Labs

The Exilim EX-V7 is the latest addition to Casio's Exilim range, and our initial impressions were positive. The most immediate attraction is its internal 7x optical zoom, impressive in any compact, but especially in such a slim case. The user interface is simple and inviting, but offers a wealth of powerful features, including a live histogram, shutter- and aperture-priority shooting modes and a whopping 33 preset scenes. Its 7.2-megapixel CCD is a little behind the curve, with Sony, Canon and Pentax all fielding 10-megapixel models, but this resolution is fine for A4 output if the image is clean and crisp. It's even acceptable for A3, so long as you don't plan to pore over your prints with a magnifying glass.

Unfortunately, the Casio's images were neither clean, nor crisp. In our outdoor scene, its resolution of mid-tone detail was one of the weakest we saw this month, producing

The EX-V7 did better in the night shot test, perhaps because mid-tones weren't such an issue. Although it wasn't able to pick out much detail from the darkness, its colourful sunset sky was among the smoother renditions we saw this month.

The Casio also rallied in our macro test, producing a sharp and attractive image with rich yet realistic-looking colours. It couldn't get very near to the subject, though: our experience tallied with the quoted minimum focus distance of 10cm. There's an unusual widescreen movie mode and clips were satisfactorily smooth and detailed, but we were distracted by conspicuous brightness adjustments as the light levels changed. The internal stereo microphone picked up little background noise and recorded speech was clear.

For casual snaps and web images, there's nothing wrong with the Casio Exilim EX-V7, although if that's all you want you'd do well to opt for a far cheaper camera. The EX-V7 does offer that incredibly portable 7x zoom, however, and since it's a new model you may be able to find it cheaper before too long. It also doesn't hurt that it comes with a two-year warranty - twice what you'll get from other manufacturers. Right now, though, the EX-V7's image quality is a little too average for us to recommend it at this price.