camera, I remember seeing the Snapshot mode, Best Shot mode and Recording mode. Now that I think about it, it showed a microphone symbol and not a movie-projector symbol (I briefly had Z3 before I returned it and got Z4 yesterday). The difference didn't stuck me, till now that you mentioned it. I do remember reading in the Z4's user manual that they have integrated a speaker, which was missing in the Z3. Hmmmm....
