The Hunt for the Best Ultra-Compact Camera
by Stephen Caston on October 5, 2004 12:05 AM EST- Posted in
- Digital Camera
The Design: Casio Exilim Ex-Z40
Click to enlarge.
The front of the Casio Ex-Z40 features a lens with a 35mm equivalent 3x zoom of 35 - 108mm. The lens has a maximum aperture of f2.6 at wide angle and f4.8 at telephoto with a shutter speed range of 4 - 1/2000th sec. The lens has a built-in lens cover that opens when the power button is pressed. In the upper-right corner is the viewfinder window. To the left are the self-timer lamp and the microphone. To the upper-left of the lens is the built-in flash with a working range of 1.6 - 11.5 ft. at wide angle and 1.3 - 5.9 ft. at telephoto. Lastly, there is a molded metal grip bar below the flash that is designed to help hold the camera comfortably.
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The back of the Z40 houses its large 2" LCD monitor with 84,960 pixels. To the left of the LCD is a speaker. Above the LCD are the viewfinder and two indicator lamps. To the right of the indicator lamps are the camera's Play and Record buttons. These buttons can be used to either switch between the two modes or to power the camera up directly into Play or Record mode. In the upper-right corner is the zoom controller that functions both as the zoom control for the lens in Record mode and as a magnifying tool in Play mode. Below the zoom controller is the Menu button and a multi-directional arrow pad with a separate "Set" button in the middle. This arrow pad is used to navigate through the menus and to select settings. Lastly, just below the arrow pad is the Display button, which is used to select the camera's multiple display options.
Click to enlarge.
The top of the camera is very straightforward. On the right side is the camera's main On/Off button next to the shutter release button. As noted before, the camera can also be powered on by pressing either the Play or Record button on the back. The On/Off button on the top of the camera will power on the camera in Record mode by default.
 Click to enlarge. |
 Click to enlarge. |
On the bottom of the camera is a sliding spring-action door that reveals the SD/MMC card slot and the battery compartment. The Ex-Z40 is powered by a rechargeable NP-40 3.7V 1230mAh Lithium-Ion battery. To the right of the card/battery door is a multi-connector that is used with the supplied cradle. The cradle can charge the battery, transfer data automatically to a computer, connect the camera to a printer, and allow use of the Photo Stand slideshow feature. Finally, on the right is a metal tripod mount that is nearly in-line with the center of the lens.
Click to enlarge.
Click to enlarge.
The right side of the camera features a post for the supplied wrist strap.
The Casio Exilim Ex-Z40 has an attractive and sleek appearance. Also, it is nice to see such a large LCD on an ultra-compact camera. However, we were disappointed to see that TV-out is not offered as an option. This has become a standard for most other digicams. Now, let's take a look at its recording features.
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araczynski - Tuesday, October 5, 2004 - link
my classic Kodak DC240 is still kicking ass and taking names :) years later and I still could care less what else is out there :)Next camera will probably be video anyway, not much use (to a general consumer) for a still shot only camera (yeah, the crappy wanna be video mode doesn't count)
WooDaddy - Tuesday, October 5, 2004 - link
Canons are very good. I agree.Just to put it out there.. Don't forget the Minolta G400. It falls in the same category as well: 4MP, VERY small, 3x zoom, movie mode, <$300. The selling point for me was the very fast shot to shot time and the dual MS and SD slots. Startup time is probably on par if not faster than the Casio. Image quality is very good as well. AF isn't probably as good or controllable as the Canon though. The demonstration of the Canon AF feature is helpful; I wish I knew it worked like that before I got my Minolta. The Minolta requires more tinkering that most but once you get the hang of it, it's OK.
Either way the G400 is a camera that shouldn't be ignored.
noxipoo - Tuesday, October 5, 2004 - link
I have canon S230 and I have used a S400, S500 extensively and they have always rocked. I have used older models that my friends have also. We all get canon for the consistent image quality, in the end its all that really matters.John1177 - Saturday, January 16, 2021 - link
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