Surprisingly good.
Pros:
Compact size, good picture quality in good light, variety of features.
Cons:
Needs better high ISO performance; let us choose from a range of apertures!
The Bottom Line:
A pocket camera that doesn't make you give up creative control of your pictures!
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Overall Rating:
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Author's Review
This camera has features only found in more expensive cameras, such as manual shutter/aperture control, aperture priority AE, shutter priority AE, manual white balance controls, adjustable focus and metering modes, manual focus mode, etc.
If you're an advanced photographer and want something that will give you a degree of creative control and yet fit in your pocket, this is the perfect camera for you.
Battery life is good, even using flash. You can shoot and shoot with this camera before charging it. And when you do charge it, it gets to 100% quickly.
Cons: I'd like to be able to charge it and transfer pictures without having to use the dock. That device is VERY unhandy when you primarily use a laptop or go on the road.
Also, I'd like to be able to set a full range of apertures in manual mode, instead of just being able to switch between a choice of two. You can cheat this by switching to shutter priority and adjusting the shutter speed to get the exact aperture you want, but this is a pain.
Picture quality is great. If you have the light, you can take pictures that rival a DSLR in quality.
Sample pics I've taken with this camera can be found here:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/mountaineerfan/tags/exz850/
Rugged design has held up well. First thing I did was get a silicon rubber cover for it, along with a screen protector. I carry this with me everywhere, and it has never missed a beat. But, the first thing you want to do is disable the top buttons from being able to power on the camera. It kept turning on in my pocket and trying to extend the lens until I disabled those two buttons from turning the camera on.
All in all, I am very happy with this camera and would buy it again.
