Feature: Casio makes a Brutus of a "still" camera.
Idea: Dramatic Example of Convergence of Video and Still Cameras

David Pogue at the NYTimes has finally taken the light- Casio has created a niche camera right at the crossroads between SLR and video camcorder that is going to capture a lot of photographers attention and bucks despite some extreme speed versus size versus quality trade-offs. This camera is a unique fit in the image-taking market.

I have been arguing that the digital SLR cameras and video camcorders are converging. Casio EX-F1 shooting at 60fps-frames per second embodies that trend.

Okay the Casio EX-F1 does not have interchangeable lenses - rather users are "stuck with" a 12x zoom lens that performs like a 36 to 432mm 35mm equivalent. Not quite as wide as this party would like but lots of telephoto capability.

Likewise the sensor at 2816 x 2112 pixels seems a bit under-powered when one considers that most digital SLR are providing at least twice that capacity these days. And the ISO ratings also appear to be nominal:
ISO100, ISO200, ISO400, ISO800, ISO1600.
True the camera has three autofocus modes, built-in image stabilization, and a variety of white balance and shooting modes for different lighting conditions. But really, what is the great shakes in this camera?

Well is it a Still or Movie Camera ?

The great shakes are the following specs:
• 2816 x 2112 at 60fps burst of 1 second
• 2816 x 1872 (3:2) at 30 fps burst of 2 seconds
• 2816 x 1586 (16:9) at 15fps burst of 4 seconds
• 2304 x 1728 at 6 fps burst of 8 seconds
• 2048 x 1536 at 6 fps burst of 10 seconds
• 1600 x 1200 at 6 fps burst of 15 seconds
So this means one can get 60 - 6Mpixel pictures of fairly quality in 1 second or 15 per second for 4 seconds - at nearly the same quality. I can think of a lot of candids and dynamic-motion shooting situations where this type of bracketing or tracking capability would be wonderful.
And for a lot of sports, newspaper or website shooting the 6Mpixel images will have to be trimmed by a factor 2 or 3 before use. Suddenly one can see huge potential for EX-F1

But the EX-F1 Movie clips are nothing to sniff at as well. One can record HD 1920x1080 at 60 fps and higher quality 1280x780 clips at 30fps. Second. I have yet to find reviews of the comparative performance of the Casio EX-F1s HD movie performance. However, I have seen some of the lowend resolutions clips at astonishing 300 to 1200fps -and again for website or You Tube use these images are stunningly nifty. Here are the specs:
• Standard: 640 × 480 (30 fps)
• HD: 1920 × 1080 (FHD HQ/FHD Normal, 60 fields per second), 1280 × 720 (HD LP, 30 fps)
• Hi-Speed: 512 × 384 (300 fps), 432 × 192 (600 fps), 336 × 96 (1200 fps)
One can also see diversity of reactions in both the digital SLR and the camcorder communities. Check out this reaction at Gizmodo. But at $1000, it appears Casio has come up with some potentially very disruptive and innovative technology.

Managing So Many Images

Casio has done 4 smart things with this camera's capabilities of generating so many images. First, the EX-F1 is smart in recording your images. For eample, its has a motion sensor that can tripped off by detection of a moving object through the scene. This is great for nature and action photographers who want to setup for a scene like a bird appearing or a ballon bursting - and then leave the camera alone ready to shoot.

Second, the EX-F1 buffers up cleverly when taking an image - users can set it to pre-record into its buffer (it discards the oldest of 60 shots) so when you press the shutter, the shot has all the pre-images required. The EX-F1 uses this buffer to provide a novel slow motion view of the unfolding scene - you press the shutter to capture the best moment.

Third, the EX-F1 has two flash mechanisms - users can use the full flash with 20 shots at 7 frames per second or LED flash (shorter range) at between 10 and 60 frames per second. This is improved but still the major weak link in the camera so far.

Fourth, the EX-F1 has a quick switch button - this allows users to switch from 6MPixel still camera images to 2MPixel HD movies at 60frames second with a simple click. The downside is that setting of the right movie mode (there are many as can be seen above) does take extra time. Nontheless the ability to switch quickly is available and useful.

Fifth, the EX-F1 has a smart review mode - the user has three choices, images taken during a still session can be all saved, or selected ones chosen or - after review all disposed of. This is extremely useful - getting the right bracket of images saved - and disposing of the storage wasting clutter.

It is these features that alllow the camera user to manage taking literally hundreds of images much more effectively. Uers get close to the right shot(s) with the EX-F1's help - and then can wean down to the right images as well with the cameras help. Good design.

Summary

I know now that my Panasonic Lumix is on the fritz and the repair costs appear to be prohibitive. So I am seriously looking for a Web-friendly DSLR. And I can see the basic storage technology and battery technology behind the Casio is certainly likely to improve. But to get movie taking capabilities as well - suddenly this camera is well worth investigating. I shall update readers as soon as I have managed some hands on experience.