Casio Exilim EX-F1

Manual Focus (7.75)
During manual focus operations, a yellow box appears on the monitor. Focusing is controlled using the left and right sides of the four-way controller. When you start to focus, the area within the yellow box enlarges to full-screen to make details easier to see (the display returns to normal after remaining idle for two seconds). If you prefer, you can use the set-up menu to set the lens barrel ring to control manual focus. We found this much smoother and more instinctive than using the four-way controller, and recommend making the change.

ISO (7.50)
There are five ISO settings, 100, 200, 400, 800 and 1600, plus Auto. Some odd restrictions turn up regarding ISO when you read the fine print, though. When shooting RAW, the maximum ISO setting is 200, for no apparent reason. Also, when shooting movies, Auto ISO is always used.

White Balance (6.50)
In addition to the default Auto WB setting, which lets the camera set the white balance based on live readings while shooting, there are also six user-selectable white balance presets: Daylight, Overcast, Shade, Day White Fluorescent, Daylight Fluorescent and Tungsten (i.e., light bulbs). You can also set a white balance value by selecting Manual WB from the white balance menu, aiming the camera at a white piece of paper and pressing the shutter button.

Exposure (7.25)
The EX-F1 offers aperture-priority, shutter-priority, full manual and auto exposure modes. Exposure compensation is available from the main Control Panel menu in the -2.0EV to +2.0EV range, in 1/3EV increments.

One-button backlight correction is also available by pressing the middle button on the lens barrel. This choice combines exposure shift with dynamic range adjustment to compensate for an underexposure caused when a dark subject is positioned in front of a bright background.

The AE-L/AF-L button is programmable through the menu system to lock either exposure, focus or both when pressed.

We found that, when left in auto mode, the EX-F1 frequently blew out highlights, even when the range from dark to light wasn’t all that challenging. Seting exposure compensation to -1/3 nearly always solved the problem without excessively darkening the image, but we expect the auto exposure setting to handle that chore.

Metering (8.50)
The EX-F1 supports three metering modes, accessible via the Control Panel. Multi-pattern metering analyzes the entire image area to create an exposure setting that maintains an overall balance. Center-weighted, as the name implies, favors achieving proper exposure in the middle of the frame. Spot metering reads only the small central area of the image and sets exposure value accordingly.

Shutter Speed (10.00)
The shutter speed specs for the EX-F1 are unlike any other camera we've seen. Yes, you can take long exposures up to 60 seconds, but you can also shoot at 1/40000th of a second thanks to the system’s unique high-speed technology. When shooting single-shot stills in Auto mode the shutter speed range is a bit more traditional, maxing out at 1/2000th second. And as noted in the testing section, the camera puts hard limits on the selectable slow shutter speeds based on ISO values. While a 60-second exposure is allowed at ISO 100, you’re limited to 8 seconds at ISO 400 and 1 second at ISO 1600.

Aperture (8.50)
Aperture settings range from f/2.7 to f/7.5 at the widest end of the zoom range and f/4.6 to f/13.1 at the maximum telephoto setting. That represents respectable light sensitivity at the wide setting, though the telephoto side of the range isn't up to our expectations. The Olympus SP-570 UZ, for example, is a 20x ultra-zoom model ranging from 26-520mm (35mm equivalent), yet still delivers a maximum aperture of f/4.5 at the top of its telephoto range.