Casio Exilim EX-Z1050

Being an ultra-compact, the Z1050 is easily pocketable, considering its small size of 91 x 57 x 24 mm. The lithium-ion battery keeps the weight light at 165 g.

The overall look of the camera is quite simple and minimalistic – just a few basic buttons to get the job done. Thanks to simple and intuitive menu system, functioning stays quick and spiffy.

The camera's default image aspect ratio is 4:3 (in 10.1 megapixels) but as you go down in image size, you also get to select resolutions of 3:2 and 16:9 aspect ratios. Even under sharp outdoor lighting, the display is clearly visible.

A unique feature in the Z1050 is its high-speed continuous shooting mode, where it shoots at 7 frames per second – higher than most consumer cameras can normally achieve. The best part is that the number of shots you take in continuous mode is only limited by your memory card capacity.

The only drawback is that the images shot are at 2 megapixels, but then again, shooting at that speed at full resolution is practically impossible.

The other feature, which is not so unique, is the Best Shot (BS) mode, which is basically scene selection mode. The Exilim series has always had some intuitive BS modes like Autumn Leaves, Soft Flowing Water, Backlight and Retro, along with the standard Portrait, Landscape, etc.

But how well these modes affect the actual picture quality can only be seen in the performance tests.

The first thing I noticed about the camera was its speed. It started in approximately 2 seconds, took 2 seconds between consecutive shots (without flash, at full resolution), and also 2 seconds to shut down. These speeds are pretty good by any standards for a compact consumer digicam.