Casio EXILIM PRO EX-P6006.0 megapixels, a Canon 4x zoom lens, and a host of features.<<Viewfinder :(Previous) | (Next): Exposure & Flash>> Page 5:OpticsReview First Posted: 07/30/2004 |
Optics
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Much
to their credit, Casio went to Canon for the lens on the EX-P600, with the result
that the camera shows good optical characteristics. The all-glass Canon lens
on the EX-P600 is made up of eight elements in seven groups, and shows relatively
little chromatic aberration as well as little of the softening in the corners
of the frame that I've almost come to expect in digicam lenses. The 4x, 7.1-28.4mm
lens provides a focal length range equivalent to a 33-132mm zoom on a 35mm film
SLR, amounting to a pretty wide angle to a decent telephoto. Apertures range
from f/2.8 to f/8, with the maximum aperture setting dependent on the lens zoom
position, ranging up to f/4 at the maximum telephoto position. The EX-P600's
normal focusing distance extends from 1.3 feet (40 centimeters) to infinity,
and a macro setting permits focusing from 3.9 to 19.7 inches (10 to 50 centimeters).
The EX-P600's hybrid autofocus system employs both contrast-detection and phase difference methods to determine focus, though you can designate contrast-detection only through the exposure menu. The phase difference system accounts for its unusually fast autofocus speed, and also helps it focus under very low-light conditions. (Its shutter lag is right around 0.28 seconds in full autofocus mode, making it one of the fastest cameras on the market. It can also focus at light levels as low as 1/16 foot-candle, corresponding to an exposure of 15 seconds at f/2.8 at ISO 100, although I did encounter occasional focus errors at the darkest light levels I tested at.) A set of focus brackets in the LCD display outlines the main autofocus and exposure area, and you can choose between Spot, Multi, and Free AF area modes. Spot mode looks at only the very center of the frame, the area within the small white AF target marks on the viewfinder display. A wider set of AF marks indicates the Center AF area, which is a slightly larger central region. The Free setting is one of the most flexible AF area selectors I've seen on a digicam of this class, as you can literally select any point on the viewfinder display for the camera to judge focus from. In this mode, two lines appear on the LCD display, one vertical and one horizontal. The AF area is the point where the two come together (the corresponding area is actually displayed on the LCD screen like a coordinate). You simply use the arrow keys to move the crosshairs to any point on the screen, very handy for still subjects.
As I mentioned earlier, the EX-P600's AF system uses a hybrid focus mode by default, which combines standard contrast-detection AF with phase difference AF, depending on the location and type of subject. When in Hybrid AF mode, the camera uses one or the other AF methods to determine the best focus. An optional Continuous AF mode continuously checks focus and refocuses as conditions change, better for moving subjects, but actually slightly increasing the shutter delay for stationary ones. Finally, the EX-P600 features a fixed, Infinity focus setting, as well as a manual focus option. Pressing the Macro button three times activates manual focus mode. The center of the display is magnified, and a distance scale appears on the screen (though the distance scale doesn't report all of the focusing distances). You then use the right and left arrow keys to adjust the focus.
The EX-P600's lens provides up to 4x optical zoom, and the camera's 4x digital zoom increases that magnification to a maximum of 16x, although the digital zoom brings with it the usual reduction in resolution. Digital zoom is enabled through the Record menu and controlled by the Zoom Lever on top of the camera. Since digital zoom just crops out and enlarges the central pixels from the CCD's image, it directly trades resolution for magnification. This will result in very soft images if you're working at the camera's maximum file size, but can be useful if you're only need 640 x 480 pixels for web or email use.
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