Casio EX-Z70 Review

The Z70'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 6 elements in 5 groups with a maximum aperture of F3.1-F5.9. 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), Free AF, Macro AF, Pan Focus (movie mode only, eliminates the AF motor noises), Infinity and Manual Focus. Unfortunately, the Z70 does not feature an AF-assist illuminator to aid in low light conditions.

The auto focus working range is 40cm/1.3 ft to infinity, macro: 9-50cm/3.9-19.7 in. (varies with zoom). It features an "Auto Macro" function, which automatically switches between Normal and Macro focus modes. Manual focus is adjustable from 9cm/3.9 in. to infinity.

The built-in flash has modes for auto, fill, red-eye reduction and off. The working range is approx. 0.3 ft. to 12.1 ft. (0.1 - 3.7m) Wide; 2.0 ft. to 3.2 ft. (0.6 - 1.9m) Telephoto, with ISO set to Auto.

On the back is a large and bright 2.5-inch color LCD. This is used for playback review, menu operations and is the live viewfinder with approx. 100% coverage.

Controls on the back: On the top are the zoom controls which function as the index and magnify buttons in playback. Below that are the dedicated buttons for Record and Playback modes. 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 menu (Focus, EV Shift, White Balance, ISO, Self-timer, Off.) In Record mode you push "Up" to change the display modes on the LCD. You push "Down" to change the flash mode or to delete an image when in Playback. The BS button calls up the BestShot scene mode menu.

Located on top is the power on/off button and the shutter release.

The I/O connector on the bottom allows connection of the USB cable for downloading to the computer or direct printing to PictBridge compatible printers. Connect the A/V cable if you want to display photos and movies on a TV. You can also see the tripod socket and built-in speaker.

The EX-Z70 has ~8.3 megabytes of internal memory for saving images and movie clips. It supports the use of SD or MMC cards up to 2GB or SDHC cards up to 4GB 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 ATP Pro Max 2GB SD card. This is a 7-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 NP-20 lithium battery pack is replenished in the external charger. Charging requires about two hours. This 3.7 volt battery is rated at 700mA with the following battery life: