Casio EX-Z850 Review

The Z850'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-F5.1. 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. The Z850 features an AF-assist illuminator to aid in accurate focusing in low light conditions.

The built-in flash has modes for auto, fill, high power, soft flash, red-eye reduction and off. The working range is approx. 0.33 to 14.11 ft (W); 1.64 to 7.87 ft (T) with ISO set to Auto.

The eyelevel optical viewfinder shows approx. 85% of the captured frame. The two LEDs indicate flash and focus status.

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. This LCD is approx. three times as bright as that used on the EX-Z500 model.

Controls on the back: On the top are the Playback and Record mode buttons. The Mode Dial with positions for Auto, BestShot, Aperture-priority, Shutter speed-priority, Manual, Voice, BestShot Movie and Movie. 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 DISPlay button turns the LCD on/off and controls how much info is displayed. To the left of the LCD is the Drive mode button and the EX button which gives you quick access to the shortcut menu to change image size, white balance, ISO speed and focus area.

Located on top is the power on/off button and the combination shutter release and zoom lens control.

The Z850 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 Lexar 2GB SD card. This is an 8-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 1230mAh lithium battery pack has a battery 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 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.