Casio is recently best-known for their Exilim FC100 and FS10, the compact cameras capable of shooting 1000FPS, among other things. I certainly loved the FC100 and recommend it every chance I get. But of course, Casio also makes regular old point-and-shoots, and now there are two more than there used to be.
EX-Z280
The EX-Z280 is the mid-range-budget one, at $180. It’s got 12.1 megapixels, a 26mm equivalent lens with 4x optical zoom, and it records 720p video. It’ll do face recognition and stuff but it seems pretty run-of-the-mill.
EX-Z33
At $120, the Z33 is the true budget offering. As always, I recommend against buying these. They have to cut corners somewhere, and they’re not going to tell you where that was. In the meantime, 10 megapixels and a 3x optical zoom isn’t bad for just over a bill, but I still recommend going up the price ladder a bit and finding something you’ll want to carry around.
And of course, if you’re in the market for a point and shoot, I do still recommend the Exilim FC100 or FS10 over anything else. And if you can get one of those for under $250, why buy anything else?