Casio EX-V7 Review

The EX-V7 uses an aspherical lens that provides 7x (38-266mm (35mm equiv)) optical zoom capabilities in an amazingly thin camera configuration. This is an all-glass, multicoated lens constructed of 12 elements in 9 groups with a maximum aperture of F/3.4 and has a 4X digital zoom option. The lens remains fully inside of the camera and is protected by a built in lens cover.

The Auto Focus system has options for Spot AF (center only), Multi AF (auto selects one of nine AF areas), and Auto Tracking (press lightly on the shutter button and the EX-V7 will continue to focus on your subject until the photo is taken) , Infinity and Manual Focus. The EX-V7 features an AF-assist illuminator to aid in accurate focusing in low light conditions.

The Auto Fcus working range is 1.0' to infinity in normal mode. In Macro, focus is 3.9" to 15.7" (varies with zoom). It features an "Auto Macro" function, which automatically switches between Normal and Macro focus modes. Manual focus is adjustable from 3.9" to infinity .

The built-in flash has modes for auto, fill, red-eye reduction and off. The working range is approx. 0.1-2.2m/.3-7.2 ft (W); 1.0-1.4m/3.3 to 4.6 ft (T) with ISO set to Auto.

On the back is a large and bright 2.5-inch color LCD that is 3X brighter than previous models, greatly reduces image washouts when shooting outdoors, and has plenty of resolution at 230,000 pixels. This is used for playback review, menu operations, and is the live viewfinder with approx. 100% coverage. The display information on the live view can be changed by pushing the top of the multi-selector (labeled Disp.). The screen can be blank, show basic info, and show the full info with a live histogram. Grid lines can be added too, but only through the setup menu.

Controls on the back: The Zoom Controller for the optical and digital zoom. The Mode Dial for controlling the 8 record modes. The Play button for viewing recorded photos and movies. The 4-way controller for moving up, down, left, and right with the Set button in the center. The menu button to access the various built in menus. There is also a speaker built in on the camera's back above the 4-way controller.

Located on top is the shutter release.

The EX-V7 has ~11.6 megabytes of internal memory for saving images and movie clips. It supports use of any SD Memory Card, SDHC Memory Card, MMC (MultiMediaCard), or MMCplus (MultiMediaCardplus) (up to 2GB) via the expansion slot on the bottom. Image data can be copied to/from internal memory and a flash card via the Playback menu.

Shown here with a speedy Kingston Elite Pro 2GB SD card. This is a 7-megapixel camera that makes BIG images, movies will consume a lot of space too - see the next page for the storage requirements of the movie mode.

The camera is placed in the included docking cradle to connect to your computer via the high speed USB 2.0 port for data transfer. It also charges the battery when the camera is docked. Unlike most Exilim Zooms, the EX-V7's dock has an Audio-Video port to connect it to a TV set for display of images and movies. Or connect it to a DVD-recorder to record and share your movies with others.

The proprietary NP-50 lithium battery pack is charged when the camera is docked in the cradle. A fully discharged battery can be replenished in about two hours. This 3.7 volt battery is rated at 950mA and Casio claims the following battery life: