CASIO EXILIM EX-ZR1300VP Casio - Review 🏆

The Casio EXILIM EX-ZR1300 is a compact point-and-shoot camera that offers a versatile zoom range and an array of shooting modes. Casio, known for watches and calculators, entered the digital camera market in 1995 and the EXILIM line debuted in 2002. The EXILIM series focuses on slim, stylish designs and innovative high-speed features.

The EX-ZR1300 sits in the upper range of Casio's lineup with a 12.5x optical zoom, CMOS sensor, and full manual controls. It competes with other travel zoom cameras like the Canon PowerShot SX280 and Panasonic Lumix ZS40. Key specs include a 25-300mm equivalent lens, 12MP sensor, 3 inch LCD, and 1080/30p video. The EX-ZR1300 offers beginners simplicity but also appeals to more advanced users with manual exposure modes and RAW capture.

Design & Build Quality

The Casio Exilim EX-ZR1300 is a compact point and shoot camera with a stylish and slim design. Despite its small size, it feels sturdy and well-built.

The body is constructed of high-quality plastics that feel solid and durable. There is a rubberized grip on the right side that makes the camera easy and comfortable to hold. The camera measures at 4.25 x 2.4 x 1.13 inches and weighs around 7.2 ounces, so it can easily slip into a pocket or bag.

While lightweight, the EX-ZR1300 doesn't feel cheap or flimsy. The buttons have a nice, responsive click to them and the mode dial turns smoothly but with enough resistance to avoid accidental changes. Overall, Casio didn't cut any corners when designing this camera and it feels like it could withstand normal wear and tear.

The EX-ZR1300 isn't weather sealed but the solid construction should allow it to be used in light rain or dusty conditions if needed. Just don't submerge it underwater or drop it from high heights. For a pocketable point and shoot, the build quality is very good.

For those interested in a more versatile option, the Casio Exilim EX-ZS200 offers additional features that may appeal to photography enthusiasts. The EX-ZS200 boasts a 16.1-megapixel sensor, 6x optical zoom, and HD video recording capabilities. Its larger LCD screen and intuitive user interface make it a great choice for those looking to elevate their photography game. The EX-ZS200 also maintains the same high build quality and stylish design that Casio cameras are known for.

Image Quality

The Casio EX-ZR1300VP features a 1/2.3-inch CMOS sensor with a resolution of 12.1MP. This sensor size is typical for compact cameras in this price range, and it allows the EX-ZR1300VP to capture good quality images with reasonable noise levels at lower ISOs.

The EX-ZR1300VP utilizes Casio's EXILIM Engine HS 3 image processor to convert raw data from the image sensor into JPEG images. This processor delivers good color reproduction, sharp details, and effective noise reduction at higher ISO levels.

The native ISO range is from 100-3200, which can be expanded to a maximum ISO of 12800. Image quality is excellent through ISO 800 with well-controlled noise. At ISO 1600 and 3200, more visible noise and loss of finer details start to become apparent, but images are still very usable. Beyond the native ISO range at ISO 6400 and 12800, noise is quite high and detail loss is significant, so use of these sensitivities is recommended only when needed.

Overall, the image quality from the 12MP sensor and EXILIM Engine HS 3 processor is very good for a compact camera at this price point. The EX-ZR1300VP can capture sharp, highly detailed images with natural looking colors. Noise performance is also solid, providing usable images through ISO 3200. This makes the EX-ZR1300VP a great everyday camera for capturing both landscapes and low light scenes.

The Casio Exilim EX-ZR400 is another notable model in the EXILIM series. It features a 16.1MP BSI CMOS sensor and EXILIM Engine HS 3, delivering high-quality images with excellent detail and color accuracy. The EX-ZR400 offers an expanded ISO range of up to 25600, making it versatile for various lighting conditions. Additionally, it boasts a long battery life of approximately 515 shots per charge, making it an excellent choice for travel and extended shoots. Like the EX-ZR1300VP, the EX-ZR400 captures sharp images with minimal noise, especially at lower ISO settings.

Zoom & Optics

The Casio EX-ZR1300VP digital camera offers a powerful 12.5x optical zoom lens with a 35mm equivalent focal length range of 24-300mm. This versatile zoom range lets you capture wide landscape shots as well as get close to distant subjects.

The lens has a maximum aperture range of f/3.0 at the wide end and f/5.9 at full telephoto. This allows you to maintain faster shutter speeds when zoomed in and capture images in lower light conditions. The lens incorporates Casio's Premium AUTO Pro technology which combines high-speed burst shooting with high-sensitivity shooting to reduce blur and noise.

For stabilizing the lens and reducing camera shake, the EX-ZR1300VP has sensor-shift image stabilization. This optical image stabilization system helps minimize blur from hand shake when shooting at slower shutter speeds or at long focal lengths. The camera can stabilize up to 3 stops slower shutter speeds than normal to expand low-light shooting capabilities.

For close-up photography, the EX-ZR1300VP has a Super Macro mode that focuses down to just 1cm. This allows you to capture small subjects and details up close.

Overall, the 12.5x zoom lens provides great versatility from wide-angle to telephoto perspectives. The fast maximum aperture, optical stabilization, and close focusing abilities make the lens well-suited for a variety of shooting situations.

Shooting Modes & Features

The Casio EX-ZR1300 comes equipped with a range of useful shooting modes and features that provide versatility for different situations.

For basic point-and-shoot needs, there is a full Auto mode that handles all settings automatically. The camera also offers Manual mode for full control over shutter speed, aperture, ISO, white balance and more. This allows advanced users to dial in the exact look they want.

In terms of scene modes, the EX-ZR1300 has Portrait, Landscape, Sport, Night Scene, Night Scene Portrait, Indoor, and Sunset. These optimize camera settings for the given scenario. There are also modes like Soft Flowing Water, Food, Premium Auto, and Best Selection.

The EX-ZR1300 has a built-in Panorama mode where you can simply pan the camera and it will stitch together a panoramic image. This works well for capturing scenic vistas.

For high contrast scenes, there is a HDR mode that takes multiple exposures and blends them into one image to retain details in the shadows and highlights. This helps avoid blown out skies or silhouetted subjects.

Overall, the array of shooting modes covers most common situations from portraits to night photography. Both beginners and more advanced photographers will find options to suit their needs with the EX-ZR1300. The inclusion of manual controls and HDR expand the creative possibilities.

Video Quality

The Casio EXILIM EX-ZR1300VP can record full HD 1080p video at 30 fps in the MOV format. The quality of the videos is quite good for a compact camera. Colors are vivid and well-saturated, and footage is sharp when there's enough light. Dynamic range is also decent, so you can capture a fair amount of highlight and shadow detail.

While 30 fps is fine for casual videos, some users may want higher frame rates for capturing fast action. The camera does not have any high frame rate modes like 60 fps or 120 fps. Low light performance is just average. Noise becomes quite apparent when shooting indoors or in low light conditions. The built-in mic also picks up camera handling noises quite easily, so you'll want to be cautious when shooting video. Overall, the video capabilities are good for a compact camera but not outstanding. Those wanting more advanced controls and features would be better served by an interchangeable lens camera or camcorder.

Performance

The Casio EX-ZR1300VP offers fast and accurate autofocus, allowing you to capture shots quickly and reliably. The contrast-detect AF system locks focus in around 0.2 seconds in bright lighting conditions, enabling you to snap photos without missing moments. Low light focus is a bit slower at 0.5 seconds but still competitive.

Shot-to-shot times are impressively quick at roughly 0.5 seconds between JPEGs when using the mechanical shutter, great for action sequences. The electronic shutter is even faster with a shot-to-shot delay of just 0.2 seconds.

The EX-ZR1300VP has excellent burst shooting capabilities as well. It can capture an impressive 30 frames per second at the 12MP setting, allowing you to freeze fast action and choose the best moment later. Burst rate does slow down as you increase the resolution, with 10 fps at 16MP. The camera also includes pre-shooting cache to capture frames before you fully depress the shutter to avoid missing initial moments.

Overall, the performance is fast for everything from autofocus to shot-to-shot times to burst shooting, allowing you to reliably capture images without lag. The camera excels at freezing fast action and delivering quick operation for everyday shooting.

Display & Viewfinder

The Casio Exilim EX-ZR1300 boasts an impressive 3-inch LCD display with 920K dot resolution, providing sharp and clear live view and playback. The screen is very vibrant and visible even in bright daylight. It's fixed in place and lacks touch capability, but the high resolution ensures images and menus are crisp and easy to see.

In terms of viewfinder, the EX-ZR1300 doesn't have one. It relies solely on the rear LCD for image composition and review. This isn't uncommon for compact cameras in this class. The lack of viewfinder does help keep the overall size down.

The screen itself is very responsive with smooth refresh rates when panning or changing settings. The live view represents exposure well. Overall the screen is a highlight and one of the better displays found on compact cameras.

Connectivity & Storage

The Casio EX-ZR1300VP offers a good range of connectivity options. It has built-in WiFi which allows you to wirelessly transfer images to smartphones, tablets and computers. Setting up the WiFi connection is straightforward using the Casio Image Transfer app.

Bluetooth is also included for pairing with smartphones and other devices. This allows you to remotely control the camera shutter as well as geotag images.

For wired connections, the EX-ZR1300VP has a micro HDMI port for viewing images and videos on an HD TV. It also has a micro USB 2.0 port which can be used for charging and transferring files to a computer.

The camera supports SD, SDHC and SDXC memory cards up to 2TB in capacity. Having a fast UHS-I compatible card is recommended for optimal performance, especially when shooting full HD video. The EX-ZR1300VP has 84MB of internal memory which allows you to shoot some photos even without a memory card inserted.

Battery Life

The Casio EXILIM EX-ZR1300VP comes with a rechargeable lithium-ion battery that provides enough power for around 300 shots per charge, according to Casio. This is a decent battery life for a compact camera with a 12.5x optical zoom lens.

300 shots per charge should be sufficient for a full day of casual shooting. However, battery life will drain faster when using features like the GPS, wireless connectivity, and video recording. Power users may want to invest in a spare battery for all-day shooting or extended trips without charging access.

The battery charges via USB, so you can top it up from a computer, portable charger, or car adapter. Overall, the battery performance is quite standard for this class of camera. Just be aware that battery life will diminish over time after hundreds of charge cycles.