Casio Exilim EX-S880 review

Performance
In our performance tests, the EX-S880 showed mixed results. After a 1.5-second wait from power-on to first shot, we could snap a new photo every 1.8 seconds with the onboard flash turned off. With the flash on, however, that wait increased to 2.8 seconds.

With family-recognition mode, you can record your family and friends' faces ahead of time so the camera will automatically give them priority

The shutter felt responsive enough, lagging just 0.5 seconds with our high-contrast target and 1.1 seconds with our low-contrast target. In burst mode, the camera captured 10 8-megapixel photos in 9.6 seconds, for a disappointing rate of less than 1.1fps.

Shooting speed (in seconds)
(Shorter bars indicate better performance)

Typical shot-to-shot time

Time to first shot

Shutter lag (typical)

Casio Exilim EX-S770

1.3

1.2

0.4

Sony Cyber-shot DSC-T100

1.4

1.2

0.4

Canon Digital IXUS 70

1.5

1

0.5

Casio Exilim EX-S880

1.8

1.5

0.5

Nikon Coolpix S50c

2.4

3.9

0.9

Image quality
Softness plagues the EX-S880's photos. Noise stays low through ISO 400, but becomes a blanket of snow at the camera's maximum of ISO 800. The camera reproduces colour fairly well, though it tends to oversaturate, making some colours look garish at times.

The camera's automatic white balance does a good job in most lighting situations but incandescent-lit shots can come out slightly too warm. Unfortunately, the massive softness nullifies most positive points, and Casio's noise-reduction processing only exacerbates what looks like a soft lens to begin with.

While the camera technically takes 8-megapixel pictures, very little appreciable detail finds its way past the blanket of blur, making things such as text and the textures of fabrics hard to discern when shooting at ISO 200 or above.

Conclusion
The Casio Exilim EX-S880 tries to slide by as an upgraded EX-S770 with a higher resolution and a different image processor. Unfortunately, it doesn't meet the standards set by its predecessor. While a new image processor usually means faster performance, the EX-S800 performs slower and photos are terribly soft compared to the older camera.

Alternately, you might want to look to another manufacturer. For example, Sony's Cyber-shot DSC-W80 is in the same price range and only a little larger in size, and it scored well in our review.

Additional editing by Shannon Doubleday