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Hot on the heels of the release of the 10.1 mega-pixel compact Z1000, Casio have just announced another new camera for the summer - the Exilim EX-Z5. Aimed more at the tourist market, the EX-Z5 is designed to be stylish and easy to use while still being quite advanced, although a sensor with only 5 mega-pixels doesn't sound a lot when its mentioned in the same paragraph as the Z1000. To be fair to the camera though, this is now the accepted standard for sensor size, and the 3x optical zoom and 2.5 LCD screen are worthy additions alongside it.
Being aimed at amateurs rather than professionals, the EX-Z5 has a fair amount of BEST SHOT scene modes, all of which can be activated via a dedicated button on the back, and beginners can set the camera to automatically choose the best scene. As well as this the Easy Mode prevents accidental adjustment of technical settings, and should make taking photos even easier, although it seems all to constricting to me.
As is standard with digital compacts, the camera has Anti Shake functionality, Red Eye Reduction mode and Flash Assist. Casio cameras are quite well known for speed, and the camera has a Quick Shutter function and Direct On features to speed things up a bit, and a new Rapid Flash mode can take three pictures with flash very quickly - three photos in only one second, although of course this depends on the image resolution. The camera does have a couple of unique features, including a Revive Shot function that allows you to photo old and faded images out of albums and restore them to their original colours.
The EX-Z5 will be available at the end of May 2006, although no pricing information is available at the moment. It will only be available in matt-brushed black (which isn't a bad thing) and will come with all the standard accessories such as USB dock, cables, batteries, neck straps and bag.
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