Casio Exilim EX-V8 vs. Samsung L77 vs. Olympus Stylus 1010

[Photo-John]

I reviewed the Casio EX-V7 last year. I thought it was pretty nice. The image stabilization worked well and the image quality was pretty good, although it did tend to blow out highlights. I like the control layout and interface of the Casio compacts a lot, too. I also like the Olympus Stylus line because of the weatherproof bodies. I don't have as much experience with the Samsungs. The last one I reviewed was the NV10, a higher-end camera their L cameras. It was very well-designed but I think Samsung tends towards overprocessing. So I'd choose between the Casio and Olympus. Pentax also has a pocket-sized camera with a long zoom, the Optio Z10. I am pretty sure that Pentax actually makes the lens that Casio uses. So you might want to take a look at that camera, too.

[DMCFZRichie]

I have the EX-V8. It's very nice. I paid about 175 for mine. For that price I think it takes great movies and pictures. It has a good IS system, as mentioned. The colors really pop in photos. It's very compact for having a 7x optical zoom. Battery life is decent. Photos are kind of noisy in low light. The viewfinder slider can get clogged with debris easily, but that hasn't been a huge problem for me yet. The onboard processor seems fast in both capturing and reviewing photos. In review mode pictures literally whiz by when you hold the directional arrow.

Can't comment on the other cameras, but the EX-V8 gets my seal of approval. Very nice.