Sleek and diminutive, the
Casio Exilim EX-S100 is one of a handful of ultra slim
zoom cameras. Offering a 3.2 megapixel resolution and a 2.8X
optical zoom that folds neatly into a space less than
1.42 cm (0.56 inch), the EX-S100 is a camera that can literally
be carried anywhere.
The Casio EX-S100 is entirely
metal-clad, and even its external controls have a metallic
surface. On the front, the design provides for the flash,
and a microphone which is behind a tiny hole near the lower
left of the lens trim. And, when retracted, the lens is flush
to the front surface and its front element is covered by a
metal shutter.
The top of the EX-S100 supports the Power switch and the
elongated 2-stage
shutter release on a slightly raised pod.
The Casio Exilim EX-S100
has no optical viewfinder, but instead provides a large —
in comparison to the camera — 2-inch, 84,960 pixel LCD
monitor.
Two buttons, at the upper right of the monitor, control the
basic operation mode:
Recording mode
Playback mode
While the optical zoom is
controlled by two side-by-side buttons in the top right corner
of the back:
Wide angle,
and thumbnails display (9
per screen) in Playback.
Telephoto,
and magnification of the image
on screen (up to 4X) in Playback.
Another set of four controls
are grouped on the lower right of the LCD monitor, starting
with the MENU button which displays the menu for the
currently active mode, either Recording or Playback.
A large 4-direction control is next, with a confirmation
button [SET] at its centre. The control serves to navigate
the menus, and for image review during Playback. Moreover,
the up and down arrows have additional uses:
In the Recording mode,
the Up arrow cycles through the focus modes
before returning to the normal AF:
Macro: allows focusing on a subject that
is 17 to 50 cm (6.7 to 19.7 inches) from the lens.
Pan Focus: disables auto focus, allowing
the shutter to release instantly. Pan focus relies
on the hyperfocal of the lens and therefore the zone
of the image that is in focus depends on the focal
length in use (a greater zone will be in focus when
the lens is at the wide angle end than at the telephoto
end).
Infinity: sets the focus at infinity to ensure
a sharp image of distant subjects.
Manual Focus: makes it possible to manually
adjust focus using the left/right arrow buttons while
the camera magnifies the centre of the frame and displays
a distance scale.
In the Playback mode, the up arrow calls up
the calendar screen which shows a month at a
glance and displays a small image thumbnail to identify
the days on which photos were captured.
While the down arrow serves for:
Selecting the Flash modes:
Auto, Forced Off, Forced On, Red-eye Reduction when
the camera is in the Recording mode.
And deleting the image currently on the monitor,
or all images when the camera is in Playback.
The other arrows (left and right) of the 4-direction controller
have no preassigned functions in the recording mode. However,
they can be assigned a function using one of the options of
the Recording mode menu (see the menu section of the Characteristics
section of the review for more information).
Last, the DISP (Display) button controls the information
superimposed on the monitor. In the Recording mode the default
setting for the camera is that the image is shown with the
current camera settings superimposed on the periphery of the
screen. The display indicates the remaining shots, the shooting
mode, the image size and quality settings, the presence of
a memory card, ISO setting, date, time, battery state and
the AF brackets.
Pressing the DISP button once adds a real-time histogram
to the display. A second press of the button clears the display
of all superimposed information with the exception of the
AF brackets, and a third press of the button returns to the
default display.
In Playback the DISP button performs a similar function.
At first an image is displayed along with some basic information.
Pressing the button once adds a histogram for the image along
with the shooting parameters. Pressing it a second time removes
all superimposed information.
Externally, the Exilim ES-S100
is very well finished, very compact, and relatively uncomplicated.
With few external controls, most of the camera and photographic
settings have to be made using the menu, a process that is
generally simple as well.
In terms of ergonomics, the other drawback imposed by the
camera's size is that there is not enough space for an optical
viewfinder. Although the EX-S100 offers a 2-inch LCD monitor,
the absence of an alternative is noticeable when the camera
is used outdoors when even under an overcast sky, the monitor
can be difficult to see.
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Introduction
