Casio Exilim EX-Z85 9MP Digital Camera Review
Today we’re taking a look at the Casio Exilim 9MP Digital Camera, model EX-Z85. Casio has been known for making all sorts of inexpensive, aka cheap, electronics items over the years. While they’re often great for limited budgets they can also have serious deficiencies that make them less than enjoyable to own. So, what’s the verdict on the Casio EX-Z85? Let’s find out.
Review Continued Below…
The main selling point of the Casio Exilim EX-Z85 are its colors. It’s available in brown, orange, silver, blue and pink. it has a large LCD screen on the back which is nice although I’ve seen cameras in roughly the same price range that had better ones. It has all of the ‘usual suspect’ features you find on digital cameras in this price range such as 3x optical zoom and multiple focus, flash and video modes. With 41.2MB built in memory you’ll want to pick up a 4GB or better SD card to be able to take advantage of all the features, especially video.
Speaking of video, the Casio Exilim 9MP Digital Camera was built for the YouTube and iPod generation. It has an enhanced video mode that provides 30 frames a second at 640×480, perfect for YouTube videos although you probably won’t be recording your own version of Cloverfield with it. It also features drag and drop videos to iTunes so that you can upload a favorite video quickly and easily to your iPod or iPhone. These features alone on top of adequate standard photography features make it a good choice for those who video is a must.
Operationally, the Casio Exilim EX-Z85 is rather easy to use. Unlike some inexpensive cameras I’ve tried out this one had controls and menu structure that were easy to follow right out of the box. It also has some features that help you take better pictures like auto shutter to prevent blurry photos and pre-recording video to help avoid missed shots. However, if you want to bypass this and get creative the camera will allow you to do that too. I also liked the burst mode so that I can take a series of still pictures rapidly. While, being old fashioned, I miss the viewfinder, the LCD is easy to read unlike the postage stamp sized LCD on some earlier digital cameras.
So, what’s missing from the Casio EX-Z85? Not a lot actually. The case is plastic so you do have to be mindful of avoiding physical damage but that’s almost a given with cameras in this price range. Some of the features aren’t as adjustable or as rich as you might find on more expensive digital cameras. However, they’re a good fit for the price range. About the only feature that would be nice to have would be better image stabilization but that’s a minor quibble.
All in all the Casio Exilim EX-Z85 9MP digital camera is a solid, inexpensive, unit. I would recommend it for someone who wanted a good, all-round, cheap digital camera that has good video capabilities for use with YouTube and Apple products. This camera would be a good inexpensive choice for the student and others who want passable, uploadable, video and decent photos. Those with more refined photography tastes probably won’t like it so much though.
Wow..I must bid on it..
I’m quite impressed with Exilim photo result. I bought the previous version. I don’t remember well the product code, but mine is 7.2 MP. I’m thinking to upgrade it to the latest one.
Hmmm why only casio?
I keep thinking I should get a second camera and that I should get into doing a bit of video stuff on blogs - do you think the video from something like Casio Exilim 9MP Digital Camera, model EX-Z85 is up to the job? Would it be ok for vlog content? I’d feel less silly carrying around a compact digital camera like this rather than a honking big tape video camera we own!
It works great for YouTube videos. It’s better than your average camera video, maybe a touch better than comparably priced video only cameras, but it’s not nearly as good as higher end digital video cameras.
One of the frustrating things about the internet is seeing how much cheaper electronic cameras like Casio Exilim 9MP Digital Camera cost over here! And now the A$ has dropped against the US$ its not so profitable to import items such as Casio Exilim 9MP Digital Cameras
I do know someone with this camera here at school. I’ve played around with it before and it’s pretty good.
Well it sounds like great quality. Will have a look at my local store.
Casios are great and often overlooked. I worked at best buy and was upset we didn’t sell these. I highly recommend this camera to anyone interested!
I really like the Casio cameras. The model I have is a bit older (9MP is insane to me!) but I highly recommend it to everyone!
Now this is a proper camera… The Polaroid can’t even compare to it and it’s in the same price range.
Andy
It’s funny that for a company known for making cheaper electronics, Casio really does make a great camera. The video function sounds great on this one. It’s definitely a great buy at its price range.
Did you ever try out the video on this camera under lower light? If you did, how did the video turn out?
Oh wow, that’s such a nice camera. I invest $400 into a camera and I already feel like I’m behind the times.