Comparison Review: Casio EX-S770 vs. Casio EX-Z75 [Archive]

Jeremy Charette

11-08-2007, 03:00 PM

<img src="http://www.digitalmediathoughts.com/images/charette-casio-openingshot.JPG" /> Figure 1: Casio EX-S770 and EX-75: Which one is better? Let's find out! Product Category: Digital Cameras Manufacturer: <a href=http://www.casio.com/products/Cameras/>Casio</a> Where to Buy: <a href="http://astore.amazon.com/digitalmediathoughts-20/detail/B000HEBYN6/104-8147914-2239126">EX-S770</a> [Affiliate], <a href="http://astore.amazon.com/digitalmediathoughts-20/detail/B000MXMP4O/104-8147914-2239126">EX-Z75</a> [Affiliate] Price: EX-S770 $207.37 USD; EX-Z75 $169.99 USD System Requirements: Windows/Mac OS X Specifications: EX-S770: 7.2 megapixel resolution, 2.8” wide screen LCD, 3X optical zoom. EX-Z75: 7.2 megapixel resolution, 2.6” wide screen LCD, 3X optical zoom. Pros: <li>Slim (less than 3/4" thick when closed);<li>3X optical zoom;<li>Easy to use, even for non-enthusiasts. Cons: <li>Nearly identical specifications;<li>EX-Z75 does not include a docking cradle;<li>Can't sync EX-Z75 on a dead battery. Summary: Seems like in the past year or two, digital camera manufacturers are releasing new model lineups every three to six months. Yet, there doesn't seem to be much change from lineup to lineup. On top of that, most manufacturers offer very similar cameras at different price points, making it hard for consumers to figure out which model to buy. So it goes with Casio's digital camera line. I've spent quite a bit of time lately with the EX-S770 and the EX-Z75, and I've been trying to answer one question: just what will an extra $40 to $60 get you? Read on for the full comparison!<!> <PAGEBREAK> More Money, More Features The EX-S770 is more expensive than its cousin, the EX-Z75. What will that extra money get you? Let’s take a look: <li>Docking cradle;<li>2.8” widescreen LCD (vs. 2.6”);<li>Higher LCD resolution (960x240 pixels, vs. 479x240);<li>0.08” narrower in width, 0.07” thinner;<li>Capable of recording widescreen videos (704x384 pixels). The differences seem pretty small, but I can assure you, the build quality is light years apart. The EX-Z75 has a cast housing with a brushed aluminum look on the front. Most of the buttons are made of plastic, and feel a bit wobbly during use. The tripod mount on the bottom of the camera is molded plastic rather than machined metal. The wrist strap mount sticks out from the side of the housing, and may catch on clothing or other objects if you don't have the wrist strap attached. <img src="http://www.digitalmediathoughts.com/images/charette-casio-controls.JPG" /> Figure 2: As you can see, the controls and finish on the EX-S770 are much nicer. The EX-S770 by comparison has a polished metal case, with metal and chrome plated plastic buttons. The buttons have a more positive feel than the EX-Z75, and the zoom toggle in particular feels more sturdy and tactilely responsive. It has dedicated buttons for the display options and video recording function, where the Z75 does not. The wrist strap attachment is flush with the body, and isn't noticeable when the strap isn't installed. The LCD screen on the back of the S770 is only slightly larger, but it is nearly twice as bright, and since it has double the pixel count of the Z75, the images displayed are much sharper and clearer. It also adjusts brightness automatically to compensate for ambient lighting conditions, and is bright and clear even in direct sunlight. The Z75 display becomes somewhat washed out outdoors. The Z75 doesn't have an auto-focus assist lamp, and has trouble focusing in dark conditions. The S770 has an orange focus assist lamp to light up subjects in dark rooms or at night, and had no trouble getting a good focus in these conditions during my tests. To recharge the battery in the Z75, you have to remove it from the camera and insert it into the included battery charger. Dead battery? You're going to have to wait to sync those photos. The S770 carries no such burdens. Plug it into the included docking cradle, and it syncs and charges automatically. Various menu items are selected using a four way toggle on the back of each camera. I enjoyed the fact that many frequently accessed features such as type of flash, ISO mode, and focus mode are available without having to dig into the menus. You can set the cameras to cycle through various modes by pressing up, down, left, or right on the toggle switch. The one thing that made no sense to me, however, is why it wasn't setup this way right out of the box. You have to enable this feature in the menu in order to get quick access to these modes through the toggle switch. I did prefer the four-way toggle button on the Z75, finding it easier to manipulate than the one on the back of the S770. I could place my full thumb on the Z75, vs. having to use my fingernail to toggle through the menus on the S770. <PAGEBREAK> What About Performance and Image Quality? In use they are functionally identical. During my hands-on tests, I found the startup times to be the same, the shot to shot time to be about the same, and battery life was nearly identical. Given the fact that they appear to have the same image sensor and nearly the same optics, this should come as no surprise. The various “best shot” modes were easy to access, although I found myself wishing for a “blog” mode which would automatically create copies of the pictures in smaller sizes for use online. In actual use, I tended to rely on the auto mode for white balance and flash, which worked fine in better than 9 out of 10 situations. I shot a series of identical subjects to see if I could find any difference between the images the two cameras produce, and there really wasn't any. Here are various sample shots from both cameras for comparison (the Z75 images are smaller due to fact that I used the "normal" quality level): <a href="http://images.thoughtsmedia.com/dmt/2007/charette-casio-EXS770-outdoorphoto-large.JPG"><img src="http://images.thoughtsmedia.com/dmt/2007/charette-casio-EXS770-outdoorphoto-large_resize.JPG" /></a> Figure 3: EX-S770, daylight shot, no zoom. Click on the image for the full size image. (4.27 MB) <a href="http://images.thoughtsmedia.com/dmt/2007/charette-casio-EXZ75-outdoorphoto-large.JPG"><img src="http://images.thoughtsmedia.com/dmt/2007/charette-casio-EXZ75-outdoorphoto-large_resize.JPG" /></a> Figure 4: EX-Z75, daylight shot, no zoom. Click on the image for the full size image. (2.30 MB) <a href="http://images.thoughtsmedia.com/dmt/2007/charette-casio-EXS770-macrophoto-large.JPG"><img src="http://images.thoughtsmedia.com/dmt/2007/charette-casio-EXS770-macrophoto-large_resize.JPG" /></a> Figure 5: EX-S770, macro shot. Click on the image for the full size image. (4.22 MB) <a href="http://images.thoughtsmedia.com/dmt/2007/charette-casio-EXZ75-macrophoto-large.JPG"><img src="http://images.thoughtsmedia.com/dmt/2007/charette-casio-EXZ75-macrophoto-large_resize.JPG" /></a> Figure 6: EX-Z75, macro shot. Click on the image for the full size image. (2.31 MB) <PAGEBREAK> ISO Performance Here is the same subject shot at ISO 50, 100, 200, and 400 for comparison: <a href="http://images.thoughtsmedia.com/dmt/2007/charette-casio-EXZ75-outdoorphoto-ISO50.JPG"><img src="http://images.thoughtsmedia.com/dmt/2007/charette-casio-EXZ75-outdoorphoto-ISO50_resize.JPG" /></a> Figure 7: EX-Z75, ISO 50 setting. Click on the image for the full size image. (2.31 MB) <a href="http://images.thoughtsmedia.com/dmt/2007/charette-casio-EXZ75-outdoorphoto-ISO100.JPG"><img src="http://images.thoughtsmedia.com/dmt/2007/charette-casio-EXZ75-outdoorphoto-ISO100_resize.JPG" /></a> Figure 8: EX-Z75, ISO 100 setting. Click on the image for the full size image. (2.31 MB) <a href="http://images.thoughtsmedia.com/dmt/2007/charette-casio-EXZ75-outdoorphoto-ISO200.JPG"><img src="http://images.thoughtsmedia.com/dmt/2007/charette-casio-EXZ75-outdoorphoto-ISO200_resize.JPG" /></a> Figure 9: EX-Z75, ISO 200 setting. Click on the image for the full size image. (2.31 MB) <a href="http://images.thoughtsmedia.com/dmt/2007/charette-casio-EXZ75-outdoorphoto-ISO400.JPG"><img src="http://images.thoughtsmedia.com/dmt/2007/charette-casio-EXZ75-outdoorphoto-ISO400_resize.JPG" /></a> Figure 10: EX-Z75, ISO 400 setting. Click on the image for the full size image. (2.31 MB) <PAGEBREAK> Sample Videos Video quality was a mixed bag, though for some reason the S770 did markedly better than the Z75. The following two videos were shot at the same time and location, with the same settings, yet the S770 video is larger in size, and much smoother and less pixelated. Not sure why this would be, but if you plan to shoot video with your digital camera, the S770 should be your first choice. Here are links to sample video from both cameras: <a href="http://images.thoughtsmedia.com/dmt/2007/charette-casio-EXS770-samplevideo.avi">Sample video from the EX-S770, approx. 5 seconds long, 7.1MB.</a> <a href="http://images.thoughtsmedia.com/dmt/2007/charette-casio-EXZ75-samplevideo.avi">Sample video from the EX-Z75, approx. 5 seconds long, 3.2MB.</a> Conclusions So they have virtually identical image sensors and optics, nearly the same design, and take basically identical photos. If you have to pick one, which should it be? For my money, the EX-S770 wins this comparison for one simple reason: it includes a docking cradle. <img src="http://www.digitalmediathoughts.com/images/charette-casio-finalshot.JPG" /> Figure 11: The EX-S770 can stand tall in its cradle, but the EX-Z75 really falls flat. Call me lazy, but when I get home from a trip, the last thing I want to do is have to remove the battery from my camera, plug it into a separate charger, and wait for it to charge before I can sync my photos. I want to drop the camera in the cradle, hit “sync”, and go. The EX-Z75's design makes this whole process harder than it needs to be. The EX-S770 also includes a few extra features, such as a dedicated video recording button and a low-light assist lamp. The build quality is much better than the EX-Z75, and the LCD screen is brighter and easier to see. While the photo quality may be the same, the video quality isn't, with the S770 shooting much better videos than its less expensive cousin. Not bad for a street price difference of just $40-50. If you’re in the market for a great point and shoot, the EX-S770 should be on the top of your list. The EX-Z75? Not so much. Jeremy Charette is a Contributing Editor at Digital Media Thoughts, and also works in Procurement for one of the world’s largest banks. He enjoys reading, gaming, and racing in the SpecForza league. He lives in Brooklyn, NY, USA. He doesn’t know why any company would sell a portable device without a docking cradle.