Casio Exilim EX-ZR700 - It Could Have Been Much More
Image Quality, Performance and Sample Images
Image Quality and Performance
The main selling point of the ZR700 is its speed, both in terms of shutter lag and autofocus. While the overall speed of the camera was good, there were some issues and limitations.
Shooting moving objects require the use of the Tracking AF selection, and we found it acceptable for slower-moving subjects like toddlers and walking people. But for faster subjects like cars and birds, the camera still has a hard time locking onto the subject as it moves across the frame. To be fair, only DSLR cameras and mirrorless system cameras can easily tackle such fast-moving objects. But if you are going to purchase the ZR700 with the hopes of doing some sports or action photography, do manage your expectations. The good news about shooting action and sports is that the ZR700’s image stabilization is very good. As long as you have stable hands; there should be no problem even with shooting at the longest end and getting close to the action.
While the ZR700’s display looks good and shutter lag is close to non-existent, the problem is with the image quality itself; images straight out of the camera are not sharp upon closer inspection. Zooming in above 50% might disappoint those expecting more sharpness and resolution from their images. The ZR700 scored 1800LPH both vertically and horizontally, though its real-world performance leaves more to be desired. Shooting in low light conditions is the camera’s Achilles’ heel, due to the result of the noise reduction algorithm used as well as the less-than-sharp images resulting in photos with a notable loss of details. Shooting at ISO800 will produce a hazy image where details are smudged; so while there's minimal noise at that ISO setting, zooming in will reveal far too much loss of detail. Of course as with all digital compact cameras, if the images are going to be resized for online use and social media sharing, then there's not much of an issue. However as highlighted earlier, zooming in any more than 50% into the photo will reveal the lack of detail.