Product Reviews

As compact digital cameras go, the Exilim Zoom EX-Z120's vital statistics are close to perfect. It captures 7.2-megapixel stills and VGA-resolution video, it's compact enough to slip into a trouser pocket, and it includes priority and manual modes, all for a startlingly low £152.

There are a few compromises: the 8.7MB internal memory holds only two shots at the top-quality setting, so an SD card is an essential purchase, as are rechargeable AA batteries. The 2" screen's 85,000-pixel resolution is below average, although an optical viewfinder provides more detail if you need it. Transfers to the PC are slow at 1MB/s, and a card reader isn't much help as

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removing cards from the SD slot is tricky.

Operation is straightforward and fast: the Z120 starts up in two seconds and is ready in just over a second between shots thanks in part to a quick auto-focus. With a fast SD card the continuous mode managed a sustained 1.1fps, superb for a camera at this price. Aperture control is limited to two settings (f/2.8 and f/4 at wide-angle zoom) and in manual exposure mode the screen's brightness reacts to settings only when the shutter is half pressed rather than continuously. Creative types will like the 60-second maximum exposure time.

The Z120 has an unusual technique for dealing with low lighting conditions. ISO settings of 50 to 400 can be selected, but in Auto ISO the camera uses settings as high as 1,600 to capture well-exposed shots without resorting to blur-inducing long shutter times. Indoor photography is grainy as a result, though you can remedy this by using manual ISO settings and a steady hand. Otherwise, image quality is consistently above average, with reasonable detail and excellent automatic exposure and white balance, although colours can be a little undersaturated.

Image quality is decent rather than exceptional, but this well-conceived package doesn't disappoint.