Digital Camera News

January 07, 2008

Casio Updates Zoom Line

Jan. 7, 2008 – Casio today added three point-and-shoots to its Exilim

Take a photo tour of the new Casio cameras

Zoom line: the EX-Z80, EX-Z100, and EX-Z200. The three cameras are part of Casio’s overhaul of the line. The 8.1-megapixel EX-Z80 and 10.1-megapixel EX-Z100 and EX-Z200 offer Casio’s face detection, Auto Shutter, and iTunes-compatible H.264 video recording, and the EX-Z100 and EX-Z200 have a 28mm wide lens. The prices and release dates have not yet been announced.

All three feature H.264 video recording, making them compatible with Apple's iTunes and iPods. Users can upload video files to their computer, drag and drop them into iTunes, then transfer the videos to their iPods without having to convert the file. The move isn't the first Casio has made to make its cameras compatible with third parties. Last July, Casio launched the S880 and Z77 with YouTube Capture mode, to make uploading easier to the popular video-sharing website. Last year, it partnered with eBay for its eBay Best Shot mode, which automatically sizes photos for the auction website. All three cameras feature a movie button for instant video recording without accessing the mode dial.

Movies can be recorded with sound at 848 x 480 at 30 frames per second (fps), 640 x 480 at 30 fps, and 320 x 240 at 15 fps, and include the YouTube Capture mode for easy uploading to the popular website.

The EX-Z80 features a 3x optical zoom lens, 1/2.5-inch CCD, and Casio’s Exilim Engine 2.0 image processor. The EX-Z80 also features changeable focusing frames, allowing users to choose different objects to represent an in-focus subject. A heart, for example, can be selected to appear when a subject is focused, rather than the traditional rectangle. In addition, users can prerecord faces they want prioritized in face detection, and the face detection places the sharpest focus on those faces. The face detection can detect up to 10 faces.

The EX-Z80 comes in six colors: pale pink, vivid pink, green, blue, black, and silver. It features 30 Best Shot Scene modes and a 2.6-inch, 114,960-pixel LCD.

The EX-Z100 and EX-Z200 feature Digital Image Stabilization, and the EX-Z200 adds Mechanical Image Stabilization to further reduce blur in images. Both cameras have 1/2.3-inch CCD imagers and feature a 4x optical zoom lens with a 35mm equivalent range of 28mm to112mm for wide-angle shooting.

Both cameras feature a 2.7-inch, 230,160-pixel LCD. Both incorporate Casio’s Auto Best Shot, which automatically determines which Scene mode should be used in a given situation. Auto Best Shot can choose between modes for People, Scenery, Night, Night with People, Close-ups, and Moving Subjects. Both cameras offer 39 Best Shot Scene modes. The Z100 and Z200 come in silver, black, and red.

All three models feature Casio’s Face Detection and Auto Shutter, which automatically takes a picture when camera shake ceases, when camera panning stops, or when a user’s face enters the frame for a self-portrait.

The new models run on a rechargeable lithium-ion battery. Casio also today announced the 6-megapixel Exilim Pro EX-F1, which reportedly captures still images at 60 fps and at 300 fps in the Movie mode at full resolution. The 10-megapixel Exilim Card EX-S10 was also added to the product line.

Camera Model	Exilim Zoom EX-Z80	Exilim Zoom EX-Z100	Exilim Zoom EX-Z200
Announcement Date	January 2008	January 2008	January 2008
Sensor	8.1 MP	10.1 MP	10.1 MP
Lens	3x optical zoom	4x optical zoom	4x optical zoom
Monitor	2.6-inch, 114,960-pixel	2.7-inch, 230,160 pixel	2.7-inch, 230,160 pixel
Color Options	Pale Pink Vivid Pink Green Blue Black Silver
Key Features	Auto Shutter H.264 video standard Focusing frames Face Detection	Digital Image Stabilization Auto Shutter Auto Best Shot H.264 video	Digital Image Stabilization Mechanical Image Stabilization Auto Shutter Auto Best Shot H.264 video