Casio EX Z150

Reviewed December 2008

Ergonomics

The Casio Exilim EX-Z150 is a stylish pocketshooter. It's targeted at clicksters with a yen for color (the snapper's made in five hues--silver, red, pink, lime and black), a dislike for weight (the unit weighs a scant 5.3 ounces with battery) and are charmed by wee electronics (you'll barely notice the digcam when it's nested in a shirt pocket or cocktail clutch).

At the front of the camera is its built-in, flat flash.

Below the flash is the self-timer lamp. It blinks when the DSC is in self-timer mode.

To the right of the lamp is the Z150's 4x zoom lens. The glass has a focal length of 4.65-18.6 millimeters, or the 35mm equivalent of a 28-112mm zoom, and aperture range of F/2.6-5.9.

When extended to 18.6mm, the lens protrudes about two inches from the body of the camera. When the DSC is turned off, the lens retracts into a recessed area in the camera and is covered with a built-in lens cap.

The zoom gives snapjacks a genial shooting range. Its wide end doesn't have the claustrophobic feel of some cameras in this category. And the telephoto end is sufficient for family portraiture.

Beside the LCD are the remaining controls for the pocketcam.

There's a video button for shooting moving pictures. Press the button to start capturing video; press it again to stop it.

Below the video button are the playback and record controls. The record button puts the camera in shooting mode for still pictures. The playback button displays photos captured by the camera on its LCD.

In Playback mode, you can scroll through pictures on the display by using the three o'clock and nine o'clock keys on the Arrow Pad located below the playback and record buttons. The Arrow Pad can also be used to navigate through menus and thumbnails on the LCD. The "set" button at the center of the Arrow Pad is used to select items on the display.

Some functions can be quickly accessed from the Arrow Pad. Information on the LCD can be hidden or displayed by pressing the 12 o'clock button. In Playback mode, the six o'clock button will erase an image displayed on the monitor. That same button will display the flash configuration menu when pressed in Record mode.

Below the Arrow Pad are controls for entering the menu system and Best Shot mode. Best Shot contains a number of scene choices--portrait, scenery, children and such--optimized for a variety of photographic situations.

On the right side of the camera is a slot for inserting the unit's wrist strap and a compartment that's home for the USB port. Cables for uploading photos to a computer and showing them on a TV connect to the DSC through that port.

At the bottom of the snapper is a tripod mount and compartment for the camera's rechargeable lithium battery and a storage card.

Because of its size, the controls for the EX-Z150 need to be small, but except for the on/off button, its controls are relatively easy to finger.

Another challenge posed by pocketcams like this Casio model is holding the hardware. Lensslingers must be careful where they place their hands on the unit lest they block the flash during a flash shot or cover the mic on top of the camera while shooting video.