Casio Exilim EX-V7 digital camera

Taking their cue from camera phones, digital compact cameras on which the user simply slides open the lens cover to take a snap are growing in popularity, with almost identical products from HP (the R837) and Sony (the T100) in recent weeks.

Casio’s seven megapixel EX-V7, however, betters them both by squeezing a non-protruding 7x optical zoom into a body that’s just 20.8mm wide, making it the world’s slimmest camera to boast such a lens reach: that’s more than you’ll get from your Nokia. Likewise, if you don’t mind a drop in resolution to three megapixels, the lens can be extended to the equivalent of a 10x zoom.

As well as camera and cables, the box contains a shiny black plastic docking station that acts as a means of recharging the EX-V7’s battery, downloading snaps to the PC or replaying them on the TV.

The camera sits on the station at a slight angle, so that the rear 2.5-in LCD is always most prominent in your field of view. Slide that lens cover open and the Casio is ready for its’ first shot in a second, silently and smoothly zooming from maximum wide angle setting to full close up in three seconds.

To combat camera shake (or hand wobble), Casio has combined a digital mechanism that both selects high ISO light sensitivity settings (up to ISO1600) and a fast shutter speed, with a mechanical one known as ‘CCD-shift’ that actually moves the internal chip to compensate for shake.

Despite this, there’s some softness in images taken at maximum zoom, and loss of detail towards the edges at extreme wide angle. Inevitably, cramming a big zoom into a small body means there’s some compromise like this. Likewise, the position of the lens to the side of the body means stray fingertips can slip into shot.

More positively, colours are realistically rendered, with reds, greens and blues particularly vivid. A mode wheel on the back of the camera allows speedy access to the main shooting modes – including 33 ‘best shot’ modes for common scenarios – while there are similarly user friendly buttons for calling up menus and playback. The Exilim EX-V7, then, is a speedy snapper that ticks most boxes.