Construction:
A mix of metal and plastic (lens slider cover is plastic). I think the tripod mount is metal, nice touch. No creaks anywhere. Battery is clipped in, so it won't fall out if you are taking out your SD card. The black one is sexy, silver is nice as well.
Features:
Aperture/Shutter priority (3 aperture options, exposure time up to 60 secs), Manual mode, infinite steps smooth 7x optical zoom, dynamic range expander, first true IS (CCD shift) camera from casio, 33 Best Shots scene selections. The V7 caters to those who just want a point-and-shoot to those who are after more controls than a pure pns camera.
On the movie side, it records in H.264 with mov extension at max 848x640 30fps resolution with STEREO sound, OPTICAL zoom and IS. that is pretty impressive for an ultra compact camera. the zoom is silent, so the zoom sound does not get recorded into the video like other cameras do.
Image Quality:
This is an ultra compact with a small sensor, so do not expect it to do wonders with regards to noise. ISO 64-100 is quite clean. 200 is a tad noisy. 400 starts to get pretty noisy and has smearing effect. 800 is useless. keeping the aperture wide open seems to yield the sharpest image. the ND filter kicks in at the smallest aperture setting (largest F number), and you'll need a tripod to hold it steady.
Purple fringing is mild in areas of extreme contrast. The camera's noise reduction tends to smoothen pictures, but its not much different from any other ultra compacts. The auto-exposure works very well, and controls highlights quite well without blowing them out.
Colors are not over the top saturated like other cameras, and the saturation can be adjusted if you wish. i find the colors to be quite pleasing.
The flash is on the conservative side, and the power of the flash can be adjusted in the menu. The flash is not very powerful, so do not expect it to light up a room, it will do well for portraits and macros though.
There is notable pin-cushion distortion at full telephoto and mild barrel distortion at full wide.
Ease Of Use:
The camera can be switched on by simply opening the slider, very convenient. It starts up in about 1 sec.
The mode dial on the back of the camera is handy. However, most of the functions such as ISO adjustment, macro, etc, are all buried inside the menu, which makes them inconvenient to access.
The zoom is controlled by a slider at the back of the camera, moving it to more extremes will make the zoom move faster. The IS works well, but a very soft humming-buzzing sound can be felt when its working.
The battery can be charged only be placing the camera on the included cradle. This is quite inconvenient for travellers who want to travel without much accessories. The cradle is also made of acrylic, and might break if subjected to heavy impact.
Value for Money:
It is a camera aimed at both novices and the advanced amateur. There are tons of features thrown in. Great value for money for me.
A mix of metal and plastic (lens slider cover is plastic). I think the tripod mount is metal, nice touch. No creaks anywhere. Battery is clipped in, so it won't fall out if you are taking out your SD card. The black one is sexy, silver is nice as well.
Features:
Aperture/Shutter priority (3 aperture options, exposure time up to 60 secs), Manual mode, infinite steps smooth 7x optical zoom, dynamic range expander, first true IS (CCD shift) camera from casio, 33 Best Shots scene selections. The V7 caters to those who just want a point-and-shoot to those who are after more controls than a pure pns camera.
On the movie side, it records in H.264 with mov extension at max 848x640 30fps resolution with STEREO sound, OPTICAL zoom and IS. that is pretty impressive for an ultra compact camera. the zoom is silent, so the zoom sound does not get recorded into the video like other cameras do.
Image Quality:
This is an ultra compact with a small sensor, so do not expect it to do wonders with regards to noise. ISO 64-100 is quite clean. 200 is a tad noisy. 400 starts to get pretty noisy and has smearing effect. 800 is useless. keeping the aperture wide open seems to yield the sharpest image. the ND filter kicks in at the smallest aperture setting (largest F number), and you'll need a tripod to hold it steady.
Purple fringing is mild in areas of extreme contrast. The camera's noise reduction tends to smoothen pictures, but its not much different from any other ultra compacts. The auto-exposure works very well, and controls highlights quite well without blowing them out.
Colors are not over the top saturated like other cameras, and the saturation can be adjusted if you wish. i find the colors to be quite pleasing.
The flash is on the conservative side, and the power of the flash can be adjusted in the menu. The flash is not very powerful, so do not expect it to light up a room, it will do well for portraits and macros though.
There is notable pin-cushion distortion at full telephoto and mild barrel distortion at full wide.
Ease Of Use:
The camera can be switched on by simply opening the slider, very convenient. It starts up in about 1 sec.
The mode dial on the back of the camera is handy. However, most of the functions such as ISO adjustment, macro, etc, are all buried inside the menu, which makes them inconvenient to access.
The zoom is controlled by a slider at the back of the camera, moving it to more extremes will make the zoom move faster. The IS works well, but a very soft humming-buzzing sound can be felt when its working.
The battery can be charged only be placing the camera on the included cradle. This is quite inconvenient for travellers who want to travel without much accessories. The cradle is also made of acrylic, and might break if subjected to heavy impact.
Value for Money:
It is a camera aimed at both novices and the advanced amateur. There are tons of features thrown in. Great value for money for me.