Some helpful information about the Casio EX-V8 camera, early days and will grow as I discover more about the camera.
As at July 2008 it is slightly disturbing that the EX-V8 seems to have
dropped right off the Casio site except for the still available
firmware downloads, FAQs etc. There has been no hint of a following
line or update, so maybe we need to wait until September 2008 Photokina
to see if this line proceeds. Maybe there was some licensing
arrangement that fell through, or the sensor size used is no longer
available and the redesign for the larger chip would be too expensive -
who knows. The same lens arrangement is in the Pentax Optio Z10 but the
rest of the body and battery etc is different. Whoever makes this lens
assembly is a mystery to me but it works brilliantly and the ISO 50
results allow large prints with ease at any zoom setting. I really like
this camera and the results it gives.
Until a more detailed comments page is made, just a few items will appear here.....
General operation is very quiet, the zoom is internal and almost
completely silent, thus allowing zoom during movies. The loudest thing
is the focus confirmation beep and that can be turned off for real
stealth mode. The internal zoom ensures that the camera always looks
the same whether it is at wide or maximum tele setting.
The movie capabilities differ from country to country, the USA version
has a 4 gig file limit for a movie file, which is the limit anyway for
the file system used. The Australian and European models seem to have a
10 minute time limit on any one movie file, so please do not try to
copy Russian Ark and do a two hour movie in one take.
The feature that I like is the ability to store up to 999 custom
settings via the Best Shots system, but it takes some self organisation
to set that up to your own needs and then to recognise which of
your Best Shots has what settings. More on that later on a separate
page.
Image noise builds up at higher ISO settings, so if attempting large
prints of A3 size (about 11"x16") then always use ISO 50 and a tripod
and delayed shutter release for most reliable results. If only printing
postcard size of about 4"x6" then any ISO works fine.
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