Digital Home Thoughts: Comparison Review: Casio EX-S770 vs. Casio EX-Z75

Sample Videos
Video quality was a mixed bag, though for some reason the S770 did markedly better than the Z75. The following two videos were shot at the same time and location, with the same settings, yet the S770 video is larger in size, and much smoother and less pixelated. Not sure why this would be, but if you plan to shoot video with your digital camera, the S770 should be your first choice.

Here are links to sample video from both cameras:

Sample video from the EX-S770, approx. 5 seconds long, 7.1MB.

Sample video from the EX-Z75, approx. 5 seconds long, 3.2MB.

Conclusions
So they have virtually identical image sensors and optics, nearly the same design, and take basically identical photos. If you have to pick one, which should it be? For my money, the EX-S770 wins this comparison for one simple reason: it includes a docking cradle.


Figure 11: The EX-S770 can stand tall in its cradle, but the EX-Z75 really falls flat.

Call me lazy, but when I get home from a trip, the last thing I want to do is have to remove the battery from my camera, plug it into a separate charger, and wait for it to charge before I can sync my photos. I want to drop the camera in the cradle, hit “sync”, and go. The EX-Z75's design makes this whole process harder than it needs to be.

The EX-S770 also includes a few extra features, such as a dedicated video recording button and a low-light assist lamp. The build quality is much better than the EX-Z75, and the LCD screen is brighter and easier to see. While the photo quality may be the same, the video quality isn't, with the S770 shooting much better videos than its less expensive cousin. Not bad for a street price difference of just $40-50.

If you’re in the market for a great point and shoot, the EX-S770 should be on the top of your list. The EX-Z75? Not so much.

Jeremy Charette is a Contributing Editor at Digital Media Thoughts, and also works in Procurement for one of the world’s largest banks. He enjoys reading, gaming, and racing in the SpecForza league. He lives in Brooklyn, NY, USA. He doesn’t know why any company would sell a portable device without a docking cradle.