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Features & Controls
The 4x
optical zoom lens found on the EX-Z550 has a 35mm equivalent range of 26 - 104mm, and is made up of 7 lenses in 6 groups, including an
aspherical lens. When the camera is powered down, the lens retracts into
the camera for protection.
Normal: Approx. 15cm - Infinity wide (5.9" - Infinity)
Macro: Approx. 5cm - 55cm (1.9' - 1.8')
Above you can see the EX-Z550's tiny built-in flash unit. While not very powerful, it will come in handy for close up shooting in low lighting. The flash
has modes for Auto, Flash On, Flash Off, Soft Flash,and Red-Eye Reduction.
Flash
Range using ISO Auto:
Wide: 0.5' - 19'Tele: 1.9' - 8.2'
On the back you will find the only viewfinder on the camera, which is a 2.7-inch TFT color LCD. This screen is used for framing your images or movies as well as reviewing files and navigating the menu system. It offers typical resolution with approx. 230,400 dots. This screen is bright enough that it can be seen in most lighting
conditions, although in direct sunlight it can be tough due to the reflective surface. Unlike many consumer models, the EX-Z550 does not offer any brightness adjustments.
Controls on the back: In the upper
right is the Movie mode shutter release, which allows you to start recording video no matter which exposure setting you are using. Next is the Play and Record
mode buttons to switch between the two modes. The 4-way controller lets you easily navigate menu screens
or select images for playback, the center "Set" button accepts menu
selections. You can program the "Left" and "Right" actions in the Record
menu. In Record mode you push "Up" to control the amount of info
displayed on the LCD and "Down" to change the flash mode or to delete an
image when in Playback. The MENU button calls up and dismisses the menu
system. The BS button calls up the BestShot scene mode
menu.
menu.
Here you can see the camera's USB/AV port, which is the only i/o (input/output) port on the camera. It handles both USB 2.0 (high-speed) transfer of images and videos to your PC/Mac as well as standard definition audio/video output to your TV via the included A/V cables.
The
EX-Z550 offers ~24.5MB of internal memory, however that won't get you to far. It also accepts SD and SDHC memory cards, like the speedy SanDisk Extreme (30MB/s) 4GB SDHC
memory card.Approx. Storage Capacities:
Still Photos
Power comes from a tiny NP-80 3.7V, 700mAh rechargeable Li-Ion battery. Casio claims
that this battery is capable of powering the EX-Z550 for up to 250 photos or 1 hour and 50 minutes of continuous movie recording. The included AC charger uses a power cord instead of fold-away prongs, making it not quite as easy to bring along with you. It can charge a depleted pack in about 210 minutes.
Visitors of Steves can visit the stores below for real-time pricing and availability. You can also find hot, soon to expire online offers on a variety of cameras and accessories at our very own Camera Deals page.
