Size (more specifically depth) was my greatest concern as I reviewed features. I could accept less than top tier performance in other categories, but I like to use this type of camera for skiing (drop it into a coat pocket), going out to bars (drop it in a pant/shirt pocket), and other places where I want its size to be no more than carrying a cell phone.

And so I began my research.

There were a few cameras that were easy candidates – the Canon SD1100 being the first. The SD1100 continued the ELPH SD100 tradition with portable size, a no-nonsense frame, and as expected a high quality Canon product. The SD1100 shutter speed only seemed slightly faster than my older SD100, boosted the megapixels to 8MP, widescreen pictures, and added Optical Image Stabilization (very nice). The SD1100 boasted a relatively small depth at 22mm. The price was definitely reasonable at ~$230.

I also looked at the Olympus Stylus SW line of cameras. The 850 was within my price limit, and boasted unique features such as shockproof, waterproof, and freezeproof (great for skiers). The 850 was relatively slim at 21.3mm, however, almost every Olympus SW camera had received poor image quality results in reviews, and while slim, the camera was slightly wider/taller than other options. One other negative was that Olympus still uses its proprietary xD flash media which I just have a hard time buying into. The price was within reason at ~$260.

I was really hoping Nokia would offer me the perfect package. Nokia had two types of cameras that may have worked. First there was the 21mm slim S51, but I couldn’t get over the “cheap” feel of the camera. Then I noticed the super-slim 18mm depth, Nokia S210 which was also one of the cheapest options at a mere $175. This camera was the perfect size and on paper, had great features. I nearly hit the buy button to order it when I noticed the bad reviews on the internet. I was seriously bummed this one didn’t work out.

I checked a few others and then remembered Casio had its super-slim camera line. Casio was never known for high quality pictures, but was known for super-sexy looking cameras. And that’s when I found the Casio Exilim EX-S10 (commonly just referred to as the S10). This camera was launched in 2008 as the “world’s slimmest 10MP camera”. It just hit the store shelves a couple weeks ago at $250 but unfortunately NO ONE had done even a modestly decent review of the camera making a purchase decision difficult (and hence I’m sharing my experience now). I bought one anyway at a local Target planning to return it if I was disappointed. Since I bought it, I’ve noticed CNet UK has done a review here.

“World’s slimmest” turned out to mean 16mm slim, which … is very slim. Check out the pictures below with a Casio S10 next to my iPod Nano (3rd Generation).

The S10 is just “3 Nanos deep”. On size/portability, you can’t possibly beat the S10. The Exilim very easily fits into a shirt or jacket pocket. It has a great size LCD screen that works well in direct sunlight.

The EX-S10 picture quality was pretty decent (not a Canon, but nothing Photoshop can’t fix). Images can be taken at up to 10 Megapixels. It has 3x optical zoom, a standard flash and other features. There’s a one button movie record button which is nice. I did find it was having trouble in lower lighting conditions or very cloudy areas. Taking pictures is fairly simple and I actually found it “so easy” that it was somewhat difficult as a more advanced SLR user to get the shot to take the way I wanted. The integrated “Best Shots” feature proved to be very useful as is the face detection engine that follows the subject you’re shooting.

Here’s an example shot taken from near the mid point of Copper Mountain in Colorado recently (unedited, raw JPG, click for full 10MP version):

The Exilim is a great looking camera and packs only the features I really considered “necessary”. I personally don’t care about “in camera image editing” or other nonsensical things vendors seem to be packing into these small digicams today. There is a “YouTube upload” software package that is supposed to make uploading YouTube videos easy… whatever…

As for videos, I was surprised to see the Casio takes good videos and even does “Ultra HQ Widescreen” at 848×480 pixels.

The Casio uses an SD flash card slot which is great. It also has a proprietary battery which is not so great, but easily obtainable at $30 for a retail Casio battery (I found Casio to be the cheapest place online). Given this is a new battery, it may take some time for the super cheap options to show up on eBay. I did notice that the flash card “speed” can create a big difference in shoot time. I originally was using a slower TransFlash memory card in an SD converter, but when I switched to a SanDisk Extereme III SD card, the performance was noticeably faster.

The bottom line: if you’re looking for a slim camera that you can take anywhere and that takes relatively decent photos and videos, then this Casio is a great buy. I’ve never seriously considered a Casio and have always recommended Canon P&Ss to my friends and family, but that may change with the S10. Other Casios CANNOT be assumed to “be just as good” so be careful which one you buy.

If you want absolutely top performance in shooting and image quality, and are willing to sacrifice some size features, then the Canon SD950 or other models with OIS may be a better option although bulkier. If you need to shoot underwater, Olympus seems to be your only option without buying expensive waterproof housings. Unfortunately, Nikon’s consumer P&S line needs to catch up to its SLRs. I also looked at other vendors, but didn’t find any of them relevant to my particular needs.

UPDATE: Steve’s Digicams has posted a long review that I’d recommend looking at. There are sample pictures and videos too. http://www.steves-digicams.com/2008_reviews/casio_ex-s10_pg5.html

Check out this weather forecast 

This year we had 4 days of skiing. The first day was terrible (raining) until we finally found a good spot on Whistler that had new snow. After that it was 3 days of non-stop powder (Whistler was “Dump of the Week” on Ski Net this week). You simply can’t beat having 5-8 inches of fresh new snow each morning on Whistler’s peak. We did learn that Whistler’s snow tracking was a bit off (it’s odd to rationalize a snow report that says there’s just 3cm of new snow when it’s up past your ski boots…)

Once again, Cockalorum and Mondays were awesome (and relatively unknown to others – or too scary) offering the best snow and challenging terrain. A tip is to drop in off the shallow part of the cornice way to the left by aiming for the left-most orange/black “Cliff” warning sign and drop in about 5-10ft to the left of that sign. Piccolo’s face in hindsight had a much better drop in point than the rocks or cornice… try dropping in at the rightmost point. Everyone should check out the powder on Flute Bowl but be prepared to walk if you stay to the right. The Glacier was awesome except for the harrowing hike that could lead to a death this year if it stays in the same condition… hopefully not, but I was surprised it was not closed.

My Volkl Unlimited AC4 skis proved their worth again and again this year giving me outstanding control in the powder, edges on some of the sharper faces, and a strong base for some of the narrow hop turns. I would again recommend these skis to anyone looking for an expert level set of powder/resort “all mountain” skis. If you’re going backcountry, you may prefer the super fats, but the AC4s are perfect for any condition.

BTW, don’t go to Blackcomb this year – what a waste of time… at least while we were there – no snow over the 4 days and Whistler had daily snowfall…

All in all, a good time was had by all and we made it home safely. Next year we’re going to try heli-skiing – if you have any recommendations for a good outfit in the B.C./Whistler area that is reasonably priced, please please let me know.

Photo: Courtesy of Lisa C taken on 7th Heaven at Blackcomb (ok, there was a little snow!)

This first shot is my favorite bowl found on Whistler peak accessing Monday’s and Cockalorum runs. What a view on the way down… double diamonds, so proceed with caution (if the cliff danger signs don’t say enough). This particular spot had a cornice drop in with about 6 inches of very nice powder once you got off the ledge. One of the only runs with perfect snow every day.

I have to give the guys at Volkl my highest praise for building the most phenomenal ski I’ve ever used – the Volkl Unlimited AC4 has no limits in the most extreme of conditions. I highly recommend them to anyone looking for a solid all mountain and powder ski. The Market iPT piston bindings are superb. I can’t say enough about the combo.

Click the image to enlarge and get a better sense of the view.

Here’s one sign to watch out for… avalanche debris can be “difficult” to ski on especially in near white out conditions ;-)

 Thanks to Josh for remembering his camera.

Flying home from Whistler tomorrow (booo…) – could move here and never leave. And to make the leave even more exciting, the forecast is for 30cm of new snow tomorrow…

Should have gone to Snowbird:

After a workshop in Santa Clara next week, I’ll spend a day in Tahoe skiing and then first week of March, I’ll be in Whistler. Plus I still have an open invite from a friend in CO for a weekend condo stay… The ski season is looking really good (albeit a bit later than planned).

It’s actually an odd thing buying skis these days. I started off with 184cm skis when learning, then went to 205cm K2 slalom skis back in college for ski team racing, then went to 187cm Volkl Vectris skis which I’ve had what seems like forever, and now I’m going back to the shortest ever with the 177s. Everyone’s told me to go that route, but we’ll see.

Until they arrive, I just have the pictures to look at in anticipation (click to enlarge):

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/16484056/ 

You can even ‘understand’ Vail’s layout finally without a topo map ;)

http://www.wildsnow.com/?p=463