Casio's wallet-fitting mini delivers flash and video

By RICHARD WOOD

If you have dreamed of having a powerful camera that fits in the palm of your hand, then it was probably the 3.2 megapixel Casio Exilim EX-S3.

Saying it is card-sized is a little misleading, because although its frontal dimensions are only millimetres larger than a credit card it is the thickness of 15 to 20 of them.

But that's being picky as this camera packs a lot of punch into a metal-cased unit that can fit in a wallet and costs $699.

A fixed-focus F4.2 lens sticks out slightly in a corner, protected by an automatic lens cover that flicks open when it is on. Shutter speed is 1 to 1/6400 second but that is not in direct manual control.

The built-in flash is okay for up to a couple of metres and photos I took were more than respectable for a point-and-shoot device.

A built-in microphone works with a low resolution 30-second video function that my kids found irresistible. Next feature Casio - add a speaker.

A 5cm LCD screen continuously shows the image being targeted and gives access to the camera's menus.

The tiny viewfinder is a bit pathetic, but some wouldn't regard it as a camera without one. Better in this case to watch the screen.

The function keys on the back are nicely sparse - power on/off, shutter, screen on/off, a menu button and a switch to choose "play" or "record". A four-way navigator and push button completes the controls.

The Exilim has three modes - still, best shot, and video.

Best shot is a set of predetermined settings that include portrait, scenery, portrait and scenery, pet, flower, greenery, sundown, night, night portrait, sepia, fireworks, monochrome and twilight.

It also has "coupling" which combines two shots, "pre-shot" which allows you to compose a scene before someone else takes your picture, and "favourites' for creating your own preset.

Manual controls that you can adjust using the menu include flash, white balance, and ISO from 80 to 640. Also the self timer has a nifty feature that can take three shots in a row.

Size can range from 640 x 480 pixels to 2048 x 1536, each with three quality settings.

The camera has 10MB memory built in. Unless you've bought an additional SD or MMC card then you can store 5 images at the highest level. Storage is 20 at the mid 1280 x 960 resolution.

A neat feature is that the navigation keys can be reset to different combinations of the functions. As delivered, the left/right was the video/still mode while the up/down was set to vary the digital4 x zoom. Digital zooms are not as good as optical zooms, but are perhaps all one can hope for in this size of device.

In operation the only real problem was having to flick to "play" to delete photos.

If you're always packing that last photo or two into memory you can find yourself doing this often.

Pictures taken with the camera download to your PC readily through a cradle with a USB cable. Stills are in Jpeg format, videos are in AVI.

Straightforward album and image editing software is included and with an Epson USB Direct-Print compatible printer you can skip the PC and print directly from the camera.

The rechargeable lithium Ion battery takes up to two hours to charge in the cradle, and up to 1 hour 20 minutes or 2 hours battery life is specified depending on record or play mode.

The Casio Exilim EX-S3 delivers a size, price and feature combination that demands attention.

With this device you're more likely to have a camera handy when the need arises.

Casio Exilim Ex-S3

$699.

Pros: Small size, quality LCD, easy operation.

Cons: No optical zoom, 30 sec video limit.

Rating: 8/10.