Casio Exilim EX-H20G: Fun Pocket Megazoom

18.02.2011
The 14-megapixel, 10X-optical-zoom ($300 as of February 13, 2011) is a great little travel companion, thanks to well-implemented in-camera mapping and GPS features that make it a near-perfect for your vacation.

Although it performs well overall, a few key features are missing: It lacks manual controls, it omits a burst-shooting mode, and it doesn't shoot the sharpest photos in low light. All in all, however, the EX-H20G offers a lot more to like than to complain about, and its battery life and its in-camera GPS features are among the best we've seen to date.

At 1.13 inches deep, 4.0 inches wide, and 2.7 inches high, the Exilim EX-H20G is a bit bigger than your average pocket camera. It's still small enough for roomier coat pockets or cargo pants, though.

The camera has a 14-megapixel CCD sensor (sized at 1/2.3 inches) behind its 10X-optical-zoom lens, which reaches from a very wide-angle 24mm to a telephoto end of 240mm. An additional 5X digital zoom is available beyond the telephoto end of the zoom range, but image quality gets downright rough once you dip into the digital zoom.

Maximum aperture settings range from F3.2 at the wide-angle end to F5.7 at the telephoto end, but the lack of manual controls and an aperture-priority mode means that you don't have direct control over its width. Shutter speeds are variable only through use of the camera's extensive array of scene modes; scene options such as "Soft Flowing Water" and "Fireworks," for instance, use slower shutter speeds, while modes such as "Pets" and "Sports" use faster ones.