If you’re a keen photographer and like to use either compacts (point and shoot) or need a compact to back up your main camera, you owe it to yourself to read this review! The quality and versatility of this little gem makes it my compact of 2009 by a long shot!

A good few weeks ago I approached Casio with a wish to review their compact camera range. It was a bit of a dichotomy because as a general rule I am not a big fan of compact cameras and yet it was this brand I wanted to trial before Christmas. My primary interest was two-fold: I didn’t know the Casio range and secondly their prices were exceptionally reasonable in each class. I recall advising the Casio representative that I was a hard cookie to crack when it came to compacts and his quiet confidence that I wouldn’t be disappointed.

A day later the EX-H10 arrived. To give you a visual idea of this camera, it is about the size of a standard packet of cigarettes – not your slimmest compact ever but certainly not huge. However for its reasonable size it boasted some amazing specifications, to say the least.
In fact, it is so well loaded with spec’s that it’s almost impossible to know where to start. However I shall endeavour to cover it off sufficiently to allow you to make a reasonably informed choice.

Firstly, it offers a battery that will last for 1000 photo’s. Despite using this camera across the last two weeks at parties (lots of flash work required); general walk-abouts around town involving extensive use of the zoom and constantly reviewing images taken plus some 500+ photographs and so on the list goes, the battery has me marvelling – it’s still absolutely fine!

Next is the wide-angle lens as standard. At 24mm, I constantly found myself looking at images I wanted to take and thinking “I’ll not be able to get that in without a panoramic setting” and whoa behold, the lens width allowed the shots without any issue at all! It’s superb! I’d struggle now to return to the standard 35mm lens of most compacts.

However not content to just offer a wide-angle lens, Casio also threw in a zoom facility that even writing this has me smiling. It’s a 10x optical zoom and so far the best zoom I’ve yet experienced on a compact. Just before the Casio arrived I saw an image locally that I wanted to capture but the standard compact I had with me wouldn’t allow it. The EX-H10 had no problem with it – in fact is superseded my expectations by far.
Of course, anti-shake is standard and works very well even when the zoom is at maximum, in good light.
Behind these two gems is 12MP capacity – you want posters, you can have posters (and then a bit!)

The model I was sent is metallic black and in my opinion it looks more expensive than it is. With eleven buttons and the zoom control on the casing, it’s wonderfully simple to use. Some thought has definitely been given in adding a ‘Landscape’ and ‘Make-Up’ button on the top left of the casing.
The landscape facility reduces haze and makes the colour more striking. The make-up setting softens the image and reduces shadows. Both settings can be tweaked further to maximise an excellent photograph.

To see your images, you’ve a massive 3 inch screen and on the left of that displays your current settings for very quick and easy adjustment. This camera is definitely built with simplicity and quality as its guidelines and it has worked very well. I recall my delight in turning the camera off and then turning it back on to find it reverted to the settings and zoom position when I had pressed ‘off’. A small touch but wonderfully useful!

On the back of the camera, beside that fabulous 3 inch viewing screen there are a simple array of buttons. The top one takes you straight in to Movie mode – no fussing around to find that setting. The movie mode isn’t great – perhaps the weakest area of the EX-H10. However my personal stance is it is a compact camera, not an accomplished video camera and the lack of optical zoom (digital available) and only 10 minutes record time doesn’t faze me at all. I’m not buying the camera for that function and what it does in that mode is adequate.
Below the Movie Mode button are two separate buttons to allow you into camera mode – take the picture, Alex – and directly beneath is your  review mode – what did you just take a picture of, Alex?
Directly beneath this is your settings button(s) allowing you to access to ...settings ... File / photograph deletion etc. All fairly standard and right there for very simple access.
Below is the menu button bringing up three further lists on your screen allowing you to set things such as the date, formatting your memory card etc etc. Pretty standard if you’re familiar with digital compacts.
However the button underneath got my attention. Labelled as “BS” (which would make me grin on any day) is stands for “Best Shot” and is loaded with 38 different “Best Shot” settings – Food, fireworks, portrait at night ... the list just goes on and on! There is of course an automatic best shot function – select that and the camera will try and figure out what it’s being pointed at and adjust the settings accordingly. I was surprised at the accuracy of this but miffed at the flash settings which seldom complimented the situation.

Talking of Flash settings Casio have added, aside from the typical Flash, Flash Off and Red-Eye Reduction an excellent “Soft Flash”. Attending PI’s birthday party recently with only the EX-H10 in my pocket but also being the primary photographer, I hoped to god the Casio wouldn’t let me down. Punching in “Extra Light” and “Soft Flash”, PI ended up with a very flattering collection of photo’s of a great party. The Casio came through superbly. Her friends were well lit, the background came through and no one was obliterated with blinding white light causing ghastly over-exposure.
Picture quality was also superb – within the range that this camera falls. There is some noise at various settings but again, considering the target audience of this camera, I’d only be splitting hairs and reverting to my usual compact snobbery if I laboured it too much. Overall the quality supersedes my expectations of a ‘point’n’shoot’ compact. In fact the only camera I know that would possibly beat the EX-H10 is somewhat more expensive and in my opinion not as well designed.

As a final “check this out” the camera also sports a “Dynamic Photo” capacity. What? Yeah precisely but bear with me as this will appeal to many. Imagine a child doing a cartwheel – you’d need a multitude of photo’s to capture the action from start to finish but with the Dynamic facility you can overlay each shot and bring it into one photograph. Tickled me no end!

Is there anything I don’t like about the EX-H10? Yes. One thing that really got my goat and that was that Casio have decided to pump out the instructions via PDF on a CD ROM. It’s a huge letdown – and not the easiest thing in the World to navigate. Shame on them.  As someone who is relatively computer savvy it’s no skin off my nose but I think people like my Mum who loves to take long Sunday walks through bluebell woods and capture the amazing colours, forcing her to navigate a PDF manual is ... well, it’s cruddy to be honest. The camera is easily used and navigated without needing to refer to the manual – if you’re already relatively fluent with the world of digital compacts but Tsk, this is one thing they do need to sort out.
However, so good is the camera, so versatile, so well built that despite my despair of the instructions and small hesitations over some of the “Best Shot” settings this camera gets a 10/10. For its price, its build, its capabilities – not to mention the extraordinary offer, below! – this camera is my compact choice for 2009. Dear Casio representative – your confidence was well placed and my cynicism is quite rightly defunct.

Available from www.casioatcarnaby.co.uk with an RRP of £280

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