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Casio EXILIM EX-FH100
The compact Casio EXILIM EX-FH100 is based around a 10.1-megapixel backside illuminated CMOS image sensor and an EXILIM Optical branded 10x zoom lens which features a generous 24mm wide-angle. Maximum aperture varies from f/3.2 to f/5.7 across the zoom range, and focusing is possible to a minimum of just seven centimeters in Macro mode. The choice of a backside illuminated sensor allows an increase in image sensitivity, and the Casio FH100 boasts a maximum of ISO 3,200 equivalent. The Casio EXILIM FH100 uses contrast detection autofocusing, and include face detection capability. Metering choices are multi-pattern, center weighted, and spot, and shutter speeds from 30 to 1/40,000 second (!) are on offer.
The Casio EX-FH100 also offers plenty of processing power and the speed it brings, able to shoot 40 frames per second at almost full resolution (9-megapixels) for thirty frames, as well as offering reduced rates of 30, 15, 10, 7, 5, 3, or 1 frames per second. The Casio FH100 also offers several other clever modes that take advantage of the camera’s speed. The FH100 can pre-capture images while the shutter button is half-pressed, and then save up to the 30 most recent frames from immediately before the shutter button was pressed. A Lag Correction mode allows you to specify a time between the time you wanted the photo taken, and the time that the shutter button is pressed–and then the camera reaches back into its buffer and automatically saves the nearest image to that moment. A High Speed Best Selection mode, meanwhile, will automatically choose the ideal photo from a burst–judging images based on the amount of blurring, and whether your subject is blinking or smiling.
A new High-Speed Lighting mode captures three images with varying exposure, and then combines them in-camera into a single image with increased dynamic range. Finally, High-Speed Anti-Shake, High-Speed Portrait, and High-Speed Night Scene modes combine multiple high-speed shots that prevent blurring, resulting in one final image with proper exposure, a mode that Casio feels will allow for great low-light shots without a tripod. Better still, the Casio EX-FH100 also includes a sensor-shift mechanism, providing true mechanical image stabilization!
The speed advantage of the Casio FH100 isn’t just felt in still image mode, either. In movie mode, the Casio EXILIM EX-FH100 can capture high-definition 720p (1,280 x 720 pixel) video at 30 frames per second. It’s also possible to opt for higher frame rates of 240, 420, or even 1,000 frames per second at reduced resolution, and even to switch the framerate from 30fps to 240fps during the recording of a movie. There’s a dedicated button for movie recording, and the Casio EX-FH100 includes a stereo microphone.
A 3.0-inch LCD display with 230,400 dot resolution offers the Casio EX-FH100’s only option for framing and reviewing images, as there’s no optical viewfinder on this model. The Casio EX-FH100 records images on SD / SDHC cards or 89.5MB of built-in memory, and offers USB 2.0 High Speed data and both standard composite / high definition HDMI video connectivity. Power comes from a proprietary NP-90 lithium-ion battery.
Available as of May 2010, the Casio EX-FH100 has a suggested retail price of US$350.
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