Casio Intros Two Low-Cost, High-Speed Shooters

Of all the camera reviews I’ve done—and there have been many—the most fun has to have been the Casio Exilim EX-F1, a high-speed camera that records slow-motion movies. The problem is, it’s $999, which is more than three times what many shoppers are willing to spend on a camera. Also, it’s much chunkier than your typical point-and-shoot. Since then, Casio has introduced the EX-FH20 ($599), which does pretty much the same thing for almost half the price. Now, the company has added the EX-FC100 ($399, pictured above) and the EX-FS10 ($349, below), which both shoot movies at up to 1,000 frames per second. Even better, Casio crammed the technology into point-and-shoots slim enough to fit in your pocket. Both cameras take 9-megapixel photos, 720p video, and can shoot up to 30 shots per second at 6-MP resolution (not bad at all for burst shooting). These models have a new Dynamic Photo mode that allows users to crop moving subjects out of photos and place them against different backgrounds (think green screens in moviemaking). The biggest difference is that the FS10 has a 2.5-inch screen and 3X optical zoom, while the FC100′s is 2.7 inches with a 5X lens. Casio also announced three other point-and-shoots: the EX-S5 ($179), EX-Z270 ($229), and EX-Z400 ($299). The 10.1-MP EX-S5 has 3X optical zoom, a 2.7-inch screen, YouTube capture mode, and a slick design reminiscent of the EX-FS10. The EX-270 also has 10.1 MP, a 2.7-inch screen, and YouTube capture mode, but it adds 4X optical zoom, optical image stabilization (IS), and face detection. Finally, the EX-Z400 offers 12-MP resolution, 4X optical zoom, optical IS, 720p video recording, Casio’s new 3.0 Exilim engine, a 3-inch screen, and YouTube capture mode.

The EX-FC100 is the Best Camera of 2009 CES!