The 12.1-megapixel Exilim EX-Z90 compact camera with 3x zoom offers a 'dynamic photo' mode, Casio's 'continuous shutter' technology and an intelligent autofocus system that can work out what to focus on and how to adjust the exposure to match. It's all wrapped up in a neat little metal body. That doesn't look like too bad a deal for around £150.
Baffling autofocus
This intelligent autofocus isn't so easy to figure out, though. What is it actually doing? According to the blurb, it recognises all sorts of different subjects -- not just human faces. Sure enough, when this mode's switched on, the camera's AF markers dart around the scene and pick out different subjects according to where you point the camera. Why? What has it 'recognised'? Is it what you wanted? It could well be clever, but it's hard to be sure without knowing what it's doing, why and whether it's making any difference.
Casio's also enhanced its dynamic-photo mode. With this, you can shoot a moving subject and get the camera to extract it from its background and place it against a new one. Previously, you had to shoot two photos, with one being just the background on its own. Now, as long as the background has a plain, even tone you only have to shoot one. You get a collection of 'dynamic photo' images on a CD in the box, too.
The dynamic-photo mode has some novelty value, as has the 'make-up' mode, activated via a menu at the bottom of the on-screen control panel. This adjusts the focus and exposure, smoothes skin and softens shadows.
High-speed shenanigans
You can also play with the EX-Z90's 'high speed continuous shutter', a technology we've raved about in reviews of Casio cameras like the Exilim EX-FS10 and Exilim EX-FC100.
Except that it's not the same. Casio's been slightly cheeky and used the same jargon for cameras which have nothing like the same capabilities. The EX-Z90 can croak along at up to 4 frames per second, but only at a resolution of 2 megapixels, which is fit for very little, and a world apart from the capability of Casio's true high-speed models. At full resolution, its continuous-shooting mode takes 2 seconds to chew over every single image before it's ready for the next one.
Lacklustre lens
But that's not the biggest moan. You get a basic 3x zoom lens that doesn't even offer the saving grace of decent image quality. In fact, our review sample was terrible at longer zoom settings, producing soft, blurry detail and blue fringes around anything with an edge. Let's hope our model was a dud.
The controls are clear and simple, but too cramped, especially in the case of the four-way controller. The menu system is quite complicated for a camera like this, although there's an optional 'easy' mode that looks much simpler.
Shooting movies is easy -- you just press a button with a red dot on the back of the camera. You can't use the camera's optical zoom while filming, though, so, while having a high-definition movie mode is good, this one's pretty limited.
Conclusion
The Casio Exilim EX-Z90 offers a lovely little body but a horrid lens and smart-sounding technology that has too many limitations. If you could swap all the gadgets for a decent lens, it might be a decent camera. Casio can do better than this.
Edited by Charles Kloet
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Joe2010 12 November 2009
Good: Delivers more than what its extremely slim body seems capable of
Bad: Haven't found one so far
Comment: It's a shock to me when I first came across the low rating review of EX-Z90 by CNET editiors. I purchased one just less than a week ago and have had some pleasant experience using this highly compact camera for testing and casual purposes. It's a 3x zoom lens camera and functions exactly like one, just like any other 3x lens models you can find in the market, really no complaints here. If you want vivid details of pictures taken at longer zoom (how long, hello?), you may be talking about a 4x, 5x zoom camera; as for controls, I have worried about its layout and ease of manipulation becasue of its extremely compact sized body, but later on, I found those worries unnecessary. I have got big hands and so far I haven't made many mistakes pressing buttons I didn't mean to. And yes, I did use optical zoom while shooting HD movies. So it's a wrong claim by CNET.To me the biggest disappointment in reading this latest product review by CNET is its lack of comparison of EX-Z90 with other brand carmeras in similar class, in the area of performance vs price analysis in all relevant respects. So its vedict is highly unconvinicing. (I checked on-line cameras of other brands with similar features and feel ex-z90 offers most complete value for its price)
It's a 12.1-megapixel camera with quite a few catching edge technology features all packed in this lovely and extremely easy to carry body. For all what I have seen pleasantly so far using this camera, I haven't decided to jump onto the bandwagon to give it a rating of 10, not yet. I have to give it some more time before I can go that far.
Steven Douglas 8 October 2009
Good: Crisp, easy to use, YouTube ready movies, fantastic focus, GREAT COLOR
Bad: I can't floss my teeth with it.
Comment: I would ask anyone considering this camera to take the original review with a HUGE grain of salt. The standards that professional reviewers have set for this product seem to be, in my opinion, for higher end cameras, ones that are in another league entirely. There is also a false statement (one that I know of thus far) which should be cleared up here and now: This camera DOES zoom in and out while shooting videos.
I'm an expat living and working in China. I needed something simple, easily (un/re)pocketed, that could quickly and easily switch between video and stills modes. In terms of image quality, most of all I cared about:
1) Color reproduction
2) Good auto-focus handling features
3) A good quality balance between day and night scenes.
4) A video format OTHER THAN .MOV
This camera delivers all of that and more. I don't mind a camera with features that aren't intuitively obvious, but this isn't one of them. This one sits up and performs easily straight out of the box, with little knowledge. To get far more out of it requires only some very light reading.
Most of all, this camera takes AMAZING photos, and I've taken thousands now already, in all kinds of settings - day, night, indoors, outdoors, landscapes, people, product models, you name it. Absolutely beautiful shots, very crisp, just about all of which are entirely in focus.
I'm not much on gimmicks, but the "Face and Makeup" function, which I thought might be one, turned out to be more than just a gimmick. It actually takes very flattering pictures of human subjects, with no obvious artifices (it smooths skin, softens contrasts).
I don't know what all the complaints are about regarding the lens, but I'm not taking pictures of test patterns, and don't really care how this camera stacks up on that front. In the real world, what I've seen thus far is impressive, and many of the shots I've taken rival anything taken by friends with gear loaded with the all the professional bells and whistles.
I gave this one a ten -- not relative to a camera snob's standards, and not relative to any high-end, more expensive cameras. I gave it that rating because this product exceeded all my expectations for a product in its class. The fact that it doesn't high speed shutter as fast as someone who has been spoiled by the higher end units means absolutely nothing to me. That's not why I bought it.
A "real disappointment" it was called? Bah. Not for me. I'm thrilled by my purchase.
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