Culture

Casio's amazing 60fps digicam

Casio's Exilim Pro EX-F1 can shoot up to an astonishing 60 frames per second at full 6 megapixel resolution, and is a surprisingly small and lightweight package given that it also has a 12x zoom.

Adam Richardson

Adam Richardson is the director of product strategy at frog design, where he guides strategy engagements for frog's international roster of clients, envisioning and creating new products, consumer electronics, and digital experiences. Adam combines a background in industrial design, interaction design, and sociology, and spends most of his time on convergent designs that combine hardware, software, service, brand, and retail. He writes and speaks extensively on design, business, culture, and technology, and runs his own Richardsona blog.

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Adam Richardson

Jan. 7, 2008 4:28 p.m. PT

2 min read

I checked out Casio's new $1,000 Exilim Pro EX-F1 that can shoot bursts of up to an amazing 60 frames per second. That's at it's full 6 megapixel resolution. You'll never miss little Johnny's first steps again.

They've done a really nice job with the interface. The bursts are shown as stacks of photos so you're not trying to scroll through 60 almost identical images when in thumbnail mode. Once looking at a burst, you can use the big thumbwheel on the back to job back and forth. It's great. It takes a few seconds for the camera to process the burst, but it's impressively fast and responsive overall.

Personally I'd prefer a lens that started at 28mm (35mm equivalent) than 36mm, but it's amazing they've packed a 12x zoom in there at all. There's a rotating barrel on the front, but apparently it doesn't do anything right now. Ideally this would become a mechanical zoom, otherwise you're left with the usual (crummy) electronic zoom lever next to the shutter button. A camera with these aspirations deserves better.

Weight is surprisingly light, the large battery is built into the grip for good overall balance (and the zoom doesn't extend or weigh much, so the camera is constantly pulling forward in your hands).

It remains to be seen what the absolute image quality level is, but if you're thinking about an entry level SLR to step up from a point and shoot, this is one attractive package. A bit on the pricey end, for sure, but it offers capabilities nobody else has right now.

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