Casio EX-Z1000 Review

The Z1000's collapsible zoom lens provides 3x (38-114mm in 35mm equivalent) optical zoom capabilities in an amazingly thin configuration. This is an all-glass, multicoated lens constructed of 7 elements in 5 groups with a maximum aperture of F2.8-F5.4. It has a 4X digital zoom option. The lens retracts fully inside of the camera when powered down and is protected by a built in lens cover. On power up it takes less than a second to extend the lens.

The auto focus system has options for Spot AF (center only), Multi AF (auto selects one of nine AF areas), Macro AF, Pan Focus (movie mode only, eliminates the AF motor noises), Infinity and Manual Focus. The Z1000 features an AF-assist illuminator to aid in accurate focusing in low light conditions.

The built-in flash has modes for auto, fill, soft flash, red-eye reduction and off. The working range is approx. 0.33 to 12 ft (W); 1.3 to 6.2 ft (T) with ISO set to Auto.

Controls on top: Power on/off button and combination shutter release and zoom lens control. Along the back edge is the Display button (controls amount of data displayed or the display mode desired) and the dedicated Playback and Record mode buttons.

On the back is a 2.8-inch, wide-format LCD monitor with 230,400 pixels. This is a Wide and Bright display (brightness: 1200cd/m2 *5) that makes viewing in bright outdoor light easier than ever before. The right edge of the screen can show operational icons (as seen above) enabling quick review of settings. In playback it can display 12 thumbnail images on a single screen.

Controls on the back: On the top are the Display, Playback and Record mode buttons. The MENU button calls up and dismisses the menu system. The 4-way controller lets you easily navigate menu screens or select images for playback, the center button accepts menu selections. You can program the "Left" and "Right" actions in the Setup menu to change Rec mode, EV comp, ISO speed, Self-timer or White Balance. In Record mode you push "Up" to change focus modes, push "Down" to change the flash mode or to delete an image when in Playback. The BS button accesses the BestShot scene modes.

The Z1000 has ~8.3 megabytes of internal memory for saving images and movie clips. It supports use of any size Secure Digital card (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 Corsair 2GB SD card. This is an 10-megapixel camera that makes BIG images, movies will consume a lot of space too - see the tables below for the approximate storage capacity.

Movie Storage

The Super-Life NP-40 1300mAh lithium battery pack has a life of:

The included docking cradle connects to your computer via the USB 2.0 (full speed) port for data transfer. It charges the battery (max. charge time is approx. 3 hours) whenever the camera is placed in the dock. It also has an Audio-Video output 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.