With the introduction of the Exilim EX-S20, Casio have done what many thought to be impossible; they've produced a camera smaller and lighter than its predecessor, the Casio EX-S2. Not only that, they claim to have improved power efficiency by nearly a factor of two - to two hours or approximately 720 shots from the same NP-20 battery. Like EX-S2 it replaces in Casio's product line, the EX-S20 is a marvel of miniaturization, packing a 2-megapixel imager, fixed focus lens, 1.6-inch color LCD, optical viewfinder, flash and rechargeable battery into durable stainless steel body whose height and width are smaller than a credit card!

The 2-megapixel EX-S20 is easy to use. Its fully-automatic mode will enable beginners to capture good shots within seconds of powering it on, and it offers a choice of "BestShot" modes that optimize the EX-S20's settings for any of fifteen predefined shooting conditions. Its controls and menu system are arranged logically. While it's only a point-n-shoot, it offers settings for EV shift (+/-2EV), white balance, and ISO.

The shooting performance of the EX-S20 is extraordinary. Because the lens is fixed-focus, there is no autofocus delay when releasing the shutter; we measured shutter lag at under 1/10 second, including viewfinder delay, photographer response time, and image capture. This is the most responsive of the cameras we've recently tested. We measured the delay from power-on till the first shot captured at 1.5 seconds, again the fastest of any recently-tested cameras. Finally, we measured shot-to-shot time at 1.1 seconds with Review mode off; the EX-S20 has no continuous mode feature, but the shot-to-shot performance effectively eliminates a need for it.

We were pleased with the EX-S20 outdoors. The fixed-focus 37mm (in 35mm equivalence) lens produced reasonably sharp results throughout its wide 31-inch-to-infinity depth of field, and the images were both well-exposed and richly-saturated. The EX-S20 has a 4X digital zoom, but not an optical zoom. The use of digital zoom degrades image quality, so we suggest that you compose your shots by zooming with your feet, or cropping in an image editor. The 1.6-inch LCD viewfinder was a pleasure to use outdoors; it was bright enough to use even in direct sunlight for both composing and reviewing your shots. The EX-S20 is also equipped with an optical viewfinder, allowing you to save battery power by turning the LCD off while shooting. In Review mode, digital zoom can be used to examine detail in your captured images on the LCD.

We weren't as happy with the indoor results. Because of the very limited flash range (under 5 feet) your indoor shots will be limited to head and shoulder portraits of individuals and very small groups. The camera will take acceptable head-shots, but you'll have to be close to your subject and use macro mode if within 1 to 3 feet. The backgrounds of your flash shots will suffer both from the limited range, and a dropoff in illumination at the corners. The EX-S20 does have a macro mode and is effective at squelching its flash at close range; it would produce acceptable images of medium-sized objects for auction listings, but small objects won't fill the frame because of the absence of an optical zoom.

The tiny EX-S20 even includes a movie mode, but without sound. Our movies were flawed, however, by what appeared to be a prism-like color separation horizontally across the frame. The N. American EX-S20U camera model does not include the movie mode.

Because of its diminutive size, using the controls can become awkward, especially if you have large hands. The shutter release button is quite sensitive, causing you to sometimes capture unintentional images of your fingers or feet. Be especially careful holding the camera with your left hand; the lens is located on the upper left side of the camera body and you'll sometimes find one of your fingers in the image. Battery life was good, allowing us to capture over 200 images with the LCD on, and included a great deal of time using the LCD to explore and test the EX-S20's menu system. We found that the battery door opened very easily, and sometimes accidentally, allowing the battery to slide out of the camera body.

At an MSRP of under $280 at the time of this review (October, 2003), the Casio Exilim EX-S20 is a good value considering its stylishness, small size, durability and performance. It's also smaller and $20 less expensive than its popular predecessor, the Casio EX-S2. If you've been looking for an ultra-small digicam that can double as a fashion accessory that can turn heads as well as photograph them, take a good look at the Casio Exilim EX-S20; it's a winner.