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When it comes to slim and sleek in digital cameras, Casio is king. One of its latest offerings, the Casio Exilim EX-S880, illustrates why.
Not only does the new 8.1 megapixel bytecam sport the Twiggy proportions that Casio is known for -- it measures 3.72 by 2.38 by .68 inches and weighs a feathery 4.51 ounces -- but it's bristling with state-of-the-art features, not the least of which is a slick connection to YouTube, one of the Net's most popular places to share videos.
One-Button Video
The unit, which sells on the Internet for US$219.99 to $279.99, allows you to shoot video by pressing a single button -- no fussing with menus or dials.
What's more, the camera has a 2.8-inch "wide" display. That makes it easier to frame video for newer computer and TV screens.
More screen real estate also permits Casio to place a vertical row of icons along the right side of the display. That gives you quick access to common functions like image resolution, flash modes, self-timer, face detection, anti-shake, ISO settings, white balance and exposure compensation.
No Bright Hype
The LCD also uses something Casio calls "Super Bright" technology, which the company claims makes the display three times brighter than the average one.
Many camera makers make claims about their displays, but Casio delivers on its boasting. The S880's LCD is bright and sharp and scenes displayed in it look very natural.
Moreover, images on it don't wash out even with direct sunlight shining on the display. That's especially important with a camera like this that doesn't have a viewfinder.
YouTube Connection
The unit captures video in QuickTime format with H.264 MPEG-4 compression. That compression scheme lets you store more video in the camera -- as much as 1.5 times the playback time of standard MPEG-4 -- without degrading its quality.
High resolution video, including video in the 16:9 format, can be captured at 640-by-480 pixels and 30 frames per second. Better yet, there's also a very high quality mode with a resolution of 842-by-480 pixels suitable for showing on high-definition TVs.
This Exilim model has only 10.8 megabytes of internal memory, so videophiles probably will want to supplement that with a memory card of one gigabyte or more. A 1 GB card can hold almost 19 minutes of video captured with the S880.
Cards accepted by the camera include conventional SD and MMC form factors as well as newer high capacity formats such as SDHC and MMCplus.
The YouTube software bundled with the camera is easy to install and set up. Just give it your user name and password and it's ready to upload your video files to the service.
If you want to edit your video before you upload it, video editing software is bundled with the camera.
Excellent Stills
Video prowess aside, the S880 is an excellent point-and-shoot digital still camera (DSC).
While some image snatchers may find their styles cramped by the camera's 3x optical zoom lens (38-114 35mm equivalent), the quality of what the camera captures is very good.
Colors were natural and images sharp. The anti-shake technology, though, seems to work better with stills than with video.
Face Recognition
One of the hottest technologies in DSCs right now is face recognition. It allows a camera to recognize the presence of faces in a shot and automatically choose the best settings to optimize the rendering of those faces.
Although I found the face recognition feature superfluous in most situations, one circumstance where it was very useful was shooting inside with the unit's built-in flash.
Overall, I found photos taken indoors with the built-in flash were properly exposed -- not washed out as is the case with many built-in flashes -- and to some degree, face recognition seem to contribute to that performance boost.
'Take It Everywhere' Camera
In addition to shooting stills and video, the camera will record sound. You can add voice memos to photos or simply dictate messages to yourself.
The unit -- with the help of software packaged with the camera -- will also convert documents, Web pages and such into a file format that can be viewed on the DSC's display so you use the camera as a portable storage device.
A docking station included with the unit makes connecting it to a computer a cinch. However with so many computers containing card readers these days, docking stations are becoming more of an encumbrance than a catalyst to photo uploading.
The Exilim EX-S880 is a "take it everywhere" digital camera that doesn't
sacrifice performance for portability. With it, whether the moment calls
for a still shot or video, you'll be able to capture it and capture it
with quality.
John Mello is a freelance business and technology writer who can be reached at reviews@jpmello.com.
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