Casio Exilim EX-V7 : Super-slim digicam with long zoom reach

CASIO MANAGES TO PACK a 7x optical zoom lens into the 0.8-inch-thick, 7.2-megapixel Exilim EX-V7, but this svelte
cam trades away some features for its size. Still, if good zoom reach and compactness are important, the EX-V7 does the job.

Like most compact cameras, the EX-V7 has few buttons, with most functions buried in the camera’s well-designed
menus. This eases the learning curve, but it also means even simple adjustments require multiple presses of the four-way rocker control.
Novices can choose among more than 30 scene modes.Experienced photographers will appreciate the apertureand shutter-priority settings, as well as full manual controls, both often unavailable in compact cameras. You can shoot your first shot in 1.5 seconds. Shot-to-shot time with good lighting is a reasonable
1.6 seconds, or 1.8 with flash. The zoom control is precise, but its awkward placement next to the 2.5-inch LCD makes it somewhat uncomfortable to use.

The EX-V7’s mechanical image stabilization helps minimize blurriness at higher zoom levels. In our tests, color accuracy and intensity were generally spot-on, and images shot at ISO 200 and below were noisefree. At ISO 400, images started to get grainy, and the ISO 800 setting should be avoided altogether. Automatic white balance worked well, though indoor shots had a cool, blue tinge until we switched to manual settings. The flash is fairly weak, and the red-eye reduction was almost completely ineffective with a blue-eyed test subject. Also, the camera’s autofocus sometimes put the background squarely in focus while blurring close subjects.

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