In summary
Casio’s EX-Z55 sports a lightweight aluminium body with a large 2.5-inch colour LCD and small optical viewfinder. It comes with 9.3MB of internal memory (enough for four high-resolution images) and an SD/MMC card slot. The retracting smc Pentax 3x zoom lens is reasonably fast and the camera is supplied with a docking cradle for downloading pictures and recharging the battery. . . [more]
Full review
Casio’s EX-Z55 sports a lightweight aluminium body with a large 2.5-inch colour LCD and small optical viewfinder. It comes with 9.3MB of internal memory (enough for four high-resolution images) and an SD/MMC card slot. The retracting smc Pentax 3x zoom lens is reasonably fast and the camera is supplied with a docking cradle for downloading pictures and recharging the battery. An excellent menu system puts all key controls within easy reach and 23 pre-programmed ‘Best Shot’ modes optimise the camera’s settings for specific types of pictures. Users can also create their own Best Shot scenes using the Register Favourites function.
On test, the EX-Z55 produced sharp pictures with slightly elevated contrast and saturation. Exposures were positioned to slightly favour shadows over highlights. JPEG compression is fairly savage and VGA/Economy shots showed visible compression artefacts with modest enlargement. The slowest shutter speed is four seconds but low light shots were clean and noise-free, even at ISO 400. The flash required ISO 400 to illuminate an average room and the auto white balance performed poorly with incandescent lighting. Slight barrel distortion was found at the wide lens setting. Battery life was better than average.
Strengths
- Functionality not compromised by small size
- Excellent menu system
- Fast to start
- Minimal shutter lag
Weaknesses
- No continuous shooting mode
- Compression artefacts in lower quality settings
- No memory card supplied [BG05]
Specifications
Image sensor: 5.34 x 4.10mm CCD with 5,250,000 photosites (5.0 megapixels effective)
Lens: 5.8-17.4mm f2.6-4.8 smc Pentax lens (35-105mm in 35mm format)
Zoom ratio: 3x optical, 4x digital
Dimensions (wxhxd): Z55 – 87 x 58 x 22.5mm; Z50 – 87 x 57 x 22.4mm
Weight: Z55 -130g; Z50 -121g (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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