For a long time, if you wanted a “big zoom” camera, you had to buy a bulky ultra zoom model. Things have started to change though, with ultra-compact, high zoom cameras from Canon, Casio, Pentax, and Sharp now available.
What’s in the Box?
The Exilim EX-V8 has an average bundle. Inside the box you’ll find:
* The 8.1 effective Megapixel Exilim EX-V8 digital camera
* NP-50 lithium-ion rechargeable battery
* AC adapter
* Camera dock
* Wrist strap
* USB cable
* A/V cable
* CD-ROM featuring Casio Photo Loader with Hot Album, Photo Transport, and YouTube Uploader
* Fold-out quick start guide, 26 page basic manual, plus full manual on CD-ROM
In this review I’m taking a look at Casio’s Exilim EX-V8 digital camera ($279). It packs an 8.1 Megapixel CCD, 7X optical zoom lens, image stabilization, and 2.5″ LCD display into a slim metal body. Other features include a widescreen H.264 movie mode with stereo sound recording, face detection and subject tracking AF, a unique continuous flash shooting mode, and more scene modes than you could possibly need.
A lot of the compact, big zoom cameras I’ve tested have some serious compromises that come along with them. Sometimes its related to ergonomics, other times image quality, and a few times, both. Will the Exilim EX-V8 break the mold? Find out now in our review!
Like most cameras these days, the EX-V8 comes with built-in memory in lieu of a bundled memory card. Casio has put a paltry 11.8 MB of memory into the EX-V8, which holds just two photos at the highest image quality setting (why do they even bother?). With that in mind, you’ll want to buy a larger memory card, and fast. The camera supports SD, SDHC, MMC, and MMCplus memory cards, and I’d suggest starting with a 1GB card. While it’s worth spending the extra bucks for a high speed card, you don’t need to go overboard.
The EX-V8 uses the NP-50 lithium-ion rechargeable battery, which resembles a pack of gum. The battery holds 3.5 Wh of energy, which seems kind of low considering the size of the battery. How does that translate into battery life? Have a look at this:
Camera Battery life, LCD on (CIPA standard)
Casio’s engineers did a good job at getting nice battery life out of relatively low power battery. While it’s not quite the best in the group, the V8’s battery life number (which is the same as on its predecessor) is still 15% above average.
Two quick notes about the proprietary lithium-ion battery used by the EX-V8 and cameras like it. Spare batteries are expensive (about $40 a pop), and you can’t use an “off-the-shelf” battery when your rechargeable dies. That said, you won’t find cameras this small with anything else.