In PCWorld Labs' subjective tests for image quality, the Casio Exilim EX-ZR100 stood out for its color accuracy and exposure quality, earning scores of Very Good in both of those categories; it received a score of Good in our distortion tests. Image quality is generally very pleasing, with crisp images and accurate color rendition. The camera keeps image noise under control up to about ISO 800, but even so, you should use lower ISO settings for larger prints.

The ZR100 earned a relatively low score of Fair for sharpness. In my hands-on tests, close inspection of images sometimes revealed slightly heavy-handed processing, with sharp gradations along edges rather than smooth transitions--possibly a reason for the camera's mediocre score in the lab-based sharpness tests.

In my hands-on tests, I found a few other weak spots: a not-so-snappy start-up time and a delay of a few seconds while the camera saved groups of high-speed shots. On a more positive note, the camera's autofocus is fast in good light and slows only slightly when the lights are dim. And as you might expect from a camera with fast-action shooting, shot-to-shot time is swift, as long as the camera isn't in the process of saving a batch of images.

In PCWorld Labs' subjective video tests, the Exilim EX-ZR100 performed fairly well, though it didn't post high enough scores to crack our chart of the best point-and-shoot cameras for video. The camera earned a video-quality score of Good--heavily skewed to its performance in well-lit situations--and another score of Good for its audio recording.

In high definition or standard definition, an almost-silent zoom and generally effective autofocus complement the ZR100's movie mode. Under bright light, videos look pretty good--colorful and smooth, but a bit soft. In our low-light lab test, the camera didn't brighten the scene much. In slightly better-lit low-light situations, I found that image noise tended to degrade the footage, rendering it suitable mainly for small screens or the Web.