The Exilim EX-Z750: Best in its Class

INTRO:

One word: Amazing. This camera does it all, and it does it well. I upgraded to this camera a few months ago, before travelling in australia. I wanted a camera that could produce professional quality pictures, period. At the same time, I did not have money or room for a DSLR, although I did want a camera with some manual controls. My cutoff was $500, and after researching and researching online, I narrowed it down to three: The EX-Z750, the Canon SD-550, and the Olympus Stylus 800.

THE COMPETITION

This camera blows away the competition. There are several reasons why I chose this camera over the competition. The camera I previously had was an Olympus 5.0 MP, and although it took good pictures, the camera itself was a beast. It was slow, and I did not like the user menus. After researching it, it looked too much like the old one. The canon, on the other hand, was very close in features. The main diference I found was the codec it used for recording high quality video. On the canon, they claim you can record about 15 minutes on a 1 gig card (dont hold me exact on these numbers). The Casio, on the other hand, can handle about an hour on a 1 gig, and even more on lower quality settings. Another main factor was the battery life: Canon quotes around 175 pictures on a charge, whereas the Casio rates about 330 (which i have found to be LOW). The battery life is amazing. Also, there is a lack of manual controls on the canon; on the EX-Z750, you can adjust exposure up to 60 seconds (great for night shots), ISO, WB, F-stop, and P/S/A/M. FINALLY, there is the matter of price. even though the canon was lacking in all of these features, it still ran about $75 to $100 MORE than the exilim. The decision was clear.

FEATURES

This camera is loaded with them. First of all, the menu and interface is amazingly easy to learn. I never once used the manual that came with it! The BEST SHOT feature is amazing; it will cover almost any shot you can think of, from sunset, to night shots, to black and white, and much more. The video mode is outstanding, you can record as much as the card can hold; there is no limit for time, unlike other cameras. Another outstanding feature of this camera is its speed!! Turn it on, and the lens will shoot out, and the camera will be ready to take a picture in about 1 second. It takes about 1 second in between taking pictures as well, which is lightning fast. You can also edit movies on the camera, crop pictures, and much more. These are the main features, but trust me, this camera is full of suprises. More features, might I say, than any DSLR.

DURABILITY

I was shocked as to how much this camera could take. Let me first just say that I do drink alot, and when that happens, it seems like my camera always gets beat up in some sort of way. But dont take my word for it, just read some of my true life examples:

#1. This camera was dropped twice, from about 4 feet high, with the lens open. No problems.

#2. In Byron Bay, Australia, this camera was covered in sand from partying on the beach. The lens had a few problems opening and closing because of all the sand in there, but I eventually cleaned most of it out, and it worked just fine (sometimes you would have to give the lens a little help going in or out, but it didnt affect the performance)

#3. This is the big one. While taking pictures in Tasmania at a place called Wineglass Bay, I had the camera on a mini tripod right on the beach, where waves were breaking. I was so focused on getting a good picture, that I didnt even notice a huge wave coming in. The camera was completely soaked in water and sand. After carefully cleaning as much sand as i could from around the lens and the rest of the camera, I was amazed to find the camera still worked fine!!!! This camera is a TANK.

WANT PROOF?
http://dhuting.smugmug.com - Professional Photography website, ALL pictures are taken on this camera.

THIS CAMERA IS THE BEST "POINT-AND-SHOOT" COMPACT CAMERA ON THE MARKET. TRUST ME!