EXILIM Zoom EX-Z550
HD video recording
Ready for the movies!
You can now film your videos in high-definition quality*! Using the HD Movie Function in the EXILIM EX-Z550, you can make colourful and high-detail videos with a resolution of 1280 x 720 pixels – simply press the movie button and recording begins.
*Max. recording duration of 29 minutes/video
YouTube™ Capture Mode
Share your videos with your friends!
It has never been easier to upload your own videos to YouTube™: With the EX-Z550, you can film* your most memorable moments directly in a video size and quality optimised for YouTube™! The exclusive software makes uploading** your videos to YouTube™ child's play.
*Max. recording duration of 29 minutes/video
** To upload your videos, you need an Internet connection. This may entail additional costs.
** To upload your videos, you need an Internet connection. This may entail additional costs.
Wide Movie Shooting
For a real home cinema experience
The Wide Movie shooting mode can be used to make video recordings in 16:9 Wide Screen format. So you can watch your videos on a plasma or LCD television in Wide Screen format, and say goodbye to annoying black edges or distorted images.
Pre-record mode
Do you want to film the past?
Pre-record can do just that! If you do not press the shutter release on time in important moments, the past 5 seconds will already have been saved!
How does Pre-record work? In this mode, the camera is constantly making recordings - and when you press the shutter release, the last 5 seconds are added to your current recording.
14.1 megapixels
Outstanding top performance
Within its compact and elegant housing, the
6.9-cm (2.7-inch) TFT colour display
Great views
The large 6.9 cm (2.7 inch) TFT colour display completes the design of the EX-Z550. It takes up the entire reverse of the camera, ensuring an exact view of all subjects, stored photos or films.
Intelligent AF function
Automatic focus
Your subjects need never again be out of focus in your photos! The intelligent AF function automatically focuses in on the ideal field of view and captures it clearly. The technology behind this feature recognises the size and contours of subjects when the shutter release button is pressed half way down and then automatically selects the optimum focus. All you have to do is relax and wait for the right moment, then press the shutter release button!
Various Flash
The flash for every situation
You can adapt the flash of the EXILIM Zoom EX-Z550 to different situations. The following presets are available for this:
• Red Eye-Reduction: reduces the "red eye effect"
• Soft Flash: for ideal illumination of the immediate area
• Auto: flash is switched on automatically when required
• On: flash always switched on
• Off: flash always switched off
Photo Formats
It's your choice
You're in charge – you can choose between 3:2, 4:3 and 16:9 formats. That is particularly practical if you will be showing your pictures on a screen, television or video projector with this format. The 3:2 format is the classic format for photos. With the aid of the 4:3 format you can admire your photos on the TV or on your PC. The 16:9 format is best suited to plasma and LCD-televisions.
AV socket
TV show instead of slide lecture
Invite your friends and relations to enjoy the best movies and photos in large-scale format. You simply connect your EXILIM Zoom EX-Z550 to a TV using the AV output.
Memory card slot
However you want
The EX-Z550 can save photos and films of your choice on SD/SDHC and MMC/MMC plus cards*. You can now decide which of these optional cards to use spontaneously and flexibly.
* Compatible with Eye-Fi Wireless.
Easy mode
Designed to take outstanding photos
In the EX-Z550 Easy Mode, you can take outstanding photos in any situation – without worrying about presettings or applying the wrong settings by mistake.
26 mm wide-angle lens
So far, so good!
Whether for landscape photos, tourist sights or group pictures in confined spaces: the 26 mm wide-angle lens* makes the EX-Z550 your perfect companion whatever the occasion. The 26 mm focal length allows you to capture a larger area and include several friends in a group photo from only a short distance away.
*equivalent to 35 film
4x optical zoom with mechanical image stabiliser
High performance
Zoom in on your favourite moments: The 4x optical zoom can bring even the most distant subjects up close, while the automatic mechanical image stabiliser significantly reduces blurring. The EX-Z550 has everything you need in any situation and guarantees outstanding photos.
Mechanical image stabilisation
Outstanding pictures
It is virtually impossible to hold a camera absolutely still. Even the slightest movement can cause blurring and lack of clarity in the photo. The mechanical image stabilisation captures these movements and balances them out mechanically with the help of CCD shift technology, reducing the likelihood of blurred photos to a minimum.
EXILIM Engine 5.0
Extremely powerful
The digital brain of the EXILIM camera is the EXILIM Engine 5.0. This innovative image processor functions according to a completely new concept to achieve particularly bright colour reproduction, high image quality and quick response times: The processor offers even better performance and is even faster, ensuring effective moiré and noise suppression without losing details. The EXILIM Engine 5.0 masters all challenges such as backlighting, portrait, landscape and night shots or poor lighting conditions. In addition, the image processor provides clever functions such as Intelligent Colour Technology, the new Dynamic Photo function, improved Make-up mode or the new Premium Auto mode, which independently analyses the exposure conditions and then automatically configures the optimal settings.
More on EXILIM Engine 5.0 in the specialPremium Auto mode
Perfectly equipped for every situation
Portrait, landscape, night or backlight photography: you will be able to take the most amazing photos with the EXILIM Zoom EX-Z550 even in poor lighting conditions. The highlight: In Premium Auto mode, the camera automatically recognises typical subject scenarios and adjusts the settings accordingly. Depending on the exposure conditions, BEST SHOT motif programs such as Auto BEST SHOT, night shot without tripod, Make-up mode, Landscape mode or Intelligent AF are activated. In this way, movements, shaking, backlight and even faces of people are automatically detected and perfectly focused and exposed. No need to worry which BEST SHOT mode is best suited for the situation; you can just focus completely on your subject. This results in top-quality, high-resolution photos.
NEW: Extended Dynamic Photo function
Bring your photos to life
With the extended Dynamic Photo function you can continue to cut out subjects from an image series, position them in front of a different background, change the size and combine them with fun animations. In addition, you now have even more amazing new options: Add a single stationary subject or one or more moving subjects into your films! A special highlight: You can not only provide animation for subjects that you add to your film, but you can also insert your own handwritten texts. What are you waiting for? Get creative, bring your snapshots to life and surprise your friends with a fun "Dynamic Photo" greeting with a personalised message!
Discover more about the Dynamic Photo functionMake-up Mode
Feel like a model
The EXILIM Zoom EX-Z550 also features a Make-up Mode Function for especially appealing portrait photographs. The outstanding image processing makes the skin on faces appear smoother and softens facial shadows caused by strong sunlight or illumination. You can select from twelve levels as desired – from minimum to maximum – and observe the effect on the TFT colour display while taking the photo.
Find out more about the Make-up Mode Function Face detection function
The simple touch
Whether you're on holiday, at a party or spending time with your family - people are particularly popular subjects for a photo. It's always a pity when faces turn out blurred on a picture. The Face Detection function now offers the perfect solution, recognizing the individual faces or even entire groups, and automatically applying the best possible setting.
BEST SHOT Art Shot
Discover the artist in you
Produce real works of art with the new BEST SHOT "Art Shot": With the new EXILIM Engine 5.0, the "Art Shot" can convert ordinary subjects into artistic images. Simply choose between Oil painting, crayon and watercolor — your photos are converted into little masterpieces without special artistic talent and expensive paints.
Landscape Mode
I like the sound of that!
The
BEST SHOT motif programmes
You don't need to be an expert to create great photos
From "Landscape" and "Portrait" right through to "Night scenes" or "Retro" look – your EXILIM EX-Z550 adapts flexibly to a whole host of requirements. To ensure that all your photos and movies are a success from the start, the flat digital camera comes with 42 presettings for a wide variety of situations. With BEST SHOT, you can also create and save your own settings, which can be selected at any time.
Overview of all BEST SHOT motif programmesBEST SHOT-Button
Why hide?
BEST SHOT motif settings are extremely practical and therefore can be accessed immediately at the touch of a button. From "Landscape" to "Sunset" your EX-Z550 readily adjusts to the most varied demands, regardless of whether you are taking photos or movies.
Hand-held night scene
Steady hand
With the newly developed image processor EXILIM Engine 5.0, your camera recognizes dark or night scenes automatically. Without the help of a tripod, the EX-Z550 reduces camera shakes, creating sharp, bright portraits and night shots.
Auto Shutter function
Enjoy the moment
Blurred images are usually the result of an unsteady camera action or subjects that move while the release button is being pressed. EXILIM offers a simple solution to the problem of blurred or shaky photos: The new Auto Shutter function can automatically determine the perfect moment to take a photo.
Working in conjunction with the Anti Blur Auto Shutter, Pan Auto Shutter, Smile Detection Auto Shutter and Self Portrait Auto Shutter functions, the new technology ensures rapid focus and takes the photo automatically when the image is steady, so the result is not impaired.
Anti Blur Auto Shutter
Hold it there!
The practical Anti Blur Auto Shutter function helps prevent shaking and blurring caused by movement; it does this by taking the photograph at the precise moment when your hand or the moving subject becomes still.
Pan Auto Shutter
Always on the move
Fast-moving subjects are very difficult to capture in a photo. When you activate the Pan Auto Shutter, the photo is automatically taken as soon as the moving subject becomes still in the display, e.g. when you follow it with the camera.
Smile Detection Auto Shutter
No smile, no photo!
Smile and the world smiles with you! The innovative Smile Detection Auto Shutter function ensures that you will never again miss that smile when taking photos. Press the release button as soon as you have the faces in the frame. The photo will then be taken, fully automatically, once the subjects are smiling.
Self Portrait Auto Shutter
Are we all in the photo?
Totally practical: the Self Portrait Auto Shutter function enables the camera to recognise faces. Once the release button is pressed, the camera prepares to take the photo and automatically does so once the faces of the subjects are located within the frame.
Advanced Auto Tracking AF Function
Everything in view
Dogs running, kids jumping around, moving cars - there are countless examples of moving subjects, which can try the patience of even professional photographers. Thanks to the Auto Tracking AF function with motion analysis, you can relax and concentrate on the overall subject. Press the release button half way down, to fix the focus for saving – as soon as you see the picture you want, simply press release!
Multi-motion function
Always on the move
The BEST SHOT function Multi-Motion-Image enables you to capture a movement sequence in just one single photo. Take a photo of the moving motif in front of a still background. This motif is photographed in a series of images which are compiled to one single picture by the new EXILIM Engine 5.0. This enables you to capture movements such as a snowboarding jump from the launch to the landing on one single photo.
Lighting function
Rich colours
The EX-Z550 can recognize and correct difficult light situations: the light function optimizes the brightness of faces automatically even in scenes with backlight simply by pressing the release button. Even the sky or buildings in the background that are subject to overexposure are rendered in full colour.
Specifications
| Number of Effective Pixels | 14.10 million | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Image Sensor | 1/2.3-inch square pixel CCD | ||
| Total Pixels | 14.48 million | ||
| File Format | Still Images | JPEG (Exif Version 2.2, DCF 1.0 standard, DPOF compliant) | |
| Movies | AVI format, Motion JPEG, IMA-ADPCM (monaural) | ||
| Audio (Voice Recording) | WAV format (monaural) | ||
| Built-in Flash Memory (Image Area)*1 | 24.5MB | ||
| Recording Media | SDHC Memory Card, SD Memory Card*2 | ||
| Number of Recorded Pixels | Still Images | 14M (4320 x 3240), 3:2 (4320 x 2880), 16:9 (4320 x 2432), 10M (3648 x 2736), 6M (2816 x 2112), 3M (2048 x 1536), VGA (640 x 480) | |
| Movies | HD: 1280 x 720 (24 fps) / STD: 640 x 480 (30 fps) / LP: 320 x 240 (15 fps) | ||
| Recording Capacity (Maximum Image Size Setting) | Still Images (JPEG) | Built-in Flash Memory | Approx. 2 shots (Fine) / 5 shots (Normal) / 7 shots (Economy) |
| SD Memory Card 1GB*3 | Approx. 103 shots (Fine) / 199 shots (Normal) / 298 shots (Economy) | ||
| Movies | Recording Time | Maximum Recording Time per File: 29 min | |
| SD Memory Card 1GB*3 | Approx. 6 min. 51 seconds (HD) | ||
| Operating Speed | Power on to First Shot*3*4*5 | Approx. 2.0 seconds | |
| Shutter Release Time Lag*3*4*5*6 | Approx. 0.009 second | ||
| Image Playback*3 | Approx. 0.1 second/image | ||
| Shot to Shot Time*3*4*5*6 | Approx. 2.0 seconds intervals | ||
| Auto Focus Speed | Approx. 0.20 second/image (At full wide angle; speed measurement conditions defined by CASIO) | ||
| Normal Speed Continuous Shutter*3*5*7 | Approx. 1.7 second intervals | ||
| High-speed Continuous Shutter*3*8 | Approx. 4 frames per second; max. 8 images at 1600 x 1200 pixels | ||
| Flash Continuous Shutter | No | ||
| Lens | Construction | 7 lenses in 6 groups, including aspherical lens | |
| F-number | F2.6 (W) to F5.9 (T) | ||
| Focal Length | f = 4.65 to 18.6 mm | ||
| 35mm Film Equivalent | Approx. 26 to 104 mm | ||
| Zoom | Optical Zoom | 4X | |
| Digital Zoom | 4X (16X in combination with optical zoom) | ||
| HD Zoom | 27.0X (image size: 640 x 480 pixels) | ||
| Focusing | Focus Type | Contrast Detection Auto Focus | |
| Focus Modes | Auto Focus, Macro Mode, Super Macro, Pan Focus, Infinity Mode, Manual Focus | ||
| AF Area | Intelligent, Spot, Multi, Tracking | ||
| AF Assist Lamp | No | ||
| Focus Range*9 (From Lens Surface) | Auto Focus | Approx. 15cm to infinity (W) | |
| Macro | Approx. 5cm to 50cm (First step from widest setting) | ||
| Super Macro | Approx. 5cm to 50cm | ||
| Infinity Mode | Infinity (W) | ||
| Manual Focus | Approx. 15cm to infinity (W) | ||
| Exposure | Exposure Metering | Multi-pattern, center weighted, spot by imaging element | |
| Exposure Control | Program AE | ||
| Exposure Compensation | -2EV to +2EV (in 1/3EV steps) | ||
| Shutter Type | CCD electronic shutter, mechanical shutter | ||
| Shutter Speed*10 | Auto | 1/2 to 1/2000 second | |
| Night Scene | 4 to 1/2000 second | ||
| Aperture*9 | F2.6 (W) to F7.8 (W)*11 | ||
| White Balance | Auto WB, Daylight, Overcast, Shade, Day White FL, Daylight FL, Tungsten, Manual WB | ||
| Sensitivity (SOS/REI)*12 | Still Images | Auto, ISO64, ISO100, ISO200, ISO400, ISO800, ISO1600, ISO3200 | |
| Movies | Auto | ||
| Other Recording Functions | Image Stabilization Mechanism | CCD-shift image stabilization | |
| Premium AUTO | Yes | ||
| Make-up Mode | Yes (12-level steps) | ||
| Landscape Mode | Yes (Vivid Landscape: 2-level steps / Mist Removal: 2-level steps) | ||
| Handheld Night Scene | Yes | ||
| Lighting Function | Yes | ||
| BEST SHOT | Yes: 42 scenes | ||
| Dynamic Photo | Yes | ||
| Art Shot Function*13 | Oil Painting, Crayon, Water Color | ||
| Multi-motion Image*13 | Yes | ||
| YouTube™ Capture Mode | Yes | ||
| Voice Recording | Yes | ||
| Face Detection | Yes | ||
| Auto Shutter | Yes | ||
| Self-timer | 10 seconds, 2 seconds, Triple Self-timer | ||
| Built-in Flash | Flash Modes | Auto, Flash Off, Flash On, Soft Flash, Red Eye Reduction | |
| Flash Range*8 | Approx. 0.15 to 5.8m (W), approx. 0.6 to 2.5m (T) | ||
| Flash Charge Time | Approx. max. 5 seconds | ||
| Monitor Screen | 2.7-inch TFT color LCD, 230,400 dots (960 x 240) | ||
| Timekeeping Functions | Date and Time | Recorded with image data | |
| On-image Time Stamp Function | Yes | ||
| Auto Calendar | To 2049 | ||
| World Time | 162 cities in 32 time zones, city name, date, time, daylight saving time | ||
| Input/Output Terminals | USB/AV port | ||
| USB | Hi-Speed USB | ||
| Microphone | Monaural | ||
| Speaker | Monaural | ||
| Power Requirements | Rechargeable lithium ion battery (NP-80) x 1 | ||
| Battery Life | Number of Shots*14 (CIPA Standards) | Approx. 250 still images | |
| Continuous Playback (Still Images)*14*15 | Approx. 4 hrs. | ||
| Continuous Movie Recording Time*16 | Approx. 1 hrs. 50 min. | ||
| Continuous Voice Recording Time*17 | Approx. 4 hrs. | ||
| Dimensions (CIPA Standards) | 99.5 (W) x 55.4 (H) x 22.4 (D) mm, 21.1mm thick excluding protruding parts | ||
| Weight (Including battery and memory card) | Approx. 137 g (CIPA Standards) | ||
| Weight (Excluding battery and memory card) | Approx. 116 g (CIPA Standards) | ||
| Bundled Accessories | Rechargeable lithium ion battery, lithium ion battery charger, AC power cord, USB cable, AV cable, strap, CD-ROM | ||
*1. Built-in memory capacity after formatting.
*2. Compatible with Eye-Fi Card, an SD memory card-type wireless LAN.
*3. When using Panasonic (Matsushita) Pro High Speed 1GB SD Memory Card.
*4. When using built-in memory.
*5. After Focussing
*6. With built-in flash off.
*7. When set at maximum image size and normal image quality.
*8. Max. recording capacity: 8 images, shutter speed 1/320 sec., image is fixed at 2M (1600x1200) pixels and normal image quality.
*9. Range is affected by optical zoom.
*10. Shutter speed range may be different depending on the BEST SHOT scene.
*11. F7.8 is the aperture when an ND filter is being used.
*12. SOS: Standard Output Sensitivity. REI: Recommended Exposure Index.
*13. Image size 2048 x 1536 pixels.
*14. Auto Mode, standard brightness monitor setting.
*15. Continuous playback conditions: Temperature: 23°C (73°F), scroll one image about every 10 seconds
*16. Continuous movie recording without zoom.
*17. Voice recording times are based on continuous recording.
EXILIM, Dynamic Photo and BEST SHOT are registered trademarks or trademarks of CASIO COMPUTER CO., LTD. YouTube™ is a registered trademark of YouTube™, LLC. Any other company or product names are registered trademarks or trademarks of those companies.
*2. Compatible with Eye-Fi Card, an SD memory card-type wireless LAN.
*3. When using Panasonic (Matsushita) Pro High Speed 1GB SD Memory Card.
*4. When using built-in memory.
*5. After Focussing
*6. With built-in flash off.
*7. When set at maximum image size and normal image quality.
*8. Max. recording capacity: 8 images, shutter speed 1/320 sec., image is fixed at 2M (1600x1200) pixels and normal image quality.
*9. Range is affected by optical zoom.
*10. Shutter speed range may be different depending on the BEST SHOT scene.
*11. F7.8 is the aperture when an ND filter is being used.
*12. SOS: Standard Output Sensitivity. REI: Recommended Exposure Index.
*13. Image size 2048 x 1536 pixels.
*14. Auto Mode, standard brightness monitor setting.
*15. Continuous playback conditions: Temperature: 23°C (73°F), scroll one image about every 10 seconds
*16. Continuous movie recording without zoom.
*17. Voice recording times are based on continuous recording.
Specs are subject to change w/o notice
