Today we had the opportunity to play with the new Casio Exilim EX-FH20 high-speed camera, the budget-friendly alternative to the high-speed Casio Exilim EX-F1, released earlier this year. At nearly half the MSRP ($600), the Casio Exilim EX-FH20 harbors a few significant downgrades such as MJPEG video with even more confined resolutions and a smaller 1/2.3" CMOS sensor. By comparison, the $1,000 Exilim EX-F1 uses H.264 video compression and has a larger 1/1.8" CMOS sensor. On the Casio Exilim EX-FH20, Casio is taking this new smaller sensor and packing in 9MP while the EX-F1's larger sensor has a lower 6MP max. As for the disparity between the larger megapixel count on the less expensive cameras, Casio reps would only tell us the new sensor represents what was available at the time, and as far as the shift to MJPEG video, Casio attributes the downgrade to costly royalties associated with the H.264 codec.
Yet the Casio Exilim EX-FH20 brings to the table some fresh technology as well. A new Best Shot mode, Multiple Motion Image, allows you to capture action sequences in which the subject appears numerous times throughout the frame, at different stages of motion. For instance, the Casio Exilim EX-FH20 can display the various stages of a long jump or motorcycle wheelie. Also new is a high-speed Night Scene setting, in which numerous high-speed night images are combined to create a less-blurry whole. Basically, the camera is selecting the best shots and fusing them together into one all-star image.
The design of the Casio Exilim EX-FH20 is very similar to the EX-FH1, only more compact. Despite this, Casio was able to cram in a 20x optical zoom, thanks to the camera's long, telescoping lens. Be prepared for some significantly long wait times when recording high-speed video. In our hands-on tests, it took an eternity to process videos on an SD/SDHC card. Processing times were actually long enough that we missed some shooting opportunities while we waited for the camera to finish and get ready to shoot more video.
Image Quality Preview
At the Chelsea Piers Sky Rink, NHL pro Glen Anderson rattled off a few slap shots, executed a few body checks and showered nearby press with hockey-stop snow. The rink was practically melting due to the high powered lights that were set up, flooding the vicinity. As we've seen in tests of the Casio Exilim EX-F1, these cameras need loads of light for high-speed shooting. So, this was an optimal shooting environment for the Casio Exilim EX-FH20's high-speed video mode and Best Shot Action mode.
Our disappointments began when we reviewed the videos back at the ranch. At 1000fps, the native video is the size of a stick of gum on our 15-inch laptop screens. We're talking Topps baseball card gum. When we expanded the playback window, the video was so pixilated that it resembled an old Atari 2600 game (Basketball, anyone?). Obviously the lower the speed, the higher resolution. We were able to attain some fairly exciting clips at 420fps and slower.
Keep in mind the Casio Exilim EX-FH20 is using MJPEG and captures at smaller resolutions than the EX-F1. A 1200fps EX-F1 clips is almost twice as large, in terms of pixel resolution, as a 1000fps EX-FH20 clip.
1000fps Video
Slapshot
Hockey Stop
Goal
420fps Video
Hockey Stop 2
Looking at them again, the 1000fps clips are even smaller than a stick of gum. We could deal with the EX-F1's 336 by 96 size at 1200fps, but 224 by 56 is a little preposterous. The 420fps clip is a bit more tolerable, but it's still tiny. At 600fps, the EX-F1 clip was nearly twice as large.
Still Images
One-Timer
It's apparent that the Casio Exilim EX-FH20 doesn't capture the sharpest images, at least in this shooting environment. Notice the color bleed on Glen's jersey and the overall lack of detail in this picture.
Best Shot Multiple Motion image
Shot 1
Shot 2
The Best Shot Multiple Motion image mode has some interesting potential, but again, don't expect the best quality. We cropped these so you can see the action up close. This is a feature we're excited to play around with in our upcoming review.
Price and availability
The Casio Exilim EX-FH20 is available now and retails for $600. Check back soon for our complete review.
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