The Casio Exlim EX-S500 somewhat improves over its predecessor, the S100, but not enough to become outstanding. As far as ultra-compact cameras go, it does some things better than average such as its MPEG4-compressed movie mode, its shot-to-shot speed and its low-light focusing. Unfortunately, its image softness, noise levels, flash weakness are all worst than average. For small 4x6 prints, the some of those disadvantages may not be noticeable.

The use of the included camera dock is required for many things, including recharging the battery which gives the S500 an average battery life for an ultra-compact camera. The Casio Exilim EX-S500 does have a few advanced features such as pan focus, manual focus, custom white balance which are not usually found in cameras this small. Additionally, the past-movie mode function allows to record movies seconds before the shutter is pressed and the S500 also has the ability to take pictures while recording a movie.

Overall, there are many better ultra-compact cameras out there, specially for this price. Models worth considering are the Fuji F10, the Casio Exilim EX-Z750, the Pentax Optio S55 and the Panasonic DMC-FX9. On the other hand, those interested in some of the S500's special features may be happy with its image quality for small prints.