Casio EX-Z1000 & EWC-80 Housing Review
November 23rd, 2006
Of all the reviews I write, I field the most questions about camera systems. Just last night in fact, I ran into a diver who bought the Canon SD550 w/ WP-DC70 housing after reading my review of it. This made me realize the need to get off my duff and write about the latest system I’ve been using, which has treated me very well.
The Camera - EX-Z1000
Let’s start with the camera. The Casio EX-Z1000 is a 10.1 Megapixel camera, from the EXILIM ZOOM line of Casio products. In general, these cameras are stylish, small and sport huge digital displays. The EX-Z1000 is no exception. It’s best feature is the gargantuan 2.8″ LCD display (230,400 pixels), that allows the diver to compose shots from arm’s length instead of inches from the mask. Of all the cameras I’ve used or tested, this LCD is the biggest and brightest by quite a margin. I love being able to actually see the detail in the shots I’m about to take or am reviewing on the surface. The camera comes in stealthy black or shiny silver. It’s compact and light, weighing in at only 139 grams (w/o battery).
The next strongest offering of this camera is the battery life. As I noted in my previous review of the Canon SD500, the biggest drawback was the lack of longevity when it came to battery life. The Canon typically yielded 2 dives per recharge, turning the camera on and off during the dive. I’ve gotten a maximum of six dives out of a single charge with the Casio, but it typically lasts around four, with the camera on (in sleep mode) during the dives. This makes a huge difference. No matter how sophisticated your camera is, if your juice is low and you’ve got the opportunity to shoot some amazing subjects, you’re essentially dead in the water (from a photography standpoint).
Of course, the next big ‘wow factor’ is the high resolution the Casio is capable of cramming into such a small body. With a newly-designed 1/1.8 inch, 10.1 MP CCD, the EX-Z1000 takes incredibly crisp and vibrant shots. Many say that cameras with resolution beyond 6 or 7MP offer diminishing returns, and to some degree they are correct. The additional capacity needed to store those photos is sometimes prohibitive, and the speed at which the images are processed can also act as a bottleneck when trying to shoot photos in rapid succession. Of course, you can always dial down the resolution if this is the case. Still, you’ll probably want at least a 1 GB SD card at a decent read/write speed to optimize the functionality of your EX-Z1000, and to take advantage of the ‘rapid flash’ function - which allows you to take up to three shots per second. I find the additional MP to be of great use, since many of my shots employ both the use of macro and are cropped in the end (I love the micro-aquatic subjects).
The user interface is very friendly on the surface*, and everything is right where you’d expect it. The menus are so simple, in fact, that at first pass I thought functions were missing when they were actually just so well placed that it takes a few moments to realize they’re right where they should be. Manual white balance is easy to find, for shooting w/o flash in clear(er) waters. With Casio electronics mated with Pentax optics, the Casio EXILIM line of cameras have taken compact digitals to a new level. As you may already know, I’m a big fan of the Pentax Optio line as well, the cousins to the EXILIMs of which I’ve had three models in the past.
The EX-Z1000 is also faster than any other camera I’ve used. The camera is ready to shoot just 1.3 seconds after switching on and has a shutter lag time of .002 seconds. This translates into capturing those elusive fish that are gone in a blink of an eye. Even the image playback is incredibly fast.
High resolution video is also a major plus offered by this camera. At VGA 640X480 pixels and 25 frames per second, the Casio can capture some great motion. Add to this the digital image stabilization and you’ve got a decent movie of the seals zooming around at Cove 2.
The Casio EX-Z1000 takes great closeups, with a macro focus distance of 6cm - 50cm. It also employs a 9-point Multi AF function, designed for shooting subjects with multiple focus points. I’ve found this to be less reliable than that of the Canon, and I generally leave it on center-focus, which has its own drawbacks. This is one of the few shortcomings of the camera. Another feature I have yet to use is the ‘Zoom Continuous Shutter’ mode, which essentially allows the photographer to compare a wide angle and a telephoto shot in the same display and to take both shots simultaneously with one press of the shutter. Of course, there is little need for this feature underwater, but it sounds cool, eh?
The Housing - EWC-80
I’ve always been a big fan of OEM housings, figuring that the designers of the camera itself probably have a better idea of what a housing needs to have than an aftermarket manufacturer that has to wait for the camera to be release, or decides to make guesses to time the market. The Casio EWC-80 falls right in line with the Pentax housings I used to love. It is simple and thoughtfully designed.
The EWC-80 is slightly negatively buoyant (w00t!), as it should be for convenience - unlike some other housings which require you to add additional weight for proper buoyancy. The housing is small; makes good use of space. Clear polycarbonate and high-density orange plastic make up the bulk of the housing.
I very much appreciate the soft internal padding provided which keeps the camera from being scratched and provides some extra cushion, needed when you’re trudging across the beach and the camera takes a few bumps. Another thoughtful element of the design is a small cut-out from the housing’s inner lip, provided for easy removal of the o-ring. None of the other OEM housings I’ve used had this, and it actually is very helpful, as you don’t have to find something to slip under the o-ring for removal and cleaning.
The housing is good down to a recommended 40 meters/130 feet (by no coincidence, the limit of recreational diving), and comes with a diffuser that snaps onto the lens window. The lens port itself is single-paned (as opposed to double-paned with the WP-DC70), but I haven’t noticed any problems with fogging.
The primary shortcomings of the housing have to do with usability. For one, the shutter button is designed as a lever, which is great on the surface (where you won’t be needing a housing) since it provides an very easy depression. Yet underwater, wearing gloves, this can result in the camera being extremely trigger-happy in the beginning. I have grown somewhat accustomed to it after much practice, but I still like having a bit more resistance so that you can actually feel the difference between halfway (for focusing and light metering) and full depression (taking the shot). This is just a result of the lever design, and you can get better at it by pressing more directly over the joined end of the lever (thus reducing the lever-arm effect). Also, the central button cluster on the LCD side of the housing is, well…. clustered. The buttons are so close together that I oftentimes hit the wrong one. This is an annoyance more than anything else.
Bottom Line & Pricing
In all, the benefits far outweigh the negatives, and with a little use the shortcomings can be compensated for. Mated together, the EX-Z1000 and the EWC-80 provide a balanced, compact and user-friendly package. The powerful, variable-strength internal flash and the high resolution CCD allow for crisp and vibrant images without the need for an external strobe (at least in these waters). In my opinion, this is the best, most powerful compact camera/housing pair on the market right now, and at under $500 for the complete setup (at the time of this article) - it’s a terrific value as well.
Additional resources:
DPreview technical specs & review of Casio EX-Z1000
Digideep specs of Casio EWC-80 Housing
Update: A new version of this camera is now available. The Casio EX-Z1050. This camera will require a new housing, the EWC-90, since the new camera is thinner and has a larger(!) display.
Sample Photos:
white tipped nudibranch - Sechelt, BC
giant pacific octopus - Cove 2, Puget Sound
stubby squid - Cove 3, Puget Sound
ling cod - Sechelt, BC
Entry Filed under: Gear
25 Comments
Add your ownApril 1st, 2007 at 3:17 pm
Calvin,
Love the camera. But have a heck of a time putting photos where I want them on my computer (in the “My Pictures” folder). They load into the Library just fine and I can view them there but doing everything else seems very complicated. It may just be me-I’m not a computer person. I’ve found a way to do it. I click on each photo individually, save them with the same name that appears with it (CM…), transfer them where I want them, then rename them once they are in the appropriate place on my computer. If I try to rename them as I save them, they change how they are saved and I have to bring up Windows Picture Viewer to view them, can’t do a slide show, run into all sorts of problems.
And in the Library that they get saved into, I don’t seem to be able to do much with them. Like I said, that’s probably me but it seems like there should be an easier way to save them.
Is any of this making sense?
Thanks for your help.
Georgia
April 1st, 2007 at 4:44 pm
Hi Georgia,
Thank you for the feedback and sorry to hear you’re having trouble. Unfortunately, it seems like the issues you’re having are with your computer, not with the Casio camera or housing.
Since I’m a Mac guy, I’m not able to offer much advice in the way of how a PC works. Perhaps you can highlight all of the photos in the library at once, then right click and copy or move them to the desired folder.
I hope this helps,
Calvin
April 12th, 2007 at 11:38 am
Georgia:
Try Picasa Photo Album - it is a free software that allows you to organize your photos. Their import feature is pretty much straight forward, and I think it’s better than that Photo Loader program that comes with Z1000. Picasa also will let you create online album with one click upload as well as basic features to edit photos.
I do design for living, and use Photoshop and other organizing apps all the time, but the first thing I did when I bought z1000 and housing last year was to download Picasa just for the ease of use and sharing my u/w photos with friends and family right away, not a year later when I eventually burnt CD.
Picasa Information and Download can be found here:
http://picasa.google.com/index.html
Good Luck!
K
April 29th, 2007 at 10:41 pm
Hi Calvin
Am looking to get a small camera that can be used to record fish seen for a survey being conducted here off Adelaide South Australia, specifically we are looking to identify fish species that are cryptic by nature and not often seen or recorded. Hence the need for a simple tool to take images of these fish for later disscussion and identification. Our need then is not as for one who is taking images for publication. My question is do you think this kind of camera (the EX-Z1000 or 1050) would serve the purpose well, and what is the difference between the two. Cheers from down-under
Adrian
April 30th, 2007 at 5:36 pm
Adrian,
Given the small price between the two models, I’d go for the Z1050 over the Z1000. I don’t think the 1050 has enough features to warrant an upgrade, but it does have some nice things that are worth the nominal difference in cost.
A few features I like of the 1050:
- Slightly larger display
- ISO up to 800 (rather than 400)
- A new ‘tracking’ focus mode, in addition to spot and multi
- Better image processing, good for low light conditions
More info at DPreview
Cheers,
Calvin
May 1st, 2007 at 3:44 pm
Hi Calvin!
I’m a bit confused here. The 1000 has a 2.8″ screen and the 1050 has a 2.6″ screen. How is the 1050 “larger”? Thoughts?
I’m getting ready to make this purchase soon and was going to buy the 1000 because of the larger screen until I read what you wrote here. Explanation?
Thanks! Tom
May 1st, 2007 at 5:32 pm
Tom, I think you’re right. It’s a wider ‘aspect ratio’, not screen.
“Newly developed 2.6 inch Wide and Bright LCD display (maximum brightness of 1,000 cd/m2 at centre of screen).”
June 25th, 2007 at 5:11 pm
I flooded my camera OLY sp-350 this weekend and unfortunately or fortunatley its toast
I’ve not been real happy with a number of features like the lag time between shots…Do you still like your casio exz1000? do you use the sea life sl960d stobe with it? Do you recommend the 1050 vs. the 1000?
June 27th, 2007 at 3:00 pm
Pam,
I now have the Z-1050. I wouldn’t say that one is *better* than the other. The 1000 has a larger screen and I would say produces slightly ‘warmer’ photos, while the 1050 has some neat new features such as the tracking focus. It’s a matter of preference if you ask me (and possibly cost).
July 28th, 2007 at 4:58 am
Does Casio EWC-90 work with Sealife flash through the optical cable? If it does where is the connector on the housing?
Thanks.
July 28th, 2007 at 9:42 am
The Sealife strobe that I used didn’t seem to mate well with the Casio housing, so I sold it along with the Canon housing (and camera) that I bought it for.
August 21st, 2007 at 3:00 pm
Im really interested in getting a underwater housing for my z1000, question is, are above pictures taken with a attached underwater flash?, Im going to egypt next week and would like to get an underwater housing but dont want to get extra additional lighting if possible to get good photos, I will only really be snorkeling & not diving to deep ?
Can i take good underwater pictures without additional lighting ?
Urgent advise would be appreciated
Cheers
Andrew
August 21st, 2007 at 3:36 pm
Andrew, the photos above were taken with internal flash only. However, an external strobe becomes more useful the further away your subjects are and the clearer the water is. So, while not that terribly useful in Puget Sound, you may find it helpful while diving in the Red Sea.
Short of buying an external strobe however, I would familiarize myself with the manual whitebalance feature, which will allow for you to make the most of the natural light in the shallows.
Have a great trip,
Calvin
August 26th, 2007 at 1:00 am
Gergia,
I know you wrote a while ago but I just found this site and because I’ve had the save issues as you I thought I’d share this with you… When I started using this camera I installed the Casio software and everytime I downloaded my photos they would end up in the Casio “library” folder. What you need to do is to import your pictures directely to your picture folder by opening the SD card file and copying or dragging your fotos to the folder desired. I hope this helps.
Take care!
October 7th, 2007 at 10:48 pm
Calvin,
so will the camera be a good choice b/c i dive in sol cal and its cold so i like to wear 3 mm gloves… will the buttons be too small to push with the gloves on?
October 8th, 2007 at 12:11 am
You should be fine with 3mm gloves. I use this camera with drygloves.
November 14th, 2007 at 1:38 pm
Hi,
I have the Z1000 and was going to purchase the EWC-80 for a diving holiday to the Maldives. I’ve used the EWC-40 for my previous camera but i’m a beginner for strobes and filters. From the article above, the internal flash sounds good, but do you suggest an external strobe for dives below at cetain depth, in these types of water. If so, is there any particular model you can suggest?
I also see the Z1000 has an inbuilt filter (i.e. Red for tropical). Is it as simple as this to get a better picture in deeper water?
Any advice would be much appreciated.
November 19th, 2007 at 4:25 pm
I would avoid filters, since most of that correction can be done in Photoshop or avoided altogether with manual whitebalance, and the filters are only typically good for a range of depths.
The strobe will help you illuminate objects from below, in deeper waters and/or if there is a lot of light from the surface. I think they can be helpful once you’re very familiar with a camera setup, but frustrating if you haven’t yet gained proficiency with that particular rig.
More important than strobes/flash for tropical clear water is using the manual white balance, which you use without flash.
December 10th, 2007 at 6:59 pm
Help-
I have a Z1000 and can’t seem to find the EWC-80 anywhere to purchase, apparently it is discontinued already. Anyplace you can name to try?
Thanks
December 15th, 2007 at 5:15 am
HI!
I have a Ex-Z1000 casio camera and a EWC 80. But my camera broke so i want i buy another one but i also I want this new one to suit with my EWC 80. Do you think that Ex-Z1200 will suit???
December 15th, 2007 at 8:51 pm
I’m not sure about the Z1200, but the Z1050 didn’t work with the EWC 80, because the screen sizes are slightly different.
December 19th, 2007 at 9:48 am
Would anyone here be interested in selling me their EWC-80 if their camera is dead? I can’t seem to find the housing anywhere. Help!
Thanks
December 26th, 2007 at 6:53 am
Does anyone know if any of the other Casio housings will fit the z1000, as it appears you can no longer get this housing fo rlove nor money?
January 17th, 2008 at 8:28 am
Hi! I’ve been reading great things about this camera for underwater photos. The pictures you have are amazing! My boyfriend and I are going diving with whale sharks in Belize in May and want to invest in a good digital camera, such as this, that works well underwater and above the surface, not a true underwater camera.
Since you originally wrote about this more than a year ago, do you still recommend it or is there something else that has come along? Any advice you have would be great!
Thanks!
January 17th, 2008 at 9:39 am
Hi Shannon,
The Casio is still a great option. However, I would still consider others, such as the compact cameras from Canon. You can read about these cameras and compare them by visiting DPReview. If you find a camera that interests you, visit that manufacturer’s web site to see if they make an underwater housing for that model. Most housings for compact cameras run $200-300.
Best of luck to you, and enjoy your time in Belize, it’s a wonderful country.
Calvin
Leave a Comment
Some HTML allowed:
<a href="" title=""> <abbr title=""> <acronym title=""> <b> <blockquote cite=""> <cite> <code> <del datetime=""> <em> <i> <q cite=""> <strike> <strong>
Subscribe to the comments via RSS Feed