For photographers who prefer to concentrate on composition and let the camera do the heavy lifting, the P700 also features a“Best Shot” mode, comprising 27 pre-programmed scenes—everything from Portrait, Soft-Focus, Children and Sports, to Fireworks, Food, Sundown, Splashing Water and more. You simply select the scene that matches the image you wish to capture, and the camera makes all the appropriate settings for you. Flash Photography The Casio P700 features an advanced, built-in electronic flash, with a maximum range of 11.8 feet. The camera features a “Flash Assist” function that can be used to compensate for underexposure and brighten your scene in situations in which your subject falls outside the effective range of the flash. Flash modes include Auto, Flash Default and Fill-Flash. There’s also a red-eye reduction mode which is handy for shooting portraits with the P700 because the built-in flash is not of the pop-up variety and is located relatively close to the lens axis. Befitting a camera with advanced capabilities, the P700 also includes a PC terminal for connecting an external flash when more output is required. Another feature uncommon to pocket-sized digicams is the P700’s versatile auto bracketing capabilities, which enable you to bracket exposure, as well as white balance and focus position with a single press of the shutter release. An interesting “Triple Self-Timer” can be activated to record three consecutive images, so that you can choose the one you like best. Recognizing that cameras tend to be standard equipment for travelers these days, Casio added a full-month calendar screen, an alarm function, and a world-time clock that enables you to select one of 162 cities in 32 time zones throughout the world. When traveling, one simply selects the appropriate destination city, and the corresponding time and date settings are adjusted accordingly by the camera. The Canon-made 33–132mm lens (35mm equivalent) delivers excellent sharpness, contrast and color rendition throughout its 4X range. The P700 also features a 4X digital zoom capability. The Bottom Line The new Casio Exilim Pro-P700 is a great little camera with a sharp lens, 7-megapixel resolution and a host of sophisticated capabilities. It features 8.9MB of internal flash memory and accepts removable SD and MMC memory cards. And for photographers who appreciate a camera that looks as good as it works, the P700 has special appeal. Our only minor gripe is the lack of printed documention (apart from a quick-start guide that doesn’t do justice to the camera’s many fine features). While there is a very thorough instruction manual on the CD that’s included with the camera, after printing the 267-page PDF document and putting it in a three-ring binder, we realized that carrying it on photo outings was really out of the question; it weighs more than my medium-format camera. Camera: Casio Exilim Pro EX-P700 Category: 7-Megapixel Digicam AF Performance * * * * Metering Performance * * * * Feature Set * * * * * Ease of Use * * * * Ergonomics * * * * * Value * * * * The P700 has a suggested retail price of $599. For more information, visit www.casio.com. To read past reviews of other compact digicams, visit the archive section of our website at www.photographic.com