Casio EXILIM Pro EX-F1

I bought the camera from just under 2 weeks, mainly because of the promising series of image features and the relatively big sensor with only 6 MPixeln from whom I expected better quality pictures than today’s current “noise generators with 10 or more MPixeln on mini-sensors. But after the first pictures came in a bit of disappointment, they all seemed a bit “dull”. That’s why I zusammengeliehen me simply what I could get on the fly like it and have compared the F1 with different motives, sensitivities, focal lengths and exposures to the following cameras:

- Canon EOS350D (8 Mpixel, with Canon 70-300IS)
- Canon s5is (8 Mpixels, 12x zoom)
- Nikon S10 (6 megapixels, 10x zoom)
- Panansonic FZ3 (3 Mpixel, 12-fold zoom)
- Panansonic TZ2 (6 megapixels, 10x zoom)
- Panansonic TZ5 (9 megapixels, 10x zoom)

The result I was not expecting this:
Only the images of the Panasonic TZ2 were even worse than that of F1, even 4 years old Panasonic FZ3 with only 3 Mpixeln provided vivid and detailed images. By far the best images of mega-zoom cameras, the Canon delivered s5is (although not exactly famous for good pictures). The EOS350D plays (as expected) in a league of its own, with the price under lens including Casio EXILIM Pro EX-F1 comes closest.

During video recording the F1 gave clearly the best results of all tested cameras that can be clearly better than Canon s5is (VGA) and Panasonic TZ5 (HD 1280 * 720) if only it was not because of the almost ineffective stabilizer, the de facto use enforces a tripod. For a current HD camcorder (Panasonic HDC-SD9) F1 but overall it looks pretty old.

Here are my subjective and certainly incomplete summary of the strengths and weaknesses of the F1:

Per:
- Burst mode is really sensational
- To switch on (even after firmware update to V1.02 is not really convincing legal) fast
- Good lens, relatively low distortion, low fringing
- Good operating concept
- Manual settings for all major imaging parameters, unfortunately (but not for noise reduction)
- Picture series with variation of different parameters possible
- Auto-ISO is limited to ISO 400
- Good battery life per charge, even with intensive use of the Burst
- Images in RAW format possible (eg to protect against the camera’s internal noise reduction)
- For a digital camera, good video results, acceptable compression artifacts, small file size with efficient MPEG4 codec

con:
- Very weak image stabilizer, resulting in long focal lengths without a tripod only limited available
- Are destroyed brutal noise reduction details, pictures, “soft-” (JPG)
- Very long storage time of a series of pictures (about 1 sec per image on class-6 SDHC card!), In this time is not the camera for operation. Non-breakable if erstmal started. Limits the usefulness of the camera for example at sporting events strongly a
- Auto focus assist light, despite problems in low Lichtverhaeltnissen
- Video modes by weak image stabilizer only limited use, again rather strong noise reduction, moderate tone. Overall results are still far from the quality of a current HD camcorder away
- Far too expensive for what is offered

My conclusion:
Casio EXILIM Pro EX-F1 is the combination of an extremely average digital camera with an extremely average HD camcorder at an extremely self-conscious price, whose only real highlight of the Burst mode is really great that can be used to make Extremely high average images that make it to any other camera ever could. As a camcorder replacement, Casio EXILIM Pro EX-F1 is good especially because of the bad image stabilizer does not.

Without the super-fast Burst there for less than half the price of a much better F1 mega-zoom cameras, or for a comparable price of a good DSLR with lens and corresponding to MAGNITUDE better results. And video friends get the same money for a much better HD camcorder.

Tags: Camera, canon, Digital Camera, nikon, panasonic