In simple point and shoot mode, the EX-P600 offers great pictures with little wait time between shots. Auto focus is a snap, and you don't need to think about anything else. I like the Best Shot mode, which lets you select from 25 different presets for optimal results in various settings. Portrait, Nighttime, scenery, etc.. It even has a coupling mode so you can take a picture of your friend, and have your friend take a picture of you, and have it be the same image. No more asking somebody to take your picture!

If you want to get really into it, pretty much everything on the camera- focusing, exposure, white balance, color filters, are adjustable. You can even create custom presets and have it show up in best shot mode. You can not only access everything from a Menu, but it has a quick settings button where you can tab thru all the current camera settings.

Some downsides are the camera doesn't come with an SD card, so you have to buy one separately, which adds on to the price tag. Also, it doesn't come with an AC Adapter, just an external charger, so you have to take the battery out to of the camera to charge it, unless you get the AC Adapter. It also has an "ex" mode where all this data comes up when you take a picture. The plus side is you can see all the settings on the screen, the downside is it looks like you're flying an F-16. But you don't have to have it on, the regular mode tells you everything you need to know.

All in all, if you want a camera to last a couple of years, this is yet. The high resolution 6MP CCD will offer room when higher resolution printers come out, and the advanced feature set will let you have more creative control when you're ready for it, but it's not even too hard to figure out. This is a really smart camera, not just a good one. This camera even has a remote control, so no more running into the picture and wondering when the flash will be for those group shots!
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Leader of the pack!, July 24, 2004
Reviewer: Cerius Photobug "serious"
I would be classified as an advanced amateur. The P600 is my second digicam. I use a Nikon D100 for serious work, shoot in the RAW mode, edit on a color profiled monitor with Photoshop and print on a 6 color photo printer. I've owned 5 digicams over the last 8 years-none were perfect. There is always a trade-off when seeking portability, lens quality,speed, feature, ruggedness, low noise and resolution. At this time the CASIO P600 is the leader: 6 megapixels, 4x optical zoom high quality Canon lens, small size in a rugged body,quick startup, good ergonomics, big (2inches) viewing screen,unlimited movie mode, advanced menus and extensive features etc. This is the best compact digicam I've owned to date. Drawbacks: CASIO's somewhat spotty reputation for service,lack of a printed manual, relatively small amount of on-board memory, expensive proprietary battery (many others have this problem viz: Nikon, Canon etc.), limited software, inaccessable RAW mode, non-standard USB connection, lack of flash shoe (Canon G5 has one-Casio does have external flash sync) and few other nit-picky concerns. I considered the Olympus 5060 but it was bigger and bulkier, had less optical zoom, and lower resolution. It was close. You need to decide what features are important. I would point out that comments by other reveiwers about the lack of a memory card and difficulty with the USB connector suggest that they were very new to the experience of using digicams and might have been happier with a less expensive, simpler rig.
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Great great camera, January 7, 2005
Reviewer: Savas Georgalis "Savas"
I love this thing!

I am a first-time digital camera buyer and really a novice to photography. I wanted to find a camera that wasn't to big and that was most importantly easy to use. When researching my purchase I made the decision to obtain a camera that has a larger than 3X Optical Zoom - this narrows down the list considerablely.

It came down to the Casio P600, Fuji E550, and Pentax Optio SV. I loved the compact size of the Optio and its 5X zoom. What killed it for me was it's painfully slow shutter lag. This may not bother some, but it really got to me.

The Fuji E550 is a great camera (very fast), but ultimately there were a couple of things I did not like. One was the fact that it only has a maximum 3 sec shutter exposure. I think this is really sad. If not for this, I would have bought it. The other is that the interface, much like the Pentax takes some deciphering.

This is why I bought the Casio. From the moment I picked it up, it felt comfortable. All of the buttons are where they should be. Everything is very very intuitive. I STILL haven't cracked the manual and I feel very confident that I know how to work almost all of the functions. Being a novice to digital photography, I did not know what the different icons meant, what the differnt options could do. If it isn't obvious from the Casio's excellent interface, it explains it for you! Don't know what a faster shutter speed will do for your picture? Don't worry, the P600 will show you an example.

There are 25 best scene modes (most are pretty gimmicky), but all are well explained on the large 2" screen. It has a 60 second maximum shutter opening resulting in some eye-popping night time and low light images. Add this is a great burst mode (continous is a bit slow clocking in at just under one per second, but the hi-speed is really great firing off as many as 6 images in two seconds)

Battery life is also great. The first two days I had the camera the screen was on constantly as I was perusing the menus, exploring the different options and reviewing pictures. I didn't have to recharge until the end of the 2nd day.

In short, the P600 has an excellent interface, sturdy design, intuitive controls. The only negatives for me were an awkward off-center tripod mount, and the unusual bulging lens that made packing and unpacking the camera from its carrying case (sold separately) a bit clunky.

All in all a really great camera.          Back to Casio Exilim Pro P600