Casio Exilim EX-FC100 Digital Camera Review

Casio Exilim EX-FC100

Digital Camera Review

3.8 Casio has managed to squeeze the extremely high-speed photography and slow-motion video into the EX-FC100, which takes 9-megapixel images (or 6 megapixels at 30 frames per second) and records video at up to 1000 frames per second.  While it had some issues with image quality, the high speeds are a powerful draw.
Advertisement
Recently Viewed Products
$320
$5,000
$430
$318
Top Point & Shoot Cameras
Max Price: $1020
$0 $255 $510 $765 $1020
Filters
All
Canon
Casio
Fuji
Kodak
Nikon
Olympus
Panasonic
Pentax
Sony
All
Compact
High-End
Pocket
Ultra-Zoom
1.Sony Cyber-shot DSC-HX1
Ultra-Zoom
$400
2.Canon SX1 IS
Ultra-Zoom
$527
3.Panasonic DMC-ZS3
Compact
$318
4.Samsung HZ15W
Ultra-Zoom
$280
5.Sony Cyber-shot DSC-T900
Pocket
$325
Exilim EX-FC100 Prices
Latest Camera Reviews
DSLR Point & Shoot
Panasonic
DMC-GF1
Samsung
TL225
Pentax
K10D
Canon
PowerShot S90
Olympus
E-P1
Canon
G11
Canon
EOS 5D
Panasonic
DMC-ZS3
Nikon
D3000
Canon
PowerShot A650 IS

Resolution  
x Noise Page 5 of 16 Video x

Resolution (9.03)


Our resolution test looks at three factors: distortion, sharpness and chromatic aberration, and the Casio performed below average. For each facet of this test, we photograph a resolution chart at three focal lengths, and from that we can tell how the distortion, sharpness and chromatic aberration change over 18 areas of the lens at each focal length.  Click here for more on how we test resolution.

Distortion (9.09)
The Casio did pretty well in our image distortion test. At 6.4mm, it was a bit heavy on the barreling (1.4%), at 14.4mm and 32.1mm it was around 0.7%, which is far more reasonable. This puts it above the Canon SD970 IS and the Sony T900, but worse than the Fuji F200EXR.

Distortion Score Comparison
x

Sharpness (9.36)
The EX-FC100 struggled in our sharpness test, scoring lower than the other three tested cameras. As with most cameras, the images were the sharpest at the very center of the lens, then got less sharp outwards from there, but picked up again towards the edges. The highest sharpness was at 6.4mm, at the dead center of the lens, and the lowest was at 32.1mm, half way between the center and outside edges. The maximum sharpness we saw was just over 2000 line widths per picture height (a measure of how many alternating black and white lines the camera could theoretically resolve), but on average it was below 1200 lw/ph, which is much less than we saw on other cameras.

Chromatic Aberration (8.11)
The chromatic aberration follows a similar pattern to the sharpness. It's at its best at the center of the lens, gets worse as you head out, before improving again at the corners. However, the best chromatic aberration is found at the focal length of 14.4mm, half way through the zoom range of the camera.

This chart shows same-size crops from our resolution chart, taken at the center and edges of the frame, to show the sharpness and chromatic aberration.

Image Sharpness and Chromatic Aberration
6.4mm 14.4mm 32.1mm
x   x x   x x   x
  x     x     x  
x   x x   x x   x

Due to its low sharpness, the Casio received a lower resolution score than the comparison cameras.

Resolution Score Comparison
x

Picture Quality & Size Options (7.25)


The EX-FC100 has a broad selection of image sizes, and has three compression settings: fine, normal, and economy. It does not shoot RAW.

Image Size Options
9M 3456x2592
3:2 3456x2304
16:9 3456x1944
6M 2816x2112
4M 2304x1728
2M 1600x1200
VGA 640x480

 

Image Stabilization (0.00)


Our image stabilization test is based around typical indoor lighting, around 100 lux, and an exposure time of approximately 1/30th of a second. These are the sort of conditions that typical indoor photography deals with, and when image stabilization is most needed. The Casio did very poorly in this setup; its image stabilization system actually made the images look significantly worse. Click here for more on how we test image stabilization.

  Image Stabilization Examples
  x x x x
  Casio EX-FC100 Canon SD970 IS Fujifilm F200EXR Sony T900
IS Off x x x x
IS On x x x x

Noise Page 5 of 16 Video Casio Exilim EX-FC100 Digital Camera Review Navigation

Advertisement