Casio Exilim EX-S7 and EX-Z35: Princely purple point-and-shoot cameras

At the PMA photography hoedown, Casio announced two regal-looking compact cameras aimed at divesting novice snapshooters of a bob or two: the Exilim EX-S7 (pictured) and Exilim EX-Z35.

Both cameras have a 12.1-megapixel resolution, sport a modest 3x optical zoom, record to SD or SDHC cards, and feature Casio's new Exilim Engine 5.0 software, which promises to boost picture quality and speed up the image-processing time by 30 per cent.

Otherwise, the EX-S7 is the superior sibling, with a 69mm (2.7-inch) LCD display, and 720p movie-recording capability via a dedicated button. The EX-Z35 offers a 64mm (2.5-inch) display, and records movies at a maximum wide-screen resolution of 848x480 pixels.

The EX-S7 isn't heaving with features, but it does offer some familiar Casio hocus-pocus, such as the 'high-speed continuous shutter' feature that titillated us no end in the case of models such as the pricey Exilim EX-FS10, and left us sorely disappointed in the case of the less expensive Exilim EX-Z90.

Casio's 'dynamic photo' feature is also included in the EX-S7, which lets you cut subjects out of your pictures and paste them into other photos. Using this feature, you could, for example, photograph your granddad, paste him into a picture of the interior of a strip club, and then send it to your grandma. Classic.

UK pricing and availability has yet to be revealed, but the EX-S7 will be available in the US for $140 (£90) in the spring, while the EX-Z35 will set the Yanks back by $110 (£70) from March. The EX-S7 will come in black and purple versions, and the EX-Z35 will be available in black, silver, pink, purple and blue.

Hit 'Continue' to get an eyeball full of the EX-S7 and EX-Z35, and stay tuned for full reviews in the not-too-distant future.