Casio Exilim EX-FC100 review

Time is of the essence with Casio's new camera, fitting the functionality previously only seen in a bridge camera into a compact case

For a digital camera to stand out from the competition, it has to appeal to the consumer in a certain way. For every professional photographer, there’s a DSLR; for every newcomer to digital cameras, there’s a budget range in place. Hitting the shops this spring, Casio’s EX-FC100 is firmly targeted at the high-speed photography market.

This will appeal to more users than they will initially suspect, however. From the pitch-side parent eager to record their son or daughter in the throes of sporting activity to the motorsport fan wishing to freeze the vehicle in time without blur ruining the shot; any situation where there is motion to be captured, the EX-FC100 is ready to step up to the challenge.

Internally, the camera features a 5x optical zoom and 4x digital zoom, which is pretty standard for a compact in this price range. Image quality is enhanced by the 9.1 effective megapixels on board the EX-FC100, with colours appearing very distinct indeed during playback, while camera shake is negotiated by the built-in mechanical image stabiliser. Something that will appeal to many, both professional and enthusiast alike, is the maximum image size that stands at a huge 3,456 x 2,592. This is better than a lot of competitors’ cameras in its class, and means that, when combined with an A3+ photo printer, prized images can be blown up to larger-than-life sizes and hung up to be admired by all.

With a tap of the Continuous Shooting button on the top plate of the camera, the ultra-fast Burst mode comes into play. Hold the Shutter button and this will capture 30 images per second. Quality isn’t compromised either, as each of these has a resolution of up to six megapixels.

Flick the dial on the top right of the back plate between the high-speed film recording settings, and there’s the option to alter the recording speed to capture 210, 420 or an astonishing 1,000 images per second, all in high definition. It sounds too good to be true, and in some ways it is because it has a negative effect on the resolution of the shot, but this is to be expected really. Having said that, it has to be noted that the amount of noise is one of the few areas where the EX-FC100 falls down.

Alternatively, press the button marked Slow just above the top left of the LCD screen and the EX-FC100 pulls another trick out of the bag. This activates the slow-motion function, which reduces the frame rate right down and temporarily stores a series of images from the moving image the camera is pointed at. These are then played back on the screen, with the idea being that one’s clarity will stand out from the others, and a simple click of the Shutter button when displayed will then permanently store that photograph onto the memory card.

Thought has obviously been put into the placement of these particular buttons and dials, as they are out of the way and the user will be hard pushed to accidentally press them, so shouldn’t find themselves inadvertently switching to modes they’re not after. The rest of the camera’s buttons are similarly well positioned, each responding with a click so that there’s no confusion whether they have been hit or not.

Aside from the buttons and dials on the back plate, it also houses the 2.7-inch LCD screen, which in itself is an extraordinary feat of technology. The large TFT super-clear display aids the photographer to review their shots with ease, as it can be viewed from practically any angle, has a high resolution of 230,400 pixels to allow for the best representation of the captured image during playback, and what’s more, delve into the menu screens and there is the option to choose from five brightness presets to adjust the screen for optimum viewing depending on the ambient light.

As a whole, the EX-FC100’s build quality is solid; it is a reassuring weight in the hand, and feels like it wouldn’t fall to pieces at the slightest bump when out in the field.

And it is here, out in the field, where the EX-FC100 would be utilised the most. The high level of its serial shot function was previously only found in bridge cameras and the like. Essentially, on many levels it is a compact version of Casio’s EX-F1, which is able to capture images at 60fps. But where that functionality makes up an essential part of a professional or semipro’s toolkit, the camera itself was too bulky and thus impractical to be lugged around, waiting for the opportune moment to present itself to make use of this remarkable high-speed technology. Casio evidently had these photographers and their unique problems in mind during the design of the EX-FC100, as that functionality, while still remarkable, has been reduced enough to fit into the shell of a compact camera that can be easily pocketed when out in the field. Truly, a dream come true for many, no doubt.

The EX-FC100’s 21 scene modes performed well under testing conditions, but when a camera makes so much fuss about one particular function, in this case its high-speed capabilities, it’s not often without good cause. As it turns out, two high-speed Best Shot modes hidden away proved to be a real treat. First up under the spotlight is the High-speed Night scene mode. Best used in the environment that the title so accurately describes, the highlight of using this setting is that it records a series of pictures taken in low light, and automatically combines them to create the best possible optimised image. Effectively, this eliminates the need to stay in one place for too long, taking photos time and time again in order to hit upon that perfectly exposed shot. The second Best Shot mode under our scrutiny, High-speed Anti-shake, operates along the same lines, combining consecutive photos susceptible to blur to automatically form one optimised image with near-perfect clarity and focus.

These built-in functions are revolutionary and if consumers accept this new category of camera, of which the EX-FC100 is currently leading the field, then it isn’t unfeasible to suggest that the way that digital photography is approached could be altered thanks to this Casio-led high-speed photographic technology.