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Casio EXILIM PRO EX-P600 6.0 megapixels, a Canon 4x zoom lens, and a host of features. Select a topic Reference: Datasheet EX-P600 Photo Gallery! EX-P600 Sample Images --------------------------------- 1. Intro and Highlights 2. Executive Overview 3. Design 4. Viewfinder 5. Optics 6. Exposure & Flash 7. Shutter Lag & Cycle Time Tests 8. Operation & User Interface 9. Camera Modes & Menus 10. Image Storage & Interface 11. Video, Power, Software 12. Test Results & Conclusion --------------------------------- Print-Friendly Review Version Additional Resources and Other Links Reader Comments on EX-P600 Review --------------------------------- Digital Camera Comparometer (TM) --------------------------------- <-- Digital Cameras (Home) <-- Digital Camera Reviews Index <<Camera Modes & Menus :(Previous) | (Next): Video, Power, Software>> Page 10:Image Storage & Interface Review First Posted: 07/30/2004

Image Storage and Interface

The EX-P600 stores images either in its 9.2 megabytes of internal memory, or on an SD/MMC type memory card. Because the camera has its own built-in memory, it does not come with a "starter" memory card. Thus, I'd advise picking up a large memory card right away, given the EX-P600's maximum 2,816 x 2,112-pixel resolution. (64 MB would be an absolute minimum, 128 MB comfortable, and 256 MB preferable.) Through the camera's Playback menu, you can copy images from the internal memory to a memory card, and vice versa. A Protect option in the Playback menu lets you mark all images or individual images for write-protection, which does not protect against formatting. The Playback menu also offers a wide range of image management tools, including an album and favorites option, and cropping and resizing tools.

The EX-P600 can store images in both uncompressed TIFF and compressed JPEG file formats. JPEG compression levels include Fine, Normal, and Economy. Resolutions include 2,816 x 2,112; 2,816 x 1,872 (3:2 aspect ratio); 2,048 x 1,536; 1,600 x 1,200; 1,280 x 960; and 640 x 480 pixels.

The table below shows the approximate size and compression ratio of each of the EX-P600's size/quality setting combinations, along with how many of each image size can fit on a 128MB memory card.

Image Capacity vs Resolution/Quality 128 MB Card		TIFF	Fine	Normal	Basic
2,816 x 2,112	Images (Avg size)	6 17.8 MB	40 3.2 MB	49 2.6 MB	73 1.8 MB
	Approx. Compression	1:1	6:1	7:1	10:1
2,048 x 1,536	Images (Avg size)	11 9.4 MB	69 1.9 MB	92 1.3 MB	178 719 KB
	Approx. Compression	1:1	5:1	7:1	13:1
1,200 x 1600	Images (Avg size)	18 5.8 MB	107 1.2 MB	159 803 KB	311 411 KB
	Approx. Compression	1:1	5:1	7:1	14:1
1280 x 960	Images (Avg size)	28 3.7 MB	166 771 KB	254 503 KB	447 286 KB
	Approx. Compression	1:1	5:1	7:1	13:1
640 x 480	Images (Avg size)	112 921 KB	594 215 KB	779 164 KB	1247 103 KB
	Approx. Compression	1:1	4:1	6:1	9:1

The EX-P600 comes with interface software and cables for both Mac and Windows computers. It employs a USB interface for high-speed computer connection, and implements a "storage-class" connection (which lets you connect the camera directly to a Windows Me, 2000, or XP computer, or a Mac running OS version 8.6 or later, without the need for driver software). An option for PTP (PictBridge) USB is available through the Setup menu, for direct printing to PictBridge and USB Direct Print printers.

Downloading files to my Sony desktop running Windows XP (Pentium IV, 2.4 GHz), I clocked it at 769 KBytes/second. This is a bit faster than USB v1.1 interfaces can manage, but at the low end of the range for cameras having high-speed USB v2.0 connections. In any case though, it's fast enough that you won't likely need an external card reader. (Cameras with slow USB interfaces run as low as 300 KB/s, cameras with fast v1.1 interfaces run as high as 600 KB/s. Cameras with USB v2.0 interfaces run as fast as several megabytes/second.)