Casio EX-FH100

Design & Appearance

The FH100 is a bit of a stealth camera: to look at it, you'd never know it boasts a long zoom and the power to slow time itself via high-speed still and video capture. The silver with contrasting black sections on the front and top is a bit more interesting than the run-of-the-mill solid silver construction, and the body has nicely contoured curves.

Size & Handling

The camera measures 4.1 x 2.4 x 1.1 inch (105 x 63 x 30mm) and weighs about 8 oz. (227g), making a good size for jacket pockets if not tight jeans.

We really liked the right hand grip on the FH100. Many compact models stick with flat surfaces here, with nothing to help hold the camera securely. In this case, though, there's a distinct bulge on the right side, with a smoothly curved on ramp, that felt great in the hand.

We were pleased with the shape and feel of the FH100.

The buttons and dials feel like high-quality components, with solid feedback as you manipulate them. And the positioning is local and easy to use, providing fast access to the most important controls and settings. The only control that might take some getting used to is the top button that switches between high-speed and regular-speed still recording -- it lights up when the camera's in high-speed mode, but we kept forgetting it was on. Then again, we only spent a brief time with the FH100, and expect glancing at this button would become second-nature before long.

Menu

The menu system is clearly legible and reasonably straightforward. Our only concern is the fact that the list of options is longer than a single page, meaning you'll need to scroll down the column to reveal the rest of your choices. At least you don't have to scroll all the way back up to change menu tabs, though: pressing the Menu button shortcuts you back to the top of the list.

The menus are easy to read, but require lots of scrolling.

Ease of Use

We didn't encounter any problems getting the camera to do what we wanted it to do. With the inclusion of a separate video recording button, another button to switch between high-speed and standard still mode, and a generally well designed menu system, we expect it will take only a quick pass through the user manual for most users to gain access to the features that make this a cool camera.