Casio Exilim EX-V7: Magnificent sevens

The Casio Exilim EX-V7 has arrived at Crave Towers, and first impressions are that it's a handy little point-and-shoot. It packs a 7.2-megapixel sensor and includes a 64mm (2.5-inch) LCD screen. No surprises so far.

Casio claims that this is the world's slimmest digital camera with a 7x optical zoom lens. Picking it up, the EX-V7 won't win any prizes for being the smallest or lightest design, thanks to that chunky sliding faceplate that turns it on, but there's no compromise on the sophisticated functions packed in there.

Shutter and aperture control are available. It's a real pleasure to see such a compact camera capable of adjusting depth of field, shutter speed and flash intensity, and with subtle control over that enormous zoom lens. Normally, these are features associated with costlier superzooms and SLRs, making the EX-V7 a viable option for those wishing to take the afternoon off from carrying their heavy gear.

Other features include mechanical image stabilisation, eBay Best Shot mode and a newly designed Exilim image processor. The EX-V7 is available now for around £140. -Kelly Zhang, Jon Hook and Denis Bielig