Casio Exilim EX-V7

Latest - Review at CNET.co.uk (added 29 October ‘07)

Casio Exilim EX-V7 features:

• 7.2 megapixels
• 7x optical zoom
• 2.5-inch TFT LCD
• Blur reduction CCD shift system
• Anti shake DSP
• Camera measures 59.8 mm high, 95.5 mm wide, and weighs 149 g

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Reviews - (updated 29 October ‘07)

CNET.co.uk
Macworld
Megapixel
LetsGoDigital
Devhardware
Good Gear Guide
Photography Review
ePhotozine
Photography Blog
Cameras.co.uk
Computer Active
Think Camera
PC Magazine
InfoSync
DPReview
DigitalReviews
PopPhoto
Ken Rockwell
Pocket-lint
DigitalCameraInfo

CNET.co.uk - 29 October’07 - reviews the Casio Exilim EX-V7 and points out the strongerst aspect of this camera is its video. Here’s an excerpt from their review conclusion-
“The Casio Exilim EX-V7 is certainly trim. We give Casio full marks for packing decent image stabilization and lots of features into such a compact camera. Sadly the EX-V7 falls between two stools. The zoom lens is weak, so if you wanted a decent zoom you’d be better off with an actual superzoom.”

Macworld - 20 October’07 - reviews the Casio Exilim EX-V7 and noted that if you can live with the cameras problems it’s a great all-around digital camera. Here’s an excerpt from their review -
“Overall, the camera’s image quality was average for its class, with some loss of detail and mild exposure issues.

Color and flash quality were rated as Good, but image quality garnered only a Fair rating in Macworld Lab tests. “

Megapixel - 28 September’07 - reviews the Casio Exilim EX-V7 and writes;
“Superbly compact, and easily slipped into a pocket because of its smooth, protuberance-free design, the Casio Exilim EX-V7 is one of the nicest cameras to carry around. Moreover, it offers a powerful optical zoom with a stabilizer, a high resolution, simple but effective controls, and a sharp monitor.”

LetsGoDigital reviews the Casio Exilim EX-V7 and writes;
“Let it be clear, the Casio EX-V7 is a finely designed camera, easy to operate and has a lot of creative application possibilities. It is a great camera for snapshots and is easy to use, but the demanding user will soon discover its limitations. This is not the group Casio wishes to target, however. The specifications, the extensive automatic programmes and internal image editing are impressive, and ensure that the Casio Exilim EX-V7 is a very attractive digital camera. When Casio improves the quality of the internal optical lens, the Casio Exilim EX-V7 will have a guaranteed share of the market. Now the Casio Exilim EX-V7 is a stylish digital jewel, which is not too bad, either.”

Devhardware reviews the Casio Exilim EX-V7 and writes;
“I like this camera a lot, mainly because of its small size and great features. This is a perfect camera to take on vacation, or any other place where a pocket camera is best suited. The 7x optical zoom is great; it is supported by the image stabilization system which is average at best. The 7.2 megapixel CCD is also great to have, as well as the 2.5 inch LCD screen which is bright and has a high resolution.”

Good Gear Guide reviews the Casio Exilim EX-V7 and writes;
“They were not impressed by the slow 2 frames per second burst mode. A little purple fringing (chromatic aberration) was noticed in areas of high contract. Overall the camera’s speed did better than average with fast startup and shot to shot speed. Bottom Line: Nice looking camera with middle of the road performance.”

Photography Review - 7/17/2007 - tests the Casio Exilim EX-V7 and writes, “I like Casio digital cameras. I don’t think they have the best image quality but I think they more than make up for it by designing super compact, wonderfully usable digital cameras with a great feature set. This camera lives up to that with a ton of exposure options, a really powerful 7x optical zoom lens, and sensor-shift image stabilization to ensure sharp photos in all kinds of conditions. And the much-improved high ISO performance combined with image stabilization means you can take much better pictures in low light – even without the flash. Put it all together and the Casio Exilim EX-V7 is a wonderfully powerful and usable camera that you can put in your pocket and take everywhere.”

ePhotozine - 07/03/2007 - reviews the Casio Exilim EX-V7 and writes, “This camera has the potential to be amazing. It is bursting with features and has technology on it that is ground-breaking. The distinct lack of basic photographic requirements like a decent flash, consistent focusing and a good macro facility seemed to have eluded Casio on this one. I cannot help but feel that the camera has been pushed out as quick as possible and the functions have not been thought through properly.”

Photography Blog - 6/7/2007 - reviews the Casio Exilim EX-V7 and writes, “The Casio EX-V7 is fast to get going, swift to capture an image, and speedy to commit it to memory. It also feels substantial in the palm, with a well-blended mix of metal and plastic, while it wouldn’t cause you grief if you carry it around in a top pocket all day for those spur-of-the-moment snaps. The styling is attractive, and the slide-open faceplate that powers up or down the Casio EX-V7 ensures that it’s easy enough for the kids to use too. Similarly, flip the mode dial around to the fuss-free ‘easy’ mode and Grandma won’t be flummoxed either. Add the fact that it’s packed full of little extras that to be fair are mostly gimmicky, and the Casio EX-V7 goes some way to set itself apart from its look-a-likes. Inevitably, cramming a 7x optical zoom into a camera that’s marginally wider than a thumbnail means that the results are not with”

Cameras.co.uk - 6/5/2007 - reviews the Casio Exilim EX-V7 and writes, “Digital cameras in this category with a long zoom lens are few and far between. Although not perfect the test photos I took with the Casio Exilim EX-V7 were above average and if you are looking for a simple enough camera with some extra zoom I can see no harm in taking a look at this one.”

Computer Active - 6/4/2007 - reviews the Casio Exilim EX-V7 and writes, “Want a big zoom range but not a camera the size of a house brick? Then Casio’s EX-V7 has got to be one of the top contenders, even if there’s otherwise not much on board that we haven’t seen before.”

Photography Blog - 6/4/2007 - reviews the Casio Exilim EX-V7 and writes, “The Casio EX-V7 is fast to get going, swift to capture an image, and speedy to commit it to memory. It also feels substantial in the palm, with a well-blended mix of metal and plastic, while it wouldn’t cause you grief if you carry it around in a top pocket all day for those spur-of-the-moment snaps. The styling is attractive, and the slide-open faceplate that powers up or down the Casio EX-V7 ensures that it’s easy enough for the kids to use too. Similarly, flip the mode dial around to the fuss-free ‘easy’ mode and Grandma won’t be flummoxed either. Add the fact that it’s packed full of little extras that to be fair are mostly gimmicky, and the Casio EX-V7 goes some way to set itself apart from its look-a-likes.”

Steve’s Digicam - 5/29/2007 - reviews the Casio Exilim EX-V7 and writes, “The Casio Exilim EX-V7 offers a tremendous amount of features in a small compact package while continuing the tradition of a durable, lightweight model that can be tucked away just about anywhere, while still capturing great photos and offering outstanding performance. It has loads of user-friendly exposure modes, and with an MSRP of around $399, we feel it offers a good value. The camera itself is a pleasure to use; it’s fast, is feature-packed, easy to use, has very reliable exposure, and an excellent movie mode.”

Think Camera - 5/22/2007 - reviews the Casio Exilim EX-V7 and writes, “Sadly the focusing lets it down a little! I just couldn’t get a consistent result as the window of ‘focusing opportunity’ is just too small and the auto-tracking wasn’t as good as I had hoped. Perhaps with persistence and a tad more patience the results could improve.”

PC Magazine - 5/19/2007 - reviews the Casio Exilim EX-V7 and writes, “Although the Casio Exilim EX-V7 has a lens that doesn’t thrill me and is more expensive than it should be, this slick little shooter has a boatload of cool features and swift performance. All in all, it’s a pretty compelling ultracompact.”

InfoSync - 5/15/2007 - has reviewed the Casio Exilim EX-V7 and writes, “The Casio Exilim EX-V7 is a nice compact, and certainly has the best optical zoom we’ve seen on such a small camera, but we’re wondering if the zoom makes the camera a worthwhile pick. Even with image stabilization, which caused a degradation in quality, holding a 7X zoom steady practically requires a tripod, and for the extra bulk, you’d be better off with a larger camera, and a higher-quality lens. Images were good, but not fantastic, and some color problems around bright edges added to the problematic noise issues. We also had some control issues, thanks to a dial that liked to spin on its own. Still, video quality was above average, and the battery life was also good. In the end, the deal-breaker for us would be the required docking station, just another thing to forget on the road.”

DPReview - 5/7/2007 - has reviewed the 7.2 megapixel Casio Exilim EX-V7 and writes, “Casio has come a long way since kick-starting the compact digital camera market a decade ago, and has shown, with models such as the EX-Z750, that it has what it takes to compete with the more established names in the photographic market. The EX-V7, however, shows that it’s still a company that sometimes forgets that a cool gadget isn’t anywhere near as cool if it isn’t really up to the job it was designed for.”

DigitalReviews - 4/28/2007 - has reviewed the 7.2 megapixel Casio Exilim EX-V7 and writes, “The Casio EX-V7 is a powerful digicam, structured around a unique zoom system. It’s clearly designed for people who love to have the latest in the point-and-shoot market. It’s a pity that the picture quality doesn’t quite match up with the expectations one should have from this top of the range Casio model. Having said that, most people in this market will be quite happy with the overall quality and feature-set of this camera. You know you’ll have a sturdy camera and access to a high powered zoom. And it is a great looking camera.”

PopPhoto - 4/9/2007 - has has reviewed the 7.2 megapixel Casio Exilim EX-V7 and writes, “Casio has chosen to up the mega-pixel count and consider the image degradation issues as an afterthought. Unfortunately, the EX-V7 is quite noisy. Even at low ISO speeds, I can enlarge the full resolution image to 200 percent and see what I can only describe as “Noise blobs” throughout the image. It’s pitiful, really. And at $400 a copy, this becomes a camera that’s on the expensive side of the pocket-sized market and because of that high price tag, better image quality should be a given. With all things outside of image quality considered, I’d give the Casio an easy “A.”.”

CNET - 3/26/2007 - has has reviewed the 7.2 megapixel Casio Exilim EX-V7 and writes, “We give Casio credit for trying to push the limits of the compact camera market, but ultimately found this model’s interface made it annoyingly awkward to use. Add its mediocre image quality to that and we find it hard to recommend this camera.”

Ken Rockwell - 3/24/2007 - has has reviewed the 7.2 megapixel Casio Exilim EX-V7 and writes, “This EX-V7 has great color if you crank it up. I wish I had had more time with clear weather to play with it and make some decent example images. The good news is that it’s only $399. It’s a bargain; I wouldn’t bother going any cheaper in Casio’s line. It has the biggest zoom range of any camera I want to put in my pocket and carry everywhere. The movies with stereo sound are a great bonus.”

Pocket-lint - 3/22/2007 - has a first look review of the 7.2 megapixel Casio Exilim EX-V7 and here’s the verdict, “On a first look, the Casio EX-V7 looks to offer a good feature set in a compact case. The sliding lens does add to the bulk of the model and the zoom toggle a tiny bit of discomfort when using it, however the picture quality is good, and the H.264 recording option for video a welcomed inclusion.”

DigitalCameraInfo - 1/11/2007 - has taken a first impressions tour of the 7.2 megapixel Casio Exilim EX-V7 and thinks it delivers lots of blurry photos. They continue to write - “Crowned with the title of “the world’s thinnest” digital camera with a 7x optical zoom lens, the Casio Exilim Hi-Zoom EX-V7 sounds a little too cool for what it actually is. The lens stays within the camera body at all times, which makes it sturdy and portable. But the zoom lens doesn’t provide nice, sharp pictures. The soft lens is helped by the optical image stabilization system but hindered by the ineffective auto focus system. The V7 does have manual exposure modes and controls, which is more than what can be said of most of its competitors, but the selection isn’t that great. The shutter speed and aperture ranges are quite disappointing. Because this is only a first impression of the camera, this isn’t the final word. But it looks like Casio has created another gimmicky digital camera that doesn’t perform as well as its advertisements claim - unless its image quality can ultimately prove otherwise.”

Sample Test Photos

[Sample Test Photos at Megapixel]
[Sample Test Photos at LetsGoDigital]
[Sample Photos at Devhardware]
[Sample Photos at Photography Blog]
[Sample Photos at Cameras.co.uk]
[Sample Photos at Photography Blog]
[Sample Photos at Steve's Digicam]
[Sample Photos at DPkReview]
[Sample Photos at Lets Go Digital]
[Sample Photos at flickr]

Videos - (updated 10 July ‘07)

[Video Guide at Cameras.co.uk]

Specifications

[Official Casio Specifications]

Owners Manual

[Owners Manual]

Press Release

Best-in-class 7 shot/second continuous shutter Subject blur reduction and auto-tracking AF utilizing motion analysis technology London, January 30, 2007 Casio Electronics Co. Ltd. and its parent company Casio Computer Co. Ltd., announced the release of the EXILIM Zoom EX-Z1050, the latest addition to its stylish series of EXILIM® digital cameras. Featuring a newly developed, high-performance, image-processing module, Casio’s new EX-Z1050 makes it even easier to enjoy shooting super-high resolution, 10.1 megapixel images.

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See also: Casio, Casio Review Roundups