Product Reviews

A table of the digital images taken with the pocket digital cameras

Casio's Exilim range has always impressed us due to the slimline dimensions and good image quality, but the EX-S20 goes one step further to outshine the rest in this Labs. For starters, it's the smallest camera on show, measuring just 83 x 11 x 53mm (WDH) - the size of a credit card. Plus, it weighs only 95g, so you won't notice it in your pocket.

This is a camera you'll carry everywhere with you, and with a startup time of 1.2 seconds you won't miss those precious moments. Another plus is the minimal shutter lag: there's no auto focus delay thanks to the fixed-focus lens. This brings some disadvantages when it comes to creative shots: look elsewhere if you're really into macro photography, as the Exilim couldn't snap an area smaller than 298 x 224mm.

The Exilim's movie mode makes up for the poor macro. You can shoot 60-second clips at 320 x 240 with a smooth 30fps frame rate. The only disappointment

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is that clips are silent - you'll have to buy the EX-M20 for audio capabilities. Results indoors and outdoors were good: colours were vibrant, even in low light.

Stills weren't the best we saw, but we doubt many people will be disappointed with the great quality you can achieve with such a tiny lens and a 2-megapixel CCD. Again, colours were true to life and photos were mostly sharp. We found that barrel distortion was noticeable in some scenes and on other occasions, shots were overexposed, but the EV correction and - amazingly for this price - a live histogram mean you can effectively eliminate the latter.

One of the main highlights is speed. You can take a shot every 1.1 seconds, so the lack of a continuous mode isn't a problem. Switching from record to playback is almost instant and there's no delay at all when flicking through stored photos. The playback zoom lets you magnify images by 4x to check focus and detail, and you're helped in this by the 1.6in LCD. Luckily there's an optical viewfinder, which you'll need when shooting in bright sunlight.

Other controls include a four-preset white balance (with a manual setting), manual ISO selection and a best-shot mode that provides optimum settings for 12 typical scenes. There's a self-timer (two and ten seconds), and we found the flash effective indoors - just the right amount of power.

Bundled with a dock and a long-lasting battery, the EX-S20 is a real bargain at £130. It has a handy tripod mount, double the warranty of most cameras and, with the money you save over more expensive models, you can buy an SD card to boost the standard 10MB of integrated memory.