2. Specifications

Let's quickly go over the specifications of the EX-M2. It's very similar to the original Exilim but for those who never had a chance to play with the original EX-M1, I'll spend some time on the various modes of operations. Also note that there is a EX-S2 camera. This camera is essentially the EX-M2 minus the audio/video features so you'll save a few bucks if you don't need those features.

2.1 Features

• 2.0 million effective pixels (CCD). There are actually 2.11 million total pixels with 2 million of them available.
  
• Fixed focus lens for quick operations. This shortens the startup time for the camera as well short shooting times.
  
• 1.6 inch BRIGHT TFT color LCD screen
  
• 4x Digital Zoom - No Optical Zoom
  
• 12 MB on board flash memory
  
• Support for SD memory cards and MMC (MultiMedia Cards) for memory expansion
  
• New operation called the "Best Shot" Mode. In this mode, you can select a sample scene that matches the type of image that you are trying to capture/record and the camera performs troublesome setups automatically for hopefully better pictures
  
• DCF Data Storage - DCF stands for Digital rule for Camera File system. This provides interoperability between digital cameras and printers.
  
• Digital Print Order Format (DPOF) - Images can be printed easily in the sequence you want using a DPOF compatible printer.
  
• PRINT Image Matching II Compatible
  
• Bundled with Photo Loader and Phothands software

For the EX-M2, there are the following additional features

• Snapshot and Audio Mode: Adds audio to a snapshot
  
• Movie and Audio Mode
  
• Voice Recording
  
• After Recording - adds audio to images after they are recorded
  
• Audio Player Capabilities - plays MP3 files
  
• Dimensions: 88mm(W) x 55mm(H) x 12.4mm(D) weighing around 90grams (3.2 oz) (Not including battery)

2.2 Setting up

The camera is a breeze to setup. The first major thing to do is to install the Lithium Ion Battery. The battery came fairly low on power so you'll probably need to spend some time charging the camera. Once the battery is installed, all you will need to do is set up the USB cradle and connect the AC adaptor to the power socket and the USB cable to your computer. In order for your system to recognize your EX-M2, you'll need to install drivers found on the included CD. Note that if you are a Windows XP user or a OS X user, you will not need to install the USB drivers.

The Battery Compartment	Inserting the Battery

Connecting the cradle's USB and Power	Connecting the USB to the Shuttle
The EX-M2 in it's cradle	Various devices and the computer

It does take approximately two hours to fully charge the camera so wait until the initial charge is done before using it. The camera fits snugly into the included cradle. Removing the camera from the cradle does takes a slight tug on the cradle but it's nothing to worry about. The cradle itself comes with two indicators: one for the USB indicator and one for the charge indicator. The AC Adaptor is nicely designed especially for travellers. The power prong fold into the adaptor when not in use and thus, there is no large "wall wart" here.

The AC Adaptor	With the Prongs up

2.3 Battery Specs

Here are the battery specs from Casio. Unfortunately I was not able to test this out in time for the review so please take this with a grain of salt. If anything this should be your upper bound in time measurements:
Continuous Operations(No flash and the monitor off): 65 minutes or 390 shots
Continuous Playback: 110 minutes with a new picture every 10 seconds
Continuous Voice Recording: 80 minutes
Continuous Audio playback: 330 minutes

2.4 Memory

The camera comes with 12 MB of on board memory but you can easily expand this using SD or MMC cards. For my EX-M2, I chose to use a 64MB SD card that I had from my original EX-M1. All you need to do is to remove the dummy SD card that is placed within the compartment at the bottom of the camera and then insert your real SD card. Removing a card is as simple as pushing it in and having it pop right out.

The camera and the SD card	Inserting the SD card

2.5 Using the camera

The EX-M2 has essentially the same controls as the original EX-M1. First I'll go over one glaring negative aspect of the camera: For whatever reason, Casio did not move the location of the power button. It is still located on the upper right corner of the camera where you would naturally find the shutter release. The shutter release is still next to the power button but it's very easy to accidentally turn off the camera when you're about to take a picture. Can someone at Casio please change this someday???

The top of the EX-M2

The front of the camera contains the lens, flash and microphone.

The front of the EX-M2

The rear of the camera contains the beautiful color screen which is easily visible during daylight. The screen contains the same basic information that was found in the original Exilim camera.

The back of the EX-M2

Aside from the screen, you'll find a viewfinder, a menu button, a mode selector switch, a speaker and a controller.

The mode selector switch controls the three major modes of operation that the EX-M2 can be set to. These include a Recording mode (REC), a Play (Back) Mode, and a Audio Mode. Within all these modes, you can select different options by pressing the menu button. Pressing the menu button reveals the on screen display (OSD) system. You navigate through this system using the small controller found to the right of the screen. The controller can be rocked left, right, up, and down to maneuver through the menus and it can also be clicked to select a menu item. Thus the controller allows you to basically perform 5 different operations.

The EX-M2 has a slightly different feel than the original EX-M1. Though the camera dimensions are practically the same, the lens protrudes out a little bit more. The metal housing is also slightly heavier than the original EX-M1. I personally like the feel of the weight since it no longer feels like I'm going to drop the camera. The lens operations are also a bit slower in the EX-M2 compared to the first generation model. However this is not a showstopper at all (neither is the longer lens protrusion). Let's face it - the EX-M2 is still a small camera!

The menu system for the camera is pretty basic while in REC mode. The following shots are of the menu selections at the top level in basic REC mode:

REC Menu 1	REC Menu 2
Memory Menu	Setup Menu

Format your memory

2.6 Computers

The EX-M2 is designed to work with both the Windows OS and the Apple OS. In my own test setup, I managed to connect the EX-M2 to my Windows XP Pro machines quite easily. For you Mac fans out there, the Exilim is detected as a regular Casio camera and you can use iPhoto to manage your pictures. Here's a snapshot of my OS X screen:

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