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February 1, 2010 Casio Exilim EX-Z450 Camera In the Box: With a size of 3.8 (W) x 2.2 (H) x 0.84 (D) inches and weighing in at 4.58oz (excluding battery and bundled accessories) the EX-Z450 is somewhat thicker than other Casio cameras and much thicker than their very thin Card series. It is quite solid and somewhat shock resistant. It felt very solid in my hand. The 3.0 inch Super Clear LCD screen is very sharp. Controls on the top are the standard On/Off and Zoom with the addition of a Makeup/Landscape button. The rest of the EX-Z450 control layout is much the same as other Casio cameras I have tested. If you want in depth details go to the Casio Site and download the entire manual in PDF. CLICK HERE
The EX-Z450 is a 12.1 MP camera that created great photos in daylight circumstances. The Flash was a big help for really dark outdoor scenes. Some night shots using the available light provided by a fire gave a really warm look to the people and the surrounding area. Indoor shots without zoom were sharp and clear. Within the 4X range of the optical zoom photos were fine. The deeper I moved into the digital zoom area I found the combination of distance and camera shake reduced the quality of the photos. Low light reduced it further. On the other hand videos shot using the extended digital zoom seemed to come out better than the photos. All photos and videos were shot without a tripod. Anti Shake was always on. Bracing the camera against a stationary object did improve results as would a tripod. Battery life was very good.
When doing these tests I used the “Best Shot” option that allows the camera to automatically decide the settings needed. At times I did change the setup using the one of a group of preset options. To see more photos and some video on my Flickr site CLICK HERE
The EX-Z450 has additional setting available. I recommend that most users stick with the basics until they get used to the camera before experimenting. When you get more comfortable with setting you can make your own BEST SHOT Photos and setting to replace the ones in the Best Shot area.
Other interesting functions are: DYNAMIC PHOTO ANIMATED e-GREETING - add a number of different animated graphics to still pictures in the camera some of these can be created after the fact on the Samsung Website OR LINK to the simple card I made there. LANDSCAPE MODE - Enhance Colors & Remove Mist - Improve the most important colors in the photo MAKEUP MODE – Make better photos of people’s faces. Smoothes skin and softens shadows EYE-FI Wireless STORAGE CARD SUPPORT – I mentioned my interest in this capability in an earlier report on CES goodies. I saw the card and here is the capability. Once this is setup you can automatically transfer images to a computer through a wireless LAN. Read the instructions that come with the card before attempting this. Also copy the install files that are on the EYE-Fi card to your computer before formatting the card. I like the EX-Z450 as a point-and-Shoot camera with the ability to grow with you as you gain experience. It has plenty of capability at a reasonable cost to the user. Sure it is a little thicker and weightier than some but you get more in the package. If you are just starting out, or are looking to move up, you should take a look at the EX-Z450 from Casio. |
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