In summary
The first camera with a transparent ceramic lens, Casio’s Exilim EX-S100 is one of the slimmest and most compact digicams we’ve seen. Weighing less than 120 grams with its slender lithium-ion battery loaded in its smart stainless steel body, the S100 is a beautifully constructed unit for anyone who wants an ultra-portable camera.Some of the control buttons are very small, but;the controls are well designed and include functions that make the camera easy to use, such as Direct On buttons for capture and playback, 23 Best Shot settings, Icon Help and Business Shot. . . [more]
Full review
The first camera with a transparent ceramic lens, Casio’s Exilim EX-S100 is one of the slimmest and most compact digicams we’ve seen. Weighing less than 120 grams with its slender lithium-ion battery loaded in its smart stainless steel body, the S100 is a beautifully constructed unit for anyone who wants an ultra-portable camera. Some of the control buttons are very small, but the controls are well designed and include functions that make the camera easy to use, such as Direct On buttons for capture and playback, 23 Best Shot settings, Icon Help and Business Shot. The S100 also offers the same RGB histogram, ‘rule of thirds’ grid display, album function and favorites folder as its larger ‘cousins’.The sensor resolution is only 3.2 megapixels, there’s no optical viewfinder, no burst mode and the optical zoom range is only 2.8x.
The test camera produced pictures that were sharp, with slightly elevated contrast and saturation and few visible artefacts. Close-up focus is limited to 17cm and the longest shutter speed is four seconds. The auto white balance performed poorly under incandescent lighting but delivered reasonable colour accuracy with fluorescent lights. Night shots were clean and relatively noise-free.
Strengths
- Small enough to fit in a shirt pocket
- Easy-to-use menu system
- RGB histogram display
- Quick start buttons for capture and playback
Weaknesses
- Weak flash
- Slowest shutter speed is four seconds
- Poor auto white balance in incandescent light [BG05]
Specifications
Image sensor: 4.54 x 3.41mm CCD with 3,340,000 photosites (3.2 megapixels effective)
Lens: 4.8-13.5mm, f4.0-6.6 (36-102 mm in 35mm format)
Zoom ratio: 2.8x optical, up to 4x digital
Dimensions (wxhxd): 88 x 57 x 16.7mm
Weight: 113g (without battery and card)
Retailers
CamBuy
www.cambuy.com.au
Digital cameras, lenses and accessories with 100% genuine Australian manufacturer’s warranties.
Ph: (02) 9029 2219
Camera House
www.camerahouse.com.au
Ph: 133 686
The largest speciality photographic retail chain in Australia.
Camera Pro
www.camerapro.net.au
CameraPro Pty Ltd
Suite 607, 180 Queen St, Brisbane 4000
Tel: 07 3333 2900
Australian owned and run company based in Brisbane.
Camerasdirect
www.camerasdirect.com.au
Retailer of digital camera equipment and more.
Secure online shopping and delivery across Australia.
Ph: 1300 727 056
Camerastore.com.au
Camerastore.com.au
Ph: 1800 155 067
Camera-Warehouse
www.camera-warehouse.com.au
Comprehensive range of digital cameras and accessories online (www.camera-warehouse.com.au) and an online print service (www.royalexpress.com.au).
Digital Camera Warehouse
www.digitalcamerawarehouse.com.au
174 Canterbury Road 367 High Street
Canterbury Northcote
NSW 2193 VIC 3070
Ph: 1300 365 220
Electronics Warehouse
www.electronicswarehouse.com.au
1300 801 885
Australian retailer of Vapex rechargeable batteries offering factory direct prices and fast, free shipping Australia wide.
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Photographic Equipment & Supplies – Retail & Repairs. Click here for list of stores.
Ted’s Cameras
1800 186 895
Big range of cameras and photographic products with stores in most states and online.
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