Casio has one of the more exciting camera announcements at CES 2010 thus far: the High Speed Exilim EX-FH100, a 10X-optical-zoom pocket megazoom camera with a high-speed burst mode that shoots up to 40 stills per second.
The EX-FH100 has a video mode that captures up to 1000 frames per second at a reduced, 224-by-64-pixel resolution. The camera captures up to 120 fps at 640 by 480 resolution, and also has the ability to shoot 720p HD video at 30 fps.
The high-speed still-picture and video modes aren't new; they're similar to those of previous Casio cameras such as the EX-FH20, EX-F1, EX-FC100, and EX-FS10. However, this is Casio's first pocketable high-zoom camera with rapid-fire settings. Like Casio's previous high-speed models, the EX-FH100 also features a prerecording buffer that starts capturing shots upon a half-press of the shutter button.
Among other appealing features are the ability to shoot RAW (.DNG format) images, CMOS-sensor-shifting image stabilization, and a relatively slim design for a pocket megazoom--despite its powerful zoom lens, the EX-FH100 is just a shade more than an inch thick. The lens reaches from 24mm wide-angle to 240mm telephoto.
The EX-FH100 uses the high-speed feature for a handful of new in-camera modes, too: a high-speed night mode that Casio says enhances high-ISO shots in low light, a high-speed exposure bracketing mode, and a "High Speed Best Shot" mode that helps you select the best high-speed mode for the shooting conditions.
Three New Exilims Showcase In-Camera Tricks
At CES, Casio also announced three 14-megapixel cameras, all of them built to show off the company's revamped imaging engine and green-screen-like Dynamic Photo feature.
In addition to in-camera tricks such as extracting subjects from still photos and superimposing them on a different background, Casio says, the new Exilim Engine 5.0 lets you do the same with moving images. A "Premium Auto" mode, which automatically chooses focus points, ISO settings, color balance, and exposure settings, is also in the mix for the new cameras; so too is "Art Shot," which allows the shooter to make a photo look like a painting or drawing.
The Exilim EX-H15 is a pocket megazoom with the new Exilim Engine and Dynamic Photo features, offering an ultrawide-angle 10X-optical-zoom lens (24mm to 240mm), CCD-shifting image stabilization, a 3-inch LCD screen, and 720p high-definition video capture at 30 fps.
Casio is also hyping the EX-H15's battery life, claiming that the camera offers up to 1000 shots per charge of its battery.
Another model, the Exilim EX-Z2000 (pictured below), offers a 5X-optical-zoom lens (26mm to 130mm), CCD-shifting image stabilization, a 3-inch LCD screen, 720p video capture at 30 fps, and a battery good for 580 shots per charge, according to Casio.
Lastly, the Exilim EX-Z550 offers a 4X-optical-zoom lens (26mm to 104mm), a 2.7-inch LCD screen, CCD-shifting image stabilization, and 720p video capture at 24 fps.
Casio has not yet announced pricing or availability for the new Exilim cameras.