Casio EX-Z700 Review

The Z700'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 F2.7-F5.2. It also features 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 autofocus system has options for AF, Macro AF, Pan Focus (movie mode only, eliminates the AF motor noises), Infinity and Manual Focus. You can choose either Spot or Multi AF area modes. The Z700 features an AF-assist illuminator to aid in accurate focusing in low light conditions.

The autofocus working range is 1.3 ft. to infinity, macro: 5.9 - 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 5.9 in. to infinity.

The built-in flash has modes for auto, fill, soft flash, red-eye reduction and off. The working range is approx. 0.5 to 11.2 ft (W); 1.3 to 5.9 ft (T) with ISO set to Auto.

On the back is a large and bright 2.7-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 dedicated buttons for Record and Playback modes. The MENU button calls up and dismisses the menu system. The BS button calls up the BestShot scene mode menu. The 4-way controller lets you easily navigate menu screens or select images for playback, the SET button in the center 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 EX-Z700 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 Super-Life NP-40 1300mAh lithium battery pack has the following battery life:

The included docking cradle connects to your computer via the USB 2.0 (full speed) port for data transfer. It charges the battery 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.