Casio adds auto-shutter and other features across the board to its new lineup. We take a look at the slim and zoomy new compact digital cameras.
At its CES press conference, today, Casio announced a new auto shutter feature that will be available across the board on its new camera lineup. The new cameras include the EX-S10, an addition to the Exilim Card family, and the EX-Z80, EX-Z100 and EX-Z200 cameras, which join the Exilim Zoom lineup. None of the cameras are remarkably different in form from their predecessors, aside from a new palette of colors, which is becoming a mainstay of the compact digital camera market.
The auto shutter function basically waits until your hand stops shaking, then takes the picture. You press the button, and the camera waits for the right intersection of good focus and minimal blur, then snaps the shot. It can even wait for your subjects to smile, a facial expression it recognizes, then capture the scene. Additionally, an enhanced self-portrait mode will allow users to aim their cameras at themselves from arms length, and the camera will wait until all heads are in frame before taking the pic.
Beyond auto shutter, all of the new Exilim cameras feature a new movie transfer feature. In the past, we had seen Casio cameras designed for uploading the compressed videos that YouTube prefers. With the current crop, Casio has taken the next step to provide iTunes integration. So, you can take a video with your camera, drop it into iTunes, then synchronize with your iPod and iPhone to watch your recording.
The Exilim Card EX-S10
Otherwise, the enhancements to each line are a hodgepodge of minimal upgrades. The Casio Exilim Card EX-S10 (check out our hands-on gallery) is the world's smallest and thinnest 10.1-megapixel camera, according to Casio. The S10 features the company's new Super Clear LCD, which has improved brightness and contrast ratios over previous models. In our hands, we did find the S10 to be exceedingly small, but not credit card thin. Still, it was the most pocketable camera of the bunch, and we were impressed by the bright, clear display, even in the harsh lighting of the press conference room.
Upgrades to the Exilim Zoom
The Casio Exilim Zoom EX-Z80 (see our hands-on pics) is a minimal update. Auto shutter is really the only significant feature improvement.
The real improvements come in the Exilim Zoom EX-Z100 and the Z200. Both of these cameras feature a 28mm wide angle lens, as well as 4X optical zoom. They get the new Super Clear LCD found on the S10, as well as Casio's new Auto Best Shot scene recognition function, which figures out if you're taking low-light pictures over birthday candles, or shots for selling your old camera on E-bay, and chooses the best scene mode accordingly.
You can see our pics of the EX-Z100 here, and click on the gallery above for our hands-on time with the Z200. All the new cameras feature a dedicated video record button, a feature we definitely like. They should come to market in time for Spring.
Philip Berne, Matthew Ruiz, Edward Distel and Sindre Lia contribute to the CES 2008 coverage.
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