Casio EX-V7

Reviewed September 2007

Ergonomics

A 7.2 megapixel resolution combined with a 7X fully internal optical zoom and anti-shake system are the most noticeable features of the Casio Exilim EX-V7. Very compact and completely metal-clad, the EX-V7 is turned on by sliding back the lens cover.

The front of the Exilim EX-V7 supports the flash, positioned directly above the lens, while below the lens lies the AF assistant lamp, which doubles as the Self-timer lamp, and to its left are the two openings for the stereo microphones.

The top of the camera has only one button, the 2-stage shutter release. Pressed halfway, the shutter release starts the auto focus and the auto exposure, and locks the settings when maintained at the halfway point.

All the other external controls of the Casio EX-V7 are arranged on the right side of the monitor. The monitor, which doubles as the camera's viewfinder, measures 2.5 inches (6.35 cm) diagonally and is composed of 230,400 pixels (960 x 240 pixels), which gives it a crisp and sharp image.

Closest to the edge of the monitor is the zoom control, a spring-loaded slider control that always returns to the centre position.

With the camera set to the Playback mode, the zoom control serves to zoom into an image under review or zoom out. Pressed towards the wide angle end , the zoom control can display captured images in an index view () presenting 9 thumbnails first, and when pressed again, a calendar view that shows a month and a tiny thumbnail of the first photo captured on the day it was captured.

And, when pressed to the telephoto end, the the control serves to zoom into an image () up to 8X.

The other control that dominates the upper right side of the EX-V7's back is the Mode Dial.

The Mode Dial has 8 positions, each corresponding to a capture mode:

Snapshot, is the equivalent of the Program mode on other cameras. The camera sets the aperture and selects the shutter speed, but most other controls can be adjusted at will by the user.

	Best Shot modes includes a sample image and a short description of the mode's use and settings: Portrait Scenery Portrait with Scenery Children Sports Candlelight Portrait Party Pet Flower Natural Green Autumn Leaves Soft Flowing Water Splashing Water Sundown Night Scene Night Scene Portrait Fireworks Food Text Collection For eBay Backlight High Sensitivity Monochrome Retro (sepia) Twilight Layout (1) Layout (2) Auto Framing ID photo Old Photo Business Card and Docs White Board, etc. Register User Scene (allows using the same settings as those used for a previously captured photo)
	Aperture Priority AE allows the user to select the aperture, and thereby have some control over the depth of field, while the camera matches the selection to a shutter speed. Apertures of f3.4, f4.6 and f9.2 are available when the zoom is set to the wide angle setting, while at the telephoto end this becomes f5.3, f6.5 and f13. Worth noting, the f9.2/f13 apertures are achieved through the use of a built-in neutral density (ND) filter.
	Shutter Speed Priority AE allows the user to select the shutter speed, and thereby have control over how the camera captures movement, while the camera matches the selection to an aperture, with speeds ranging from 60 seconds to 1/800 second.
	Manual Exposure provides complete control over the exposure, offering the same aperture and shutter speed range as are available with the A and S modes.
	Easy Mode is the simplest shooting mode of the EX-V7, as the camera handles most photographic settings, and is the equivalent of the Auto mode on most cameras.
	Movie offers a choice of seven recording modes, as follows: Image Quality (Pixels) Frame Rate Audio UHQ 640 x 480 30 fps Stereo UHQ Wide 848 x 480 30 fps Stereo HQ 640 x 480 30 fps Stereo HQ Wide 848 x 480 30 fps Stereo Normal 640 x 480 30 fps Stereo LP 320 x 240 15 fps Mono During movie recording, the optical zoom remains available and white balance, exposure, and focus are adjusted as required.
	Movie Best Shot is the movie version of the Best Shot mode. 12 modes are available: Portrait Scenery Night Scene Fireworks Backlight High Sensitivity Silent Short Movie Past Movie Voice Recording (serves to use the camera as a digital voice recorder) Register User Scene (allows using the same settings as those used for a previously captured movie)

A group of 8 holes below the Mode Dial indicates the position of the camera's speaker. Beneath these, the Control button, a 4-direction control, serves to navigate the EX-V7's menus, and confirm selections using the SET button positioned at its centre. In addition, the SET button also serves to switch back and forth between the adjustment of the aperture and of the shutter speed when the camera is used in the Manual mode. Likewise, two of the four directions of the Control button support additional functions.

The up direction is labelledDISP and controls what information is superimposed on the monitor. Three displays are possible:

• One that superimposes basic settings: flash setting, shooting mode, number of shots remaining, image size and quality, ISO setting, date and time, in addition to the battery state and the AF point(s).
• A second that adds a real time histogram that shows both overall image brightness, and the brightness level of each colour component (RBG).
• And a third that clears the screen of all information with the exception of the AF point.

Moreover, whichever display mode is selected, when the shutter release is pressed halfway, the camera displays the selected aperture and shutter speed.

The down direction offers two functions:

With the camera set to one of the still image capture modes, it serves to select the Flash Mode: Auto Flash, Forced Off, Forced On, Soft Flash, or Red-eye Reduction. And when the camera is set to capture movies, it controls the Recording Light — effectively a small movie light to add light to the subject being recorded — using the AF assist light. Worth noting, unless turned off by pressing the same button again, the light stays on when the recording is stopped and could drain the battery. Moreover, this function can also be used with still image capture modes if enabled in the menu.

With the EX-V7 set to the Playback mode, the down direction serves to Delete images, either the one currently under review or all images.

Two other buttons complete the external controls of the EX-V7:

• the Playback button () can be used to switch to the playback mode when the camera is on, or start the camera directly in the playback mode when it is off, and turn if off as well.
• the Menu button displays the camera's menu that corresponds to the current shooting mode, or the playback mode. (See the Characteristics and Interface and Software sections of the review for details about the menus.)

Ergonomically, this is a camera with no serious flaw. Superbly compact, and easily slipped into a pocket because of its smooth, protuberance-free design, the Casio Exilim EX-V7 is one of the nicest cameras to carry around. Moreover, it offers a powerful optical zoom with a stabilizer(see the Characteristics section of the review), a high resolution, simple but effective controls, and a sharp monitor.