Casio is not really a company that has impinged itself upon my consciousness as a maker of innovative cameras until the past couple of months. Then the EX-FI and now the new EX-FH20 have intruded upon my wall of ignorance with all of the subtlety of a battering ram.
     Only a year ago I was looking at the possibility of truly effective convergent technology cameras reaching the market in the relatively near future. At that time the Canon TX1 was pretty much state of the art, but this was relegated to the Stone Age when in the Northern spring, Casio introduced the EX-FI.
      The EX-F1 is a cross-over model capable of delivering quite high resolution stills, 60frames per second HD video bursts, and up to 1200fPs video, albeit at reduced frame sizes. All for around $US1,000, which I thought seemed reasonable value, but Casio apparently encountered sales resistance at this price point, hence the introduction of the slightly down specified EX-FH20 for around $US600.
      At more or less the same time Nikon introduced the D90 and Canon the new EOS 5D both of which have High Definition video capability, coupled with the full lens interchangeability that the Casio models lack. 
      The video capability is restricted in the Canon and Nikon to 30fps and 24fps respectively. Which is not really a drawback as these cameras are aimed at a totally different market to the Casios.
     In my view the Casio models are very good tools for serious photographers whose work is intended for the web.
EX-F1
       Until the advent of the EX-F1 true high speed frame rates was the province of a few specialised cameras whose price tags most of us associate with houses, not cameras.  A frame rate of 1200fps for a thousand bucks seemed like science fiction. Casio made it happen, even if only with a screen size of 336 x 96px, so that anyone can analyse a golf swing, or video a swan skipping across the water to take flight.,,, both so easy with the EX-F1 as to be almost boring.
       But the camera is more than that. It takes stills with a max resolution if 6MP, has a burst rate of 60fps as well as the ability to prerecord up to 60 frames before the shutter is pressed to start recording) and can make a still whilst videoing. It has a 12X optical lens with macro capability (f2.7 7.3mm - 87.6mm or a 35mm equivalent of 36 to 432mm).
       The secret of its high speed capability is its electronic High Speed Continuous shutter (a mechanical shutter is used in normal mode when the maximum frame rate is 3fps).
      The icing on the cake is probably that it also records stereo sound, and has an input jack for an external microphone. For some of the stuff I do this is almost the ideal camera .... for some of the other stuff though it would be one of the worst.
EX-FH20
     The newer EX-FH20 is a sort of lower specified model. Sort of because it has a longer zoom, higher resolution (9.1MP) while its top speed is down to 1000gps and 40fps burst speed for about $400 less. It also weighs considerably less (about 435 to 671 grams). Sensor sensitivity runs from 100 to 1600ISO.
Full details on both cameras here.
Thoughts
      If the Casio would join the Four-Thirds brigade, fit an 4/3 lens mount so I could fit the Leica/Panasonic f1.4 25mm lens I would buy this camera like a shot, even though it is too big to fit in my pocket.

Home