Casio Ex-Z29 Camera

All articles on this site are by Harry Skevington unless otherwise noted with another byline

JULY 21 2009

Casio Ex-Z29 Digital Camera
WEBex-z29frontcolors Many readers are looking for an inexpensive point-and-shoot camera. After the purchase they wish they had a more expanded feature set. For first time buyers I recommend a camera at or near $100.00. The Casio EX-Z29 Digital Camera is a little above that figure at $139.00. I think of it as a starter camera with upgrades waiting for the new owner to need them. Ten million pixels give the EX-Z29 extremely high resolution for this price point. The 3x optical zoom with 4x Digital is more than adequate for most family vacations shots. The 2.7 LCD gives good colors, contrast, and brightness. I could view the images clearly unless under direct bright sunlight.

Package Contents
• Exilim Zoom EX-Z29 Digital Camera
• Rechargeable Lithium Ion Battery
• Lithium Ion Battery Charger
• USB Cable
• AV Cable
• Strap
• CD-ROM

The EX-Z29 has many features from the Casio line without the increased costs. These include but are not limited to: 3X optical zoom with 4X digital, good stabilization even when zoomed, Face Detection, Best Shot, and YouTube capture mode. For more specifications CLICK HERE.

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For the most part it is simple to use. I do wish it included the ONE-button video record feature that is on some Casio cameras. The EX-Z29 requires pressing the Best Shot Button, choosing the Movie Icon, and a press of the Set button. Then you control START and STOP of recording by pressing the Shutter button. Maximum size of a movie is 4 GIG. Recording will end when you hit 4 GIG or run out of space on the card which ever comes first. This should be long enough for most of us. You will need a bunch of 8 GIG memory cards if you are on a long and interesting trip. Actually there seems to be no limit to the number of Gigabytes per card for most Casio cameras. You need to weigh the issues. If you do mostly photos with an occasional movie I would recommend many cards with less storage on each. This will save you from losing the record of your entire trip if your one 16 GIG card goes bad. Although you may make short movies to catch the moment I highly recommend carrying a separate Camcorder on your special trips. Memories are worth the extra weight and trouble.

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In the Fourth of July Fireworks test I felt the shutter lagged a little even when I changed settings to fit the night shots. The daylight shots with or without Zoom were very good. There are a few photos in this article. About 100 test shots are in my Flickr area CLICK HERE.

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Charging the EX-Z29 using the included AC charger is great as it does not require a USB computer connection. On the other hand having both capabilities would be a good feature when traveling overseas.

All of my wishes will not make EX-Z29 have more features. The price is right. The camera is what it is. If you want a faithful camera as a starter in the digital world the Casio EX-Z29 is one you need to take a close look at. The features that are included make it a great way to get going and an easy way to learn as your needs grow.

For more information on this and other Casio products CLICK HERE.