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Under 2 Megapixels

Casio Exilim EX-S2 2MP Digital Camera

Casio Exilim EX-S2 2MP Digital Camera

List Price: $269.99
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Product Info Reviews

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Rating: 5 stars
Summary: absolutely fantastic
Review: I bought this camera when it first came out in Japan, (where curiously enough it's considerably cheaper) despite heavy competition from a bunch of other ultra-sleek hi-tech japan-only models, and I have to say that I've never looked back.
The good points:
form factor- you can't believe how small and portable this camera is. bring it out and instantly draw a crowd! It is the best for taking those "spontaneous" shots - I bring it with me wherever i go, and it won't cramp your style either (ever try and go to a party hauling a big clunky camera around..?)

battery life- uses a proprietary (lithium ion?) battery - the charge seems to last forever. I've taken dozens and dozens of pictures with this camera (using flash + LCD on) and still never had the battery run out of juice.

menu/features- the menu system is fantastic, yet intuitive, and gives you a wide range of control over things like white balance, etc. the camera recharges *amazingly* quickly after using the flash, and is capable of taking shots in quick succession with almost no lag time. The screen is amazing (plus you can zoom in on the picture you're displaying!), and doesn't chew up batteries either. Plus you can take excellent quality video clips (up to 30 seconds).

The not-quite as good:
resolution: this camera is listed on amazon as being 2MP, but my model clearly says 1.82 MP. This is evident if you look at the pictures as well (even on the highest quality setting). Furthermore the 1600x1200 mode *is* interpolated, contrary to what the reviewer below said. I generally take picures in 1280x1024 and then reduce them in photoshop to 800x600, which produces quite nice results. but the end, the pictures it produces can't compare to higher resolution digital cams.

digital zoom: like all digital zooms, it bites. well, you can't have it all at this size, and i generally don't find myself missing an optical zoom anyway.

software: not the best (nor so bad as to be unuseable) but (under win XP), you can do away with the software completely and just manipulate the camera and files direcly like any other attach USB drive.

One final thing - a lot of the specs listed on amazon are completely incorrect - the camera uses SD cards (not type II CF) and certainly doesn't use 4 AAA batteries!!

All in all, this is an absolutely fantastic camera which will inspire instant lust in all who gaze upon it. I can't recommend it enough, as long as you're not looking to take ultra-high resolution professional images. Buy this at once!

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Very good ultra-compact digital...
Review: I bought this for the small size. It was better than expected but the upgrade has all the features I was missing on this one: larger LCD, easier control button, higher MP. It is a great conversation starter. A lack of zoom did not bother me, I just zoom in on Photoshop.

Pros: Very small & light
Good quality pictures
A lot of useful features
Good price

Cons: Short battey life
Small LCD screen, better on upgrade
Control button is better on upgrade
Small size makes it easy to lose...but that is why I bought it!

Otherwise is a great ultra-compact camera.
I would recomend the upgraded version though.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Great cool camera
Review: I bought this visa-card size camera one month ago at a Radio Shack store and the camera is just great, if you can overlook one tiny trade-off: there is no auto focus. This is to tell future buyers that they can save the extra 27 dollars they would have to spend for the leather case. Instead, I suggest you to go buy a set of playing cards with soft plastic case that you can find at any Borders store and use the case for storing your new camera.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Quick Shot & Size is ultra-convenient
Review: I can snap away at those precious shots that we normally lose due to slow shutter speeds. Just be careful, this thing is so small and convenient that I have taken too many pictures. Hopefully I will print most of them before they get lost. The clarity of 2 MegaPixels is amazing... =).

One the negative side: Flash is a bit weak so taking group photos in low light is not a good idea.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Never miss another photo op
Review: I carry this camera everywhere I go. I'm amazed how often I use it to take pictures that I would have missed otherwise. It is well designed, easy enough to use that others can use it with minimal instruction, and has the features that I use most often such as background flash and red eye reduction. In addition, it takes the photo instantaneously and displays it within a second or so. My only complaints are its inability to take close-up shots and its relatively weak flash.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: SUPERB CAMERA FOR TRAVELERS
Review: I got my Exilim for taking pictures while traveling, mainly around Europe for three months. The best feature is the small size, small enough to slip unnoticeably in my pocket T-shirt pocket. Pick pockets are abound in Europe, tho violent crime is far less. Being able to carry my camera unnoticeably was great. If you want to make large prints of your travels, a camera with 5 or more mega pixels should be the choice, but the postcard size 4 X 6" prints I made of the trip were excellent and comparable to the 35mm point and shoot cameras I have used. There are many options, such as setting the white balance, which is very useful, that you wouldn't expect on such small camera. Pictures taken in very low light conditions, such as in a darkened night club, are not good, but you do get severely grainy, off color images if it's necessary to take a picture. The 30 second video clips are much lower resolution than 2MP but can be fun to use. I cannot complain about the 3500 pictures I took in Europe and more than that in the US in the first six months of ownership. The battery allowed my chip limit of 120 or so pictures, as long as I could keep from constantly checking to see how the days shots were working. Do all the editing at the end of the day. I did have my laptop with me to download the days pictures. It takes 483 pictures with my new 512MP chip. Enough that my trip to SE Asia for a month later held most of what I took, with no laptop to download to. No more wishing I had a camera on hand if that special moment occurs.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Several Excellent Features
Review: I use a digital camera entirely for electronic viewing and for e-mailing photos, so I don't need huge megapixel resolution. I have had other digital cameras, but the features I really like about this one are, in order of importance to me:

1. FAST shutter response - due to the fixed focus lens, there is almost no delay between pressing the shutter release and getting the shot. Some cameras take so long to focus and capture that you miss the shot you were after.

2. Very small and lightweight - I usually have it in my pocket or briefcase. The slim size and flush lens keeps it from getting hung up in your pocket.

3. Fast power-up and down. Also, no waiting for a lens to extend or retract.

4. Good battery life - especially long, since I mostly use the optical finder.

It has a menu feature that allows you to reduce the size of a stored image for e-mailing. This saves you from having to run it through Photoshop to reduce the size.

The stand/charger works flawlessly. Set it in, press the "On" button, and the camera appears on you desktop. Very convenient to have it connect and charge without extra cables.

The SD cards hold plenty of pictures and are reasonably priced . I recently ordered a 128-meg card for [money].

Drawbacks? -
The main drawback for me is that the only way to charge the battery is inside the camera, in its cradle. It would be nice to have a way to charge the battery only, so an extra can be charging while the camera is in use. If a separate charger doesn't come along, I might try making one.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Carrying case
Review: I wrote the other review of this camera "Debating?" and want to add something.

The carrying cases, made especially for the Exilim, are available at casio.com/exilim. They make a pure leather and a green imitation case. Both are stylish and tiny to fit the Exilim.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Ready to take along anywhere!
Review: I've been snapping photos for about a week now and have really appreciated this tiny camera. The fact that I could literally carry this camera in my pocket (and forget it's there) is what sold me. This is primarily a point-and-shoot camera, and as such the layout of the controls is well designed. With the camera strapped to your wrist, you can easily manipulate all the controls with your thumb and forefinger, without looking. Another thing, this camera is FAST, great for quickly--and discreetly--pulling out and taking a shot. It takes about a second to power up (it has a fixed lens, so nothing needs to zoom into position), immediately releases the shutter when you push the button without any lag time, and is ready for the next shot almost instantly. Interfacing with Mac OS X has been a breeze--nothing to install just place the camera on the base and push the power button and the camera appears on the desktop as a mounted drive and works seamlessly with iPhoto. Battery life got me through about 100+ photos with the LCD constantly on. Speaking of the LCD, it's a handsome one. Nice and large and very sharp with good menu layout. Image quality isn't superior, but definitely acceptable for on-screen and 5x7 prints, especially for the camera size. One definite accessory you will want to buy is an SD memory card. I've found 64MB to be a good companion with the 16MB of built in memory, fitting about 120 images on the card and 25 in internal memory when shooting at 1280x960. If you take this camera out in public, be prepared to share it with everyone--it definitely draws curiousity as it is one of the smallest capable cameras on the scene at the moment.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Extremely slick camera! Fun and big wow factor with friends
Review: I've been using this camera for a little over two months now and I have to say I love it. It's extremely easy to use and takes great quaility pictures.

pros.
very fast startup time - you can start shooting within about 1 second after hitting the power button.

very quick review time for recents pictures - easily scan through your photos quickly and delete on the fly.

thumbstick is easy to use, very intuitive - i never once picked up the manual. just used the 'menu' button or moved the thumbstick to control all features.

upgradable - i added a 64 meg sd ram card in addition to the 12 meg onboard.

requires no software - just plug it in the cradle and turn it on and windows will instantly see it as another drive!

LIGHT AND SMALL!!! - it's the size of a credit card!! fits in a shirt pocket with tugging down on your shirt. so small, the wow factor on this thing is great!

great screen quality - a generous 1.5" screen on a camera this small.

OVERALL - just an excellent camera well worth the money!!

overall - well worth the investment for web and family and fun photos. will take up to a 1600x1200 image with no problem. fun camera all around

great battery life - no joke, i took over 150 pictures with flash each time before i got low on the battery. it charges quickly too! and you can turn off the screen if you don't want to waste battery life.

cons
no optical zoom...the digital zoom is worthless but who cares. it's tiny!

must use cradle to charge - which is kind of a hassle but the battery life is good so it's not a big deal.


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