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back and cradle
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Details at a glance
Megapixels: 6
Zoom: 3x (opt), 4x (dig)
LCD screen: 2.2 inch
Storage: SD/MMC (8.3mb int)
Size: 90 x 59 x 16.1mm
Weight: 115g
(full details at bottom of the page)
We clicked with
2.2” LCD Screen, Metal Body, Battery Life
Shots in the dark
Internal Memory, Docking Cradle, Short Flash Range, Slow recycling time
Links
More Casio information
www.casio.co.uk
Price Comparison:
Casio Exilim EX-S600
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The S600 is a camera which can truly be called “pocket-sized”. Not much bigger than a credit card, a mere 13.7mm thin at the thinnest point, and weighing in at 115g I could carry the camera around all day in a pocket without it becoming a nuisance or weighing me down.
With a metal body and a sleek design you automatically feel that this is a special piece of kit. In other cameras of a similar size, you often see a cutback in features such as zoom and resolution, but not with the S600. A steady 6.0 million pixels, remarkably clear and sharp 2.2” LCD screen and 3x optical zoom seems to sit comfortably next to the £200 price tag.
Great Expectations
So, pulling the camera out of the box, it was time to get connected. I was expecting the “small and neat” theme to run throughout the box, but instead of finding just the one cable for hooking up to my PC, I found a fairly large, black docking cradle. I must admit that this was quite a disappointment. The only way the camera can be connected to either PC (or Mac!) or television is by this bulky pain in the pocket, something extra to carry around should you want to do this at work or at a friend's house.
The S600 is really just a point and shoot camera, which even novice users should find easy to get up and running with. The quality of the images isn't outstanding: the camera produces some nice colours but lacks in the sharpness department.
Tick tock click
I like a camera that takes the picture as soon as the shutter button is pressed. This was always one of the problems with digital, but response speeds have improved massively in the past couple of years. Not so the S600. Not only is it unclear when the shutter has been pressed (it would be nice to have a positive feel to the button), but it took nearly 20 seconds to take five consecutive shots on continuous mode; so if it's pictures of the kids playing football, you're more likely than not to miss the shot.
The S600 comes complete with a 3x optical zoom; equivalent to 38-114mm in 35mm terms, which is then backed up by a 4x digital zoom, which can't be used without sacrificing quality. So it isn't a huge amount of use for anyone wanting a remotely sharp image; although that's a criticism we have to level at most of the Casio's competitors too.
Crystal Clear
As with many basic point and shoot cameras, the large 2.2” LCD panel takes on the role of both viewfinder and playback screen, and does so pretty well. Captured images are displayed reasonably quickly. The menu system on the S600 is quite probably one of the easiest to navigate, despite the buttons being a little on the small side.
The S600 comes with a Lithium-Ion rechargeable battery. Place the camera on the docking station and charge via the mains. A full charge is complete in no time, leaving you to get on taking over 300 shots before it eventually dies again. I have to say, the charge speed was a welcome surprise.
There are plenty of features packed into a small camera here; but there are too many disappointments and tools which turn out not to be all they're cracked up to be. For example, the internal memory…only 8mb of it, which is enough for around two shots on the highest picture setting.
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It's not the best camera on the market but for anyone wanting a respectable camera to carry with them in a pocket or handbag, it will do the job. The S600 includes many of the now common features in digital cameras such as self-timers, anti-shake and movie recording, but I think the major problem is that Casio have tried to pack a little too much into the space available- either be a style icon or a heavyweight camera; not both.
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Casio S600 specs
| Mega-pixels: | 6 |
Photo: | JPEG |
| Optical Zoom: | 3x |
RAW: | No |
| Digital Zoom: | 4x |
Aperture: | F/2.7-5.2 |
| LCD: | 2.2 inch |
Focal Length: | equiv. 38-114mm |
| Dimensions: | 90 x 59 x 16.1mm |
Shutter speed: | 4 sec to 1/2000 |
| Weight: | 115g |
Exposure: | ISO 50 to 1600 |
| Storage: | SD/MMC (8.3mb int) |
Movie: | MPEG (640x480@30fps) |
| Battery: | Li-Ion NP-20 |
Microphone: | Yes |
| Interface: | USB 2.0, AV |
PictBridge: | No |
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Included accessories:
USB cable (High speed USB 2.0 compatible), Wrist strap, Lithium-ion battery (NP-20), User's quick reference guide, AV cable, AC adaptor, CD-ROM and USB cradle
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