Casio Exilim EXG1 12.1 MP Slimline Endurance Digital

Cool but pricey.
Rating:4 out of 5 stars
I’ve had this now for a few days and while I don’t feel experienced enough with it to do a full review I will make some comments.

I was a bit disappointed with the pictures but I have found that the auto modes can only do so much and for some pictures you really have to take control. You can set and save those custom settings as templates so that is a very nice feature but it’s really a $200 Casio 12MP camera with $100 of water/shock proofing and styling/ergonomics so don’t compare it directly with other $300 cameras. Plus it uses a compact folded lens design that is not known for high quality pictures. I wanted a thin camera that would fit in my shirt pocket comfortably and still be shock and water resistant if it slid out and that is what I got so I can’t really complain as it is a good compromise of features in a small camera.

The styling is what makes this camera really stand out, especially the red model and it attracts attention. I have had people comment on it to me so there is that if you want to be seen as cool (and really who doesn’t).

I see that the black version is already selling at a greater discount than the red. I think the red version though is going to be easier to find if you drop it in water or at night and it just looks better so it’s worth it.

I’m going to get a screen protector just to make sure the LCD doesn’t get scratched. It just seems like a good idea.

The case that Amazon is promoting to go with this is not to my liking, I found a LowePro case (Volta 20) to be better in fit and protection- I recommend that and it should be available locally and is carried here on Amazon with good reviews. It’s a pretty good fit and will prevent scratches while traveling.

The USB cable is indeed nonstandard at the camera end but I may never use it. I find it easier as long as I have the cover opened to just take the micro SD card out and plug it into my computer (with an SD adapter) and edit off the card directly.- its faster accessing the card that way.

Two end pieces or protectors are included and explains why the camera looked different in various pictures. You can choose the smaller rounded one or the extended one with the arms or none at all. I prefer the short one which fits into my hand nicely – it’s that ergonomics design working. I like that you have a choice.

That’s it for now. I’ll see how it works for me on vacation in the Caribbean.

Lets talk about why this camera stands out
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
Ok, so we all know how a 12.1 MP camera is supposed to work. I want to talk about why this camera is well worth the extra 100 bucks for the water/shock proof casing. I bought this for my wife this Christmas, most likely because I am a big fan of the casio G’zone phone (which is indestructible) but also possibly because I killed my wife’s last two cameras either dropping them, or dropping them into a puddle. Christmas day, we are playing around with all the features on the camera, like the sports super-impose timelapse, the video interval time-lapse, etc. I had the camera set up on the banister when the dog tears around the corner, slamming into the spindle, sending the camera about 5 feet onto the tile floor. Everyone panics, we pick up the ex-g1 – still video recording – and check it out. No problem whatsoever; in fact, after playing back the video the recording never even giggled when it hit the ground! So let me tell you from a guy who definately should never be allowed to handle anything that is not shock proof that this camera lives up to its reputation. Also the 720p recording looks like real high def and the underwater feature worked great in the hot tub.

Casio EX-G1 Rocks!
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
I’m very impressed with the EX-G1. I’ve been a long time user of Casio camera products, until an unfortunate camera meets water incident in the Caribbean forced me to buy a Nikon S3 which as performed well for several years, until it died. I bought a Pentax Optio WS-80 and was not impressed, neither with the cheap plastic feel, nor the quality of the photos. Blue sky almost always looked like cloudy sky. So, with Casio’s new introduction of the EX-G1, I was intrigued to find out if the almost twice the cost as compared to the WS-80 was worth it. Jumping to the conclusion… yes, it’s worth every penny. Here are things I like, and don’t like. Slim design. Precision operation of controls. Interval shooting can be set to 10sec, 30 sec, 1min, 3min, and can record photos for 3, 10, 20, 30 minutes. The display can remain on during interval shooting, or you can configure it to be off (presumably to save battery power). The WS-80 didn’t have a display on/off option, and the interval settings may be slightly more flexible, but it’s insignificant. I also like the video record button, which with one press, starts filming. Casio’s Best Shot mode is also accessed with a single button press. The WS-80 has the battery, memory, and USB port under a single cover, which was quite flimsy such that I believe a bad drop would render the camera less than waterproof. The EX-G1 has two compartments. The battery compartment has a substantial and solid stainless steel door that takes quite a bit of effort to get open; a butter knife might come in handy. Perhaps in time it will operate more easily. The memory and USB compartment is accessed via a thumb knob that pops open the compartment cover. I like the precision operation of this compartment, but am a little concerned about an accidental opening while snorkeling, as the thumb knob need only be moved about 15 degrees (1/8 inch) to open the compartment below. A better design would have been more of a screw operation requiring a full revolution. Then again, the real probability of me inadvertently turning the thumb know is probably unlikely. I do have some concern about the tripod mount being off center. I also like the gazillion programmable options to setup and customize the camera to my liking. For example, photo’s can be shot in low, normal, or high detail, regardless of the size photo selected. Whereas the Optio WS-80 only took high detail photos in the 10MH mode. Small high quality photos are mostly acceptable for the photos I take. The USB interface is not “standard” such as what I use for my blackberry, or Motorola headset. It’s just slightly different… would have been nice if it were the same as the other couple USB cables I have competing for USB ports on my PC, but that’s not a big deal. For years I harped on a contact I have at Casio technical support to produce a camera with interval shooting… I’m happy it’s here, and that it comes in a waterproof, shockproof design. Even the packaging (the box it comes in) for the camera is cool; it looks sort of like a rock. I do wish they included a printed manual (the included CD contains the manual). The Pentax Optio WS-80 is being returned, but for buyers on a limited budget, it may suffice; however, the EX-G1 is well worth the extra money.

Amazing Weatherproof Camera
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
I got this camera as a Christmas gift and I was worried about the lack of reviews that were available. Anyways I decided to get this camera and take my chances. I chose to get a weatherproof camera because my last point and shoot camera that had lasted me for 3 years broke as soon as I dropped it in the sand. I needed a camera that I could take with me while I do everything and that would not break as soon as some water was spilled on it. I just got back from my ski trip and it was about 5 degrees and snowing and they had the snow makers on as well. I took my camera out of my pocket and took a video while skiing down a slope, by the end of the slope the camera was COVERED in ice and snow. I thought it was going to freeze and probably break my camera. I tried to get the ice off then I put it back in my pocket. When I checked back up on my camera it was fine and worked perfectly well. It didn’t even loose a single block of charge on the battery indicator. I was so proud of my camera’s performance that I thought I would share it with other people that are thinking about buying this camera. So as far as the rugidness goes, this camera is great and well worth the money.

Quality: I use a Canon DSLR for 90% of my shooting, so for me I was really worried about the quality and the need to use flash once again. After putting all of the Christmas day photos up on my computer to be edited using Photoshop’s Lightroom (one of the best and easiest tools to edit, and well worth the money) I could tell which photos were taken with the Casio ex-g1 and the canon xsi. However after some simple editing like red-eye and brightness and contrast the photos surprising look amazingly similar. Honestly for some of the photos I CANNOT tell which camera took the photo. The quality is good for what the camera does. If you are using the digital zoom you can bet your money the photo will not turn out well, but if you are using it for close up photos of family and friends or bright landscapes then you should be fine. I use this camera as my go anywhere do anything, fast camera when I just need a group shot of my friends or quick family photos taken. So for me the quality is really good.

Pros: Good quality shots, another amazing thing I forgot to mention was that this camera has about 1,000 different settings for a point and shoot you can truly control a lot of different things like a digital slr, the design is really cool as well it even has optional side protectors, extremly small and portable, thin, easy to use and understand menus, large and clear screen, quick start up time, many languages for menus, great weatherproofing

Cons: Time between photos is slightly long might also be due to my memory card speed, takes a mirco sd card which is really really small and easy to lose, you have to either use a key to open the battery compartment or use your fingernail but it is somewhat difficult to get used to

Same great features plus a little more…
Rating:4 out of 5 stars
I have had my camera for a few days so long term I’m not sure how it will hold up but if it’s anything like my old Casio it will do well.

I give it a 4 instead of a 5 because the way the battery is charged is by removing the battery each time =(. I had the Casio Z600 Casio Exilim EX-Z600 6MP Digital Camera with 3x Optical Anti-Shake Zoom (Silver)before this for 3 1/2 years and that camera charged by setting it onto a base. I assumed being similar design as the “boulder” phone that this camera would charge by setting on a base but I was wrong. My fault for not doing the research.

I pre-ordered this camera on Amazon because my camera finally broke after growing up with a 4 year old it had been dropped several times and taken thousands of pictures. I have been accused of being a paparazzi by my friends. I take at least 150 pictures a month and for a point and shoot gal that is a lot.

The quality of the pictures I have taken so far are wonderful. A feature that I especially love with 2 young children is when you are in video mode you can take a snapshot with out exiting the video. This also has one touch video once camera is on so no fiddling around with buttons when trying to capture the kids!

This camera takes the “miniSD” card Kingston 4GB Micro-SD Card With SD and Mini-SD Adapters – Retail Package. I did not know this either when I purchased but luckily I had a 2GB one in my camera I am using temporarily. With the 2GB you can take 425 pictures or 10 min of video. I like to use my video function so I plan on buying a bigger memory card.

I loved the BS aka Best Shot feature of my old camera because it shows you a picture of what the setting is instead of some random symbol. They have updated the camera so as you change lighting (walking from inside to outside) it will automatically adjust and grab a scene from the BS feature or you can go to the menu and select the scene that works.

The two sections of the camera that need to be opened regularly (1) to charge battery. 2) to remove memory card. ) seem not to click shut so it’s hard to tell when they are closed which is worrisome for the waterproof feature. The rubber gaskets make it a soft shut. The wheel that turns to open the compartment for the memory card is a little funky and I wonder how it will hold up.

The lens of the camera is always exposed so little hands make fingerprints on it but the plus side is that there is nothing to retract or extend and get damaged. I’m always wiping dust and fibers off so I hope it doesn’t scratch easily.

Overall I’m super excited about my new camera!

Casio quality and durability
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
I live in Montana and do a lot of outdoor photography. Kayaking in summer and skiing in winter calls for a durable, waterproof and compact camera. I have owned four Pentax Optios, WR33, W30 ,W60 and W80 and found each new model worse than the previous one; inferior optics and cheaply built. I have only kept the WR33. To replace the other three I chose a Casio Exilim EX G1 because I have never had a problem with my Casio GZ 1 cell phone or G-Shock watches, rugged and well designed. Since receiving the EX G1 in early December I have taken about 300 pictures outdoors and 100 indoors. The only problem is red eye reduction indoors due to the fact that the flash is located extremely close to the lens, but I still give the camera a well deserved 5 stars because of all its other features, after all it performs perfectly in freezing temperatures, can takes a beating (I’ve droped it twice and not even a scratch).It is also very small , Battery life is almost twice as long as my ex Pentax’s was. Bought an extra Casio battery and an 8 gig micro flash card.

Casio Exilim EX-G1 12.1 MP Slim-line Endurance Digital Camera with 3x Optical Zoom
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
The Casio Exilim is a great buy for outdoor enthusiasts. As a long-time user of Canon’s G-Series (with waterproof casing), this model is up to par having quality photo, video, and includes extra rugged protection unlike other cameras in its class.

A lot of internal goodies for a tough camera
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
I bought this camera as soon as it came out for x-mas and although i haven’t tested the durability, everything else is really great. Picture quality is good, lcd screen is clear, software layout is fairly easy to use, and so on. The thing i was really surprised by is how many picture options there were even though this is a tough camera; it really feels like casio took their exilim series camera (which i love) and stuck it in metal casing, which is probably exactly what they did. Further inspection on the rugged quality is required for a complete review for me though, we’ll see how it holds up in Brazil. Overall, i would suggest this camera to anyone, even if they don’t really need a tough camera its always good to be prepared even though it may cost more.

Impressive.
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
First of all, after looking at pictures of the camera, I really liked how macho, black camera looked. Almost can be described as “military grade”, and in same design league as Lamborghini Reventon.

When I received mine in the mail, I could not stop laughing, because that thing is so tiny. I don’t mean small, I mean smaller than iPhone tiny. I don’t care how big and scary you are, but if you holding your camera with two fingers, like a dirty napkin, that does not scream manly to me.

Lens is smaller than a fingernail.

After that initial impression things started to get better. Body is solid and sturdy. All latches and doors feel durable.

My other camera is Nikon D60 DSLR, and picture quality I will be comparing to that.

After spending a bit of time playing around with settings, I took some pictures indoors and outdoors, and I am incredibly impressed by picture quality. Outdoor shots are sharp and vibrant, indoor shots with flash are pretty decent, with very good color reproduction and almost perfect auto white balance. Indoor shots without flash, came out pretty good, after I manually lowered ISO and stabilized the camera. After importing pictures to Nikon Capture NX 2, and making quick adjustments, pictures look so good, you would never believe they came out of such tiny device.

Despite the fact that official specifications do not list any image stabilization, this camera has built in “anti shake” feature. I tried it with pictures and video and in both cases it did improve picture and video quality. I was able to make reasonably good shots in dark museum without flash.

Dedicated video capture button is awesome and you can take pictures while shooting video.

Overall, I’m very happy with it. It does not have adjustability that DSLR provides, but as a point and shoot goes, it does really good job at taking pictures with minimum involvement from the user.

Rugged and Ready
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
The Casio Exilim EX-G1 comes out of the box as a rugged and ready to go camera. Its build is sturdy, and although a little bit heavier than my previous camera (Nikon Coolpix S55), its slim profile more than makes up for it. Aesthetically, the red color version is beautiful and the aluminum casing makes it feel indestructible despite its small size.

I had no troubles opening the battery or memory card compartments. The instructions are clear and simple enough on the quick start guide that the full manual isn’t necessary unless you need more detailed info (FYI, the full manual does come with the camera, it’s just loaded on the CD, as opposed to a hard copy). The battery took roughly an hour and a half to fully charge. The user interface is friendly, and the navigation buttons are intuitive and well designed.

The Best Shot options, the alternative to Nikon’s “Scenes,” are plenty and quite nifty – including ones I’ve never seen before, like the Ebay and Dynamic modes. The EX-G1 also allows for adjustment of flash intensity, which makes it a plus when a standard intensity level simply doesn’t cut it for the different environments the camera is so well suited for. The picture quality, in both color and filtered modes, is comparable to my Nikon, which I thought was great for its price. The movie recording mode works quite well with good contrast and a relatively high resolution. There’re quite a few features that I haven’t yet figured out how to work, but so far, the EX-G1 hasn’t disappoint!

Good Camera
Rating:4 out of 5 stars
When you open the box and pick up this camera for the first time, you notice two things:

First: Its heavy. Not too heavy, but heavy.

Second: Its thin, much thinner than I expected it to be.

When you start it up, you are dazzled by the brightness and clarity of the LCD display.

I was used to smaller and not so bright displays.

I had to make changes to the saturation to get good pictures. The one picture of my sisters dog, Polly is after

I made changes to the settings.

I am pleased, amazed, at the video this camera takes, again much better than I had thought it would be.

I am a little disappointed at the quality of the pictures, not so much the color, but the whites. On my two GS Dogs

where the white blends into the black, the whites seem more like grayish and the blacks are blotted.

I will play with it more.

I also can’t find the owners manual; I don’t know if I lost it when I opened the box or if it did not come with the box.

Not that REAL MEN use owners manuals anyway. But it would be nice. Nothing on their website as of yet.

One more semi-negative thing:

Battery:

To charge it, you must remove the battery from the camera. On the Kodak, you just plug the mini-usb cable in and while you

are transferring pictures the camera charges. I had hoped, this would be the same, as it is very smart of anyone to allow this.

I guess not.

The good news is that you do not lose your time / date settings when you remove the battery.

Overall, for about three hours of use, I am pretty impressed with the camera. Its heavy and seems like it is put together

to last. I hope so for the money it costs.