CES 2008: Casio Exilim Pro EX-F1 makes sure you get your shot

If digital cameras were baseball players, Casio's new Exilim Pro EX-F1 point-and-shoot digital camera would definitely be suspect for taking steroids, And not for the usual inflated specs: It features a modest 6 megapixels, at the low end for a consumer digicam (although still enough for most people's needs). It also has a healthy 12x optical zoom (the 35mm film equivalent of a 36-432mm zoom lens). Still, there are other cameras with 15x, and even 18x, optical zooms.

Where the EX-F1 raises eyebrows is in its ability to take many shots rapidly, a feature referred to as burst mode, in a way that almost guarantees you won't miss a critical moment.

Most digital cameras have a burst mode, but until recently, rarely could one shoot more than 2 or 3 frames per second (fps). Professional SLRs can fire 5, 8, or even 10 fps, although sometimes you must reduce the images' size to get the faster burst. And, you generally pay through the nose for such speed.

But the EX-F1's burst mode is almost fantastical: full resolution photos at 60 fps, a rate Casio claims is the fastest in the world of digital cameras. If such speed weren't enough, the EX-F1 uses a memory buffer that continuously stores up to 60 images per second (for up to 60 images), letting you keep shooting and capturing images until after a critical event occurs—say, a baseball player connecting for a historic home run. When you finally do press the shutter, the camera copies the most recent 60 images from the buffer to its memory card, from which you can transfer them to your computer.

According to the specs, this continuous-shooting feature can be used in two ways: You can capture up to 60 shots for up to one second or 5 shots per second for 12 seconds (slower, though probably more than most of us need). Casio also says that you can vary the frame rate between 1 and 60 frames per second while shooting.

The EX-F1 has some other impressive specs: If you take flash shots with the same burst mode, you can shoot up to 20 continuous shots at 7 fps. Or you can use a built-in LED light (often used on cameraphones) to shoot anywhere from 10 to 60 fps.

But Casio hasn't just beefed up the stills. It has also bulked up its video modes. The EX-F1 isn't the first digital camera that claims to take HD-quality videos, but what is remarkable about it, Casio claims, is that it takes 1080i-quality videos at 60 frames per second. That's comparable to an HD camcorder. The EX-F1 can also connect to an HDTV via an HDMI port, although you must pay extra for the cable.

Lastly, the EX-F1 has the ability to shoot videos at 300 fps, 600 fps or 1,200 fps (although these higher frame rates have smaller image sizes). Casio claims that these super-high frames rates can catch motion that occurs faster than the human eye can see and will let you produce video clips for ultra slow motion playback.

This camera has some other notable specs, but the one rather noticeable downside is the price: it will list for around $1000 when it ships in March. This presents a Catch-22 for Casio in that the EX-F1 is priced higher than what most consumers expect to pay for a point-and-shoot. And because it's not an SLR, few professionals will be interested in it.

What remains to be seen is if this camera will force other camera manufacturers to also produce a single device that shoots both high-resolution, high-speed stills and HD video clips. Or, better yet, a digital SLR with HD video capabilities, which might be the über-hybrid device!

In addition to the EX-F1, Casio introduced four more conventional, thin, ultracompact digital cameras. The super thin 10-megapixel Exilim Card EX-S10 (Click on the red camera image above left for a closer look.) has a 3x optical zoom lens, 2.7-inch LCD and comes in four colors. It will retail for around $250.The 8-megapixel Exilim Zoom EX-Z80 (Click on the green camera image on the left for a closer look) will come in 6 different colors, will have a 3x optical zoom lens, and will cost around $200.

Casio will also introduce two subcompacts with 4x optical zooms with 28mm wide-angle lenses: the Exilim Zoom EX-Z200 and EX-Z100. (Click on the camera at right for a closer look.) Both will have 10 megapixels and 2.7 inch LCDs. The EX-Z200 will also include sensor-based image stabilization. The EX-Z100 will cost around $280 and the EX-Z200 will cost around $330.

The S10 will be available next month. The others will be available in March.

-- Terry Sullivan