Casio EX-S10 Performance

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Casio EX-S10 Performance

Timing and Performance

Overall very good speed for a consumer camera.

Startup/Shutdown
Power on to first shot	1.5 seconds	Time it takes for LCD to turn on and lens to deploy and capture a picture.
Shutdown	1.5 seconds	How long it takes to retract lens.
Buffer clearing time	2.5 seconds (2.5 seconds buffer clearing in LF JPEG single shot mode)	Worst case buffer clearing time. -- This is the delay after a set of shots before you can remove the card. Some cameras won't retract their lenses and shut down until the buffer is cleared.

About average times here; Power on is a bit better than average, shutdown is average.

Mode Switching
Play to Record, first shot	0.8 second	Time until first shot is captured.
Record to play	1.5 seconds	Time to display a large/fine file immediately after capture.
Display recorded image	0.8 second	Time to display a large/fine file already on the memory card.

Mode switching times are better than average.

Shutter Response (Lag Time)
Full Autofocus Wide	0.13 second	Time from fully pressing shutter button to image capture, zoom lens at wide angle position.
Full Autofocus Wide Flash enabled	0.49 second	Time from fully pressing shutter button to image capture, zoom lens at wide angle position, with flash.
Full Autofocus Tele	0.57 second	Time from fully pressing shutter button to image capture, zoom lens at telephoto position.
Prefocused	0.008 second	Time to capture, after half-pressing and holding shutter button.
Manual Focus	0.13 second	For most cameras, shutter lag is less in manual focus than autofocus, but usually not as fast as when the camera is "prefocused"

Shutter response is surprisingly quick, better than average at both wide angle and telephoto, at 0.13s (!) and 0.57s respectively, and "prefocusing" the camera by half-pressing and holding down the shutter button before the final exposure results in a lag time of only 0.008 second. Impressive results here, especially for a compact.

Cycle Time (shot to shot)
Single Shot mode Large Fine JPEG	2.27 seconds	Time per shot, averaged over 20 shots.
Single Shot mode 640x480 Normal JPEG	1.89 seconds	Time per shot, averaged over 20 shots.
Early shutter penalty?	YES	Some cameras don't snap another shot if you release and press the shutter too quickly in Single Shot mode, making "No" the preferred answer.
Continuous mode Large Fine JPEG (Normal Speed)	1.95 second (0.51 frames per second); >20 frames total; 2 seconds to clear	Time per shot, averaged over buffer length or 20 shots, whichever came first.
Continuous mode 640x480 JPEG (Normal Speed)	0.72 second (1.39 frames per second); >20 frames total; 1 second to clear	Time per shot, averaged over buffer length or 20 shots, whichever came first.
Continuous mode (High Speed) Note: Forces picture to 2MP	0.32 second (3.13 frames per second); >20 frames total; 0.5 second to clear	Time per shot, averaged over buffer length or 20 shots, whichever came first.
Flash recycling	3.1 second	Flash at maximum output.
*Note: Buffer clearing times measured with a SanDisk Extreme III SD memory card. Slower cards will produce correspondingly slower clearing times. Slow cards may also limit length of bursts in continuous mode. ISO sensitivity also affects cycle times and burst mode performance, with higher ISOs generally increasing cycle times and reducing burst performance.

Shot-to-shot cycle times are pretty good overall, though the 2.27s time for large/fine JPEGs is a little on the sluggish side. Continuous mode speeds are slower than average at the normal settings, though the High Speed mode offers a zippy 3.13 frames per second for over 20 frames. The flash takes 3.1 seconds to recharge after a full-power shot, which is quite good, but then the flash itself is pretty underpowered, typical of a subcompact digicam.

Download Speed
Windows Computer, USB 2.0	5,114 KBytes/sec	Typical Values: Less than 600=USB 1.1; 600-769=USB 2.0 Low; Above 770=USB 2.0 High

Connected to a computer or printer with USB 2.0, download speeds are quite fast.

Bottom line, the Casio EXILIM CARD EX-S10 is responsive under a variety of conditions. Though shot-to-shot speeds are a little slower for large/fine JPEGs, shutter lag is impressive and the High Speed Continuous mode should keep pace with fast action. Overall, good results.

Battery and Storage Capacity

Battery
Average battery life for a lithium-ion design.

Operating Mode	Number of Shots
Lithium-ion Rechargeable Battery, (CIPA standard)	280

The Casio EXILIM CARD EX-S10 uses a custom rechargeable lithium-ion battery for power, and ships with a charger. Although battery life is about average, we recommend you pick up a spare battery and keep it freshly charged and on-hand for extended outings.

The table above shows the number of shots the camera is capable of (on a fully-charged rechargeable battery), based on CIPA battery-life and/or manufacturer standard test conditions.

(Interested readers can find an English translation of the CIPA DC-002 standards document here. (180K PDF document))

Storage
The Casio EXILIM CARD EX-S10 accepts SDHC/SD/MMC memory cards, and includes about 12MB of internal memory. No card is included with the camera.

Image Capacity with 12MB Internal Memory		Fine	Normal	Basic
3,648 x 2,736	Images	1	3	5
3,648 x 2,736	File Size	6.6 MB	3.5 MB	2.3 MB
3,072 x 2,304	Images	2	5	7
3,072 x 2,304	File Size	4.4 MB	2.4 MB	1.6 MB
2,304 x 1,728	Images	4	8	12
2,304 x 1,728	File Size	2.6 MB	1.4 MB	930 KB
1,600 x 1,200	Images	9	14	24
1,600 x 1,200	File Size	1.3 MB	817 KB	486 KB
640 x 480	Images	35	61	82
640 x 480	File Size	341 KB	196 KB	145 KB

We strongly recommend buying a large capacity SDHC or SD memory card at least a 1GB card, preferably a 4GB one, to give yourself extra space for extended outings and video. (Check the shopping link above, cards are really cheap these days, so no reason to skimp.)