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November 28, 2006
Ventura sunset (November 27, 5:50 p.m.)
1/200 at f8.3, underexposed -1.33 stops, automatic exposure, center-weighted averaging.
I took this photo last night with the pocket-sized Casio Exilim EX-S600, one of two digital cameras that have relegated my Nikon 35mm equipment to the back of the closet.
The quality of the images, coupled with the versatility of this pint-sized audio-visual powerhouse, make it my default camera.
This image was tightly cropped to eliminate the background, and I've reduced the quality to make the jpeg smaller for faster browser load times. It was taken on the camera's "Economy" setting; it'll hold more than 750 images at this resolution.
The key to getting great pictures is actually having a camera close at hand. Because it fits in a pocket with room to spare, I've been able to avoid the dreaded, "Man, I wish I'd brought my camera" Blues.
If anything, it's too small; trust me, use the included wrist strap. When I first got it, the aluminum case made at least a dozen attempts to leap free from my fumble-fingered grasp and head for the pavement.
After so many uncoordinated saves, I gave up and started using the strap whenever the Casio left the safety of my pocket.
The video capabilities are incredible, too: 640x480 at 30 frames per second, with the internal microphone doing a great job. With a 1 Gigabyte memory card, it can record 60 minutes of video, making a bulky camcorder laughably unnecessary.
For a detailed review, check out Ken Rockwell's take; it'll make a great gift for your favorite shutterbug.
Posted by Mike Lief at November 28, 2006 07:37 AM
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Comments
Casio, really? Wow. Not what I would have thought at all. We have a bulky Canon that's slow to refocus and then doesn't focus much at all if you turn off the flash--which I like to do because with it on auto it overexposes a lot. Sigh. I'm not much shakes as a photographer, but I have been looking for something that would do the job a little better for the size--the Canon is unwieldy enough that I don't like to carry it much.
Posted by: Anwyn at November 28, 2006 08:44 AM
Thanks so much for the tip. I just bought one through Ken's site at Ritz as a holiday gift for my daughter. Of course she asked for a nikon "S" having seen the very fashionable TV ads for their camera, but this is both a better camera and better deal. I'd have bought it at Costco but they didnt have one ....
Now we can take images and video of the Toe family.
Posted by: Kamal at November 29, 2006 08:15 PM
That's two sales Casio can count from you in addition to your own camera, Mike--SO went out and got one while I was out of town based on this entry that I sent him and his own online research. :) Of course, he's taking it to India with him tomorrow so I don't get to try it out, but ... soon. :)
Posted by: Anwyn at December 2, 2006 09:24 PM
Anwyn --
As the Taliban say, "Mazel tov!" I'll be looking for examples of your new camera's photos on your blog.
Posted by: Mike Lief at December 2, 2006 11:52 PM