Casio Exilim EX-ZS200 Casio - Review 🏆

The Casio Exilim EX-ZS200 is a compact digital camera that was released in 2012. It features a 12.1 megapixel CMOS sensor and a 24x optical zoom lens with a 35mm focal length equivalent of 25-600mm. Some key specs and features include:

• 12.1MP 1/2.3" CMOS sensor
• 24x optical zoom lens, f/3.2-5.9
• 35mm equivalent focal length: 25-600mm
• 3 inch LCD display with 460k dots
• Full HD 1920x1080 video recording at 30fps
• ISO 100-3200
• Built-in sensor shift image stabilization
• 10fps continuous shooting
• Premium Auto mode
• Built-in flash
• SD/SDHC/SDXC memory card slot
• Measures 4.1 x 2.3 x 1.2 inches, weighs 7.2 oz

The EX-ZS200 was designed to be a versatile compact camera with a powerful zoom lens in a slim body. It combines easy automatic modes with manual controls and RAW capture for enthusiasts. The 24x zoom lens provides great versatility from wide angle to super telephoto. Overall, the EX-ZS200 aims to balance portability, zoom capabilities, image quality and easy of use.

Design

The Casio Exilim EX-ZS200 is a compact digital camera with a slim, lightweight design. It measures 100 x 58 x 25 mm and weighs in at just 165g including the battery and memory card. Despite its small size, the EX-ZS200 feels solidly constructed, with a metal body that comes in a choice of four colors - black, silver, red and white. The smooth, rounded edges make the camera easy to slip into a pocket or bag. The mostly flat front surface features the lens, flash, AF-assist lamp and microphone. On the back is a 2.7 inch LCD screen and a variety of buttons and dials to control the camera settings. Overall, the EX-ZS200 has a stylish, minimalist look and its slim and lightweight body makes it highly portable. The smooth finish resists fingerprints and smudges, so the camera maintains its clean appearance after handling.

The Casio Exilim EX-ZR400 is another excellent offering from Casio, featuring a high-speed lens and enhanced zoom capabilities. It boasts a 12.5x optical zoom and a 3.0-inch LCD screen, providing clear and detailed images. Measuring 105 x 59 x 29 mm and weighing 205g, it is slightly larger but still portable. Available in black, white, and red, its durable build and sophisticated design make it an attractive option for photographers looking for quality and style.

Image Quality

The Casio Exilim EX-ZS200 features a 12.1MP CMOS sensor and Casio's EXILIM Engine HS image processor. This combination delivers sharp, detailed images with natural color reproduction.

The sensor resolution of 12.1 megapixels is sufficient for printing high quality large prints or cropping images significantly while retaining a high level of detail. The EXILIM Engine HS processor efficiently converts the raw data from the image sensor into JPEG images.

The EX-ZS200 has a standard ISO sensitivity range of 100 to 3200, which is expandable to ISO 6400. This provides flexibility when shooting in low light conditions. The camera controls noise well through most of the ISO range. However, noise starts becoming more apparent at ISO 800 and higher. The highest ISO settings produce quite noticeable noise but remain usable depending on the situation.

Overall, the image quality from the EX-ZS200 is very good for a compact point and shoot camera. The combination of sensor resolution and processing produces sharp, vivid images with good detail. High ISO performance is decent, allowing shooting in dim lighting when needed.

Another notable product is the CASIO EXILIM EX-ZR1300VP, which boasts a 16.1MP CMOS sensor and a powerful zoom lens. It also features advanced image stabilization and a variety of shooting modes, making it a versatile choice for different photography needs. Whether you're capturing landscapes or close-ups, the EX-ZR1300VP offers high-quality images with minimal noise, even in challenging lighting conditions.

Zoom

The Casio Exilim EX-ZS200 has a 24x optical zoom lens, which provides a 35mm equivalent focal range of 25-600mm. This versatile zoom range goes from true wide angle to super telephoto, allowing you to capture vast landscapes as well as get close to distant subjects. The lens has a fast maximum aperture range of f/3.5 at wide angle to f/5.9 at full telephoto.

In addition to the optical zoom, the EX-ZS200 also features 4x digital zoom. This extends the total zoom range to 96x, though image quality will decrease when using the digital zoom versus optical zoom.

The lens incorporates optical image stabilization to help reduce blur caused by camera shake. This is useful when shooting at slower shutter speeds or long telephoto focal lengths. According to Casio, the image stabilization provides up to a 3.5 stop advantage, allowing you to shoot handheld at slower shutter speeds than you could without stabilization.

The versatile zoom range, fast aperture, and optical stabilization make the EX-ZS200 well-suited for travel, landscapes, portraits, sports, and more. The zoom gives you great compositional flexibility.

Video

The Casio Exilim EX-ZS200 is capable of recording high-definition video up to 1080p resolution at 30 frames per second. This allows you to capture smooth and detailed full HD footage.

In addition to 1080p, the camera also supports 720p HD recording at 30fps. This gives you smaller file sizes if you want to conserve memory card space.

For standard definition video, the EX-ZS200 can record at 640 x 480 VGA quality.

The 30fps frame rate provides natural motion for all video resolutions. Slow motion and fast motion options are not available.

Overall, the video capabilities are quite good for a compact point-and-shoot camera in this price range. The inclusion of full 1080p HD recording makes the EX-ZS200 suitable for casual videography and capturing memorable moments with excellent detail and clarity.

Autofocus and Shooting

The EX-ZS200 features a contrast-detect autofocus system with face detection, which allows it to quickly and accurately focus on people in your shots. It also includes tracking autofocus, which can follow a moving subject and keep it in focus.

For normal shooting, the autofocus is fast and reliable. It can lock onto subjects quickly, even in low light conditions. The camera also has good macro focusing capabilities for close-up shots.

In terms of focus modes, you get AF area selection, which lets you change the area of the frame it focuses on. This allows you to have more control over your composition. There are also tracking, face tracking, and spot AF modes.

The EX-ZS200 has fast burst shooting capabilities. In high-speed burst mode, it can capture shots at a rate of 10 frames per second. This is useful for capturing fast action like sports. The camera can shoot at this fast frame rate for up to 26 shots before the buffer fills up.

Overall, the autofocus system and burst shooting speed make the EX-ZS200 well-suited for action photography and capturing moving subjects. It can lock focus quickly and accurately, and maintain focus on fast-moving subjects. The fast frame rate gives you more chances to get the perfect shot.

Display

The Casio Exilim EX-ZS200 has a 3-inch LCD display with 460,800 dots resolution. The screen is clear, bright and easy to view in most lighting conditions.

One downside is that the display is fixed and does not tilt or swivel, which can make it harder to frame shots at awkward angles. The lack of a tilting screen may be disappointing for some users who are used to having more flexibility when composing images.

Overall the display is sufficient for previewing shots and navigating the camera's menu system. The resolution allows images to be viewed in high detail. The screen's brightness helps overcome glare in sunny outdoor conditions. While a tilting display would have been a nice feature, the fixed screen is adequate for the intended use of this point-and-shoot camera.

Connectivity

The Casio Exilim EX-ZS200 offers several connectivity options for transferring images and files. It has built-in Wi-Fi which allows you to wirelessly transfer images to smartphones, tablets, and computers. Simply download the Casio Image Transfer app and you can easily send photos from the camera to your mobile device.

Bluetooth is also included for pairing with smartphones and other devices. This allows you to remotely trigger the shutter and view images on another screen.

For wired connections, the EX-ZS200 has a micro HDMI port to output high definition video and images to an external monitor or TV. It also has a standard micro USB 2.0 port which can be used to charge the battery and transfer files to a computer.

The camera lacks NFC connectivity but the inclusion of Wi-Fi and Bluetooth provide ample wireless options for sharing images on the go. The HDMI port is also useful for quick playback on a larger screen.

Battery

The Casio Exilim EX-ZS200 comes with a rechargeable lithium-ion battery that provides around 325 shots per charge, according to CIPA standards. This is a decent battery life for a compact camera.

The battery charges via USB, so you can plug the camera into a computer or USB charger to charge it up. Charging takes around 120 minutes to fully charge from empty.

The battery life allows you to shoot all day or for a weekend trip without needing to find a charger, but you may want to pack the charger for longer vacations. The battery is removable and replaceable, so picking up a spare battery is recommended for heavy shooters.

Overall the battery life is fairly average for a compact camera of this type. The ability to charge via USB is very handy for travel when you may not have easy access to a wall charger.

Pros and Cons

The Casio Exilim EX-ZS200 is a solid point-and-shoot camera with many good features but also some drawbacks to consider.

Pros

• 24x optical zoom gives you great versatility for different photo situations
• Decent 20MP sensor provides enough resolution for large prints
• Shoots good quality 1080p HD video
• Fast autofocus and shot-to-shot times
• Large 3-inch LCD makes framing and reviewing shots easy
• Built-in WiFi allows wireless image transfer

Cons

• Image quality suffers a bit at high ISOs, especially in low light
• No option to shoot in RAW format
• Battery life could be better
• No external mic input for video
• No touchscreen or ability to flip screen for selfies
• Plastic build feels a bit cheap

Overall, the EX-ZS200 provides very good value and performance for the price. The versatile zoom, fast shooting speeds, and wireless connectivity make it a great casual camera. Just don't expect top-notch photos, especially in low light. The lack of RAW support and external mic input also limit its appeal to more advanced photographers. But for typical vacation and family pics, it's a solid choice.