Casio EX-Z200 Review
Review Date: April 14th 2008
Author: Mark Goldstein
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Conclusion
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Ratings
(out of 5) |
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| Design | 4.5 |
| Features | 5 |
| Ease-of-Use | 4.5 |
| Image Quality | 2.5 |
| Value for Money | 3.5 |
In football management terms, the Casio EX-Z200 completely lives up to the much used cliche "a game of two halves". I'm struggling to recall another recent camera that got so much right, yet also got so much wrong. In terms of handling and features, the EX-Z200 gets pretty much everything right. You won't find many other point and shoot cameras at this price-point which are so feature-rich, with lots on offer that will particularly appeal to the absolute beginner. Despite this overload of options, the EX-Z200 also manages to be easy to use, with a simple, uncluttered interface that won't overwhelm you.
In terms of image quality, however, the EX-Z200 gets pretty much everything wrong. Noise and smearing of fine detail are evident even at the relatively slow speed of ISO 200, purple fringing is obvious in high-contrast scenes, pictures aren't very sharp at the default setting (although this can be increased in-camera), and the long shutter speed of 4 seconds and macro mode of 15cms are frankly disappointing on a camera from 2008. The Casio EX-Z200 gets a lot of things right with its multitude of video modes, but most people will buy this camera primarily for its still images, which simply don't come up to scratch.
The 4x, 28mm wide-angle lens, true mechanical image stabilisation, excellent LCD screen and wealth of advanced video options, combined with all those features and simplicity, just can't make up for the below average images. The Casio EX-Z200 is so nearly the perfect pocket point-and-shoot, but ultimately its failure to deliver one of the basic requirements of any camera, good quality images, means that we can't recommend it.
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