The sharp and bright monitor
of the Exilim EX-V7 ensures that information superimposed
on the image is crisp and legible. This legibility is enhanced
by an automatic brightness adjustment, which increases the
brightness of the monitor's backlight to counteract the intensity
of the ambient light, and dims it when the ambient light is
soft. The system is quite effective, even when the screen
is in direct sunlight.
The menu system is also very legible. Designed to appear
superimposed on the image coming from the lens or an image
under review, the menu texts are overlaid atop a semi-transparent
grey block that makes them stand out clearly. Moreover, setting
multiple options can be accomplished by using the arrows,
selecting an option by pressing the right arrow and returning
to the menu with the left arrow to make other selections.
While exiting the menu, after changing one or more settings,
is accomplished with the SET button at the centre of the 4-direction
control.
Whether the camera is set to a capture mode, or to the playback
mode, the menus provide an access to the Setup
options that allow the most basic configuration of the camera:
Screen controls the brightness of the
monitor:
Auto 2, Auto 1: automatically adjust the brightness
of the monitor according to ambient lighting.
+2, +1, 0: increases the brightness of the monitor
1 or 2 steps, or not.
Sounds controls the sounds made by the camera:
Startup: 5 sounds or Off.
Half Shutter: 5 sounds or Off.
Shutter: 5 sounds or Off.
Operation: 5 sounds or Off.
Operation Volume: allows controlling the sound
volume from 0 to +7.
Playback Volume: allows controlling
the sound volume from 0 to +7.
Startup: controls whether or not the camera displays
the Exilim logo animation, or a photo captured by the camera,
or nothing when it is powered on.
File No. decides how image files are numbered:
either Continuous, which numbers the files sequentially;
or Reset, which restarts numbering photos at 1 whenever
the camera's memory is formatted, or a freshly formatted
or blank memory card is used.
World Time provides for a home time by selecting
a home city, and a world or travel destination time. The
time in either place can then be selected for display.
Timestamp: decides whether or not the date, or
date and time at which a photo is captured will be permanently
superimposed on the image.
Adjust: serves to adjust the time and date on the
EX-V7.
Date Style selects the way the date will be presented:
YY/MM/DD; or DD/MM/YY; or MM/DD/YY.
Language selects the interface language: Japanese,
English, Spanish, French, German, Italian, Portuguese, Traditional
Chinese, Simplified Chinese, Japanese, or Korean. (Note
that the region of the world where the camera is purchased
impacts the languages available).
Sleep: decides the time delay after which the EX-V7
goes into sleep mode if unused (30 seconds, 1 or 2 minutes
or Off).
Auto Power Off: determines when the camera powers
down automatically after a period of inactivity (1, 2 or
5 minutes).
Power On and can be used to turn on/off the camera.
Three options are available:
Power On: the buttons can be used to turn on
the camera, but not to turn it off.
Hold On: the buttons can be used to turn on
or off the camera.
Disable: requires the power switch mounted
next to the shutter release to be used to turn on or
off the camera.
USB controls the USB protocol:
Mass Storage (USB Direct-Print) lets
the camera be recognized as a hard disk by a personal
computer, or allows it to be used to print directly
to an Epson Direct-Print compliant printer.
PTP (Picture Transfer Protocol) is intended
for use with a PictBridge compatible printer.
Video Out provides settings to connect the EX-V7
to a television: NTSC 4:3, NTSC 16:9, PAL 4:3, PAL 16:9.
Format serves to format an SD/MMC memory card,
or the camera's built-in memory.
Reset: returns the EX-V7 to its factory defaults
(Reset, or Cancel).
Casio includes a short but printed Basic Reference
booklet in a number of languages with the camera, and provides
a lengthy (257 pages) PDF format (Adobe Acrobat) User's
Guide manual with the EX-V7.
The PDF manual, even though it covers all camera functions,
suffers from very poor organization. For example, many of
the descriptions of the camera functions do not use the same
names as are found in the camera's menus, which makes the
process of finding information about specific functions difficult.
And, similarly, although a listing of all menu functions provided
near the end of the manual is not correlated to page numbers
in the manual, drastically limiting its usefulness. When found,
however, explanations of the camera's functions are usually
clear and easily understood.
Software
One CD is included with the Casio EX-V7 in North America.
The disc contains programs for computers using Microsoft Windows
only:
Photo Loader with Hot Album version 3.1 (for Windows
2000, XP, Vista)
Photo Transport version 1.0 (for Windows 98, Me,
2000, XP, Vista)
USB Driver B (for Windows 98)
Adobe Reader 6.0 (for Windows 98SE, Me, 2000, XP)
Quicktime 7 (for Windows 2000, XP)
Microsoft DirectX 9.0c (for Windows 98, Me, 2000,
XP)
Camera Manual (Adobe Acrobat format)
Photo Loader with Hot
Album serves to view images, collecting them from the
camera when it is connected via USB, or a memory card or a
hard disk. The program imports the image directories, even
those already on a hard disc, into a folder called "Photo
Pocket" effectively doubling the space taken up by the
images as it duplicates them.
Photo Loader with Hot Album has no image editing capability
aside from image rotation, but is able to display the shooting
data. For this, however, it occupies 625 MB of hard disk space...
Aside from slide shows and
allowing images to be organized by shooting date, the primary
function of the program is to encourage the user to purchase
a Premium Upgrade of Hot Album which offers
on-line storage of images in addition to creating Everplay
CDs.
The rest of the software included on the CD are utilities
that are freely available for download on the Internet.
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Interface & Software
Power On and can be used to turn on/off the camera.
Three options are available:
