Casio Exilim F1 camera

[Charlton]

Casio Exilim F1

Casio Exilim F1 is the model of the high-speed cameras of Japanese house, a bridge that has preferred to leave the running of the millions of pixels crammed on the sensor, to support features such as the resumption of high-speed precisely. This feature has been implemented not only on the picture but also on the video proposing a 1200 shooting fps although in much reduced.

Speaking only of the camera becomes reductive for the Casio Ex-F1, which is able to record movies in HD and FHD (1920 x 1080 pixels) and stereo audio. Largo space was given to shoot video with the ability to edit movies directly in the car . This Bridge has won several awards this year as Best Product of EISA, TIPA Awards 2008, DIWA Awards, iF Product Design Award 2008.

[Charlton]

Design

The F1 has a long shape, completely black, which highlights the zoom magnification of 12, the outer shell is plastic and the grip is good. In particular, by lodging an appeal with both hands the feeling of stability is remarkable, something that must not be neglected as a focal boost.

The skirt of rubberized can zoom control is that the manual focus, depending on the settings provided in the car. On the left side of the barrel are positioned buttons for selecting the focus (AF, MF, macro, infinity), the key to automatic backlight compensation, and focus lock / exposure. Also on the left side are positioned power sockets, HDMI, and USB socket for external stereo microphone.

The arrangement of controls is divided between the spine and the shoulder: Takes place on the back LCD display TFT 236,160 pixels, a first selection of the dial comes with a concentric ring. Just above the arrow keys to access menus, converting between visual display and viewfinder and the DISP button which pressure corresponds to the appearance of screen data on the photo.

The button to review the pictures / video is attached to the side of the viewfinder and is marked by a green arrow to play for the review and a red button that restores the state of the camera work. On the corner at the top right of the back shows the controller activation video. It consists of a central button that starts and stops recording, and a three-position switch that allows you to choose between recovery standard, HD and HS.

On the shoulder two rings are inserted, the interior allows you to select the shooting modes in single, continuous, slow motion, with continuous strobe flash, bracketing, and the outermost select the settings for shooting in manual, priority of time, priority of diaphragms , Automatic, best shot. This function collects 27 presets optimized for specific shooting situations. Choice of timing and diaphragms, white balance and color are dominant covered.

Power key, the zoom control and shutter button again on the shoulder. Looking at the top of the camera is visible on the flash that has disappeared maximum of 6.7 m and is capable of firing up to 10 consecutive flashes in a strobe mode power reduced. The time to recharge after a flash at full power is about 9 seconds. The sliding and external flash is protected by a black plastic insert.

Casio Exilim F1 is powered by a dedicated battery Lithium-ion, if the autonomy in the photo, you can perform about 580 shots in video mode, the hours turned it around 3.5. In addition to an internal memory for a little over 30 MB, slot memory ospita SD / SDHC or Multimedia Card / Plus. A side of the flash are placed two microphones, one on each side, the camera is equipped with hood.

[Charlton]

Menu

The features offered by Exilim F1 are many, the menu is organized into three main tabs: Registration, Quality, Set Up. Within each tab, the different voices are opened in the drop-down list allowing the selection you want.

Through the main menu you can set the image stabilizer. Different modes of work: mechanical stabilizer on the sensor, automatic sensitivity setting and shutter time to avoid the subject moved or stabilization off. The mechanical stabilizer works very well, allowing you to take a free hand, well below the time needed to secure a focal thrust like paintings, in addition to a reduced format. Loses pace in shooting video, where using a hand held 432 mm is prohibitive.

Like other sisters compact, the function of automatic detection of the face, I could not, in practice are recognized faces from the front until full profile. After the selective focus is on the camera to decide the best settings for shooting, unless you are in recovery programs manuals.

The large rubber ring that surrounds the target in the form of mutual zoom ring, in fact, the latter function can be set in the car features a selection of zoom, focus and selection of shutter speed shooting in bursts.

Exposure bracketing, white balance and focus are some advanced features that allow great creative freedom. Block of exposure and focus lock can be accessed from the button placed on the barrel fast, always set by the main menu.

The LCD display shows the information printed on screen more frequent use that can be edited, browsing in the drop-down right through the dial. The couple time / aperture is changed by using the concentric ring the dial, you move from one parameter to another by pressing the button set.

The photo features have been built around the benefits from high speed, making it possible to set the camera to capture up to 60 frames a second step 1-3-7-10-12-15-20-30-60 fps. The recovery in these conditions is ensured From the buffer and the Exilim processor able to process the amount of information.

Still in high speed, you can shoot a scene halfway pressing the shutter button and keep it in slow motion so as to choose the frame through the full pressure. This type of recovery is called SLOW MOTION and is based on continuous internal memory.

The flash could not stay back after considering the potential offered through the emission of strobe flashes (up to 7 per second) the filming of motion and / or low light will find the right solutions and new creative ideas

[Charlton]

Mire optical test - methodology and theory

The F1 can record images in Jpeg format to DNG. The mire optical resolution and the short study, we would like first to pay attention to a peculiarity related to the Raw format: If you plan to record an image native, sensitivities are only usable ISO 100 ISO and 200 ISO.

This left us puzzled and we have linked to the fact that the envelope F1 software does not include a useful program development and raw conversion. It 'possible that the demosaicing software in this machine is so optimized for the management of the electricity produced by the Engine V processor, which the native file is the difficult process of editing software from third parties. We also ask the reasons for the choice of including in the car this size of acquisition, if it is not usable due to lack of software support.

As of this review we introduce the measure of sharpness afforded by the camera to test. We spend a few words to explain better how the test is done and should be interpreted as the values obtained. The sharpness is a function of two parameters: resolution and sharp. The resolution is measured in line pairs per mm lp / mm and represents the ability to distinguish the number of pairs of lines with high contrast (one white and one black) in the space of a millimeter, the mind runs immediately to the resolution of sensor, the analogy is correct but not complete.

The acute instead refers to the contrast in conjunction of the angles of the details. If the transition between a particular and another is poor in contrast, the result is an image just defined extreme the effect can say that the various special merge into one another, not have their edges. To emphasize the definition in fact, the filter used in post-is the mask contrast, which does increase the local contrast at the edges of transition. Acute and resolution are two different characteristics.

Both parameters are very important in verifying the ability of a camera image to return a clear, precise, rich in detail distinguishable. We have mentioned that the resolution is not everything, in fact we are testing a camera comprises a lens which puts it in communication with the world that will provide a resolving power, the sensor itself plays a crucial role, as the algorithms for demosaicing, antialiasing and processing machinery. When you print the picture taken, you must take into account the contribution of the printer.

[Charlton]

Video


The video features enjoyed this camera make it an example of the border, the line between camera and camcorder, various resolutions and formats of resume that summarized in the following table.

In general, the shape of the Ex-F1 allows a good grip even in the video, even if the use of tele focal hand is unthinkable. The optical zoom is enabled and lets you shoot with passages and zoom focal variable whose speed is adjustable. The video product is very nice and the stereo audio add value to the shooting. The reading exposure and autofocus settings unfortunately still not set in accordance with the choice, which would surely have played for this product.

Any setting is active in the photo at any time you can switch to shooting video by pressing the red button on, place the back of the camera.

The standard shooting mode can capture 640 x 480 movies at 30 fps, the quality is very good and find a good compromise in the use of memory. Clicking on the link to open or download a movie test: Video_Standard_640x480 (6.84 MB).

Through the three-position switch is changed the quality of recovery: STD for standard HD for HD or FHD selectable via menu and HS mode for shooting video at high speed, programmable through the menu to 300 fps, 600 fps, 1200 fps.

Shooting Full HD and HD, respectively, have a frame rate of 30 and 60 fps, the difference in quality compared with the standard recovery is considerable and the results leave without parole. Characteristics that make F1 a high-performance, the other side of the coin that we can not fail to highlight is the choice of the codec used for the management of HD and FHD.

The only program that is officially able to read it correctly, it's Total Media Theater, the software supplied with the camera. This is a failure that destroys the potential of F1 because not only binds the user to a software display not widespread if not unknown, but in addition makes the editing of the movie itself.

E 'state can export the FHD and HD movies through QuickTime Pro in AVI format respecting the acquisition frame rate of the original but the quality of the file of destination makes sense the previous acquisition in high quality.

[Charlton]

characteristics of the Ex-F1.

Type camera Compact Bridge
Resolution (effective pixels) 6 Mp
Sensor type High Speed CMOS
Format Utile 1 / 1, 8 "
Image Processor Exilim
Target 12x optical zoom eq. 36 - 432 mm 1:2,7-4,6
Sensitivity ISO 100 - 200 - 400 - 800 - 1600
Exposure Multiple - Media weighed in the middle - Spot
Image formats Raw DNG - JPEG (Exif 2.2), DCF 1.0 and DPOF
Video formats H.264/AVC, MOV - Standard, HD, FHD, HS
Storage Media 31.9 MB internal memory - Memory SD / SDHC, multimedia card, multimedia card plus
White Balance Auto, daylight, cloudy, shade, daylight white fluorescent, daylight fluorescent, tungsten, manual
Viewfinder Electronic 0.2 "201,600 pixel by
Monitor LCD TFT 2.8 "pixels from 236.160
Shutter CMOS electronic shutter, mechanical shutter
Preset shooting 27 Best Shot settings

[Charlton]

Conclusions


Casio Ex-F1 is a camera from the great performance and potential, certainly a good purchase for those who want to combine pictures and shooting video in a single device. The extended zoom allows you to play a great variety of situations. Taking a gust, features slow motion strobe flash and can also experiment with techniques not available with a normal bridge.

Among the strengths of this compact show containment of jpeg artifacts and sensitivity to work optimally until ISO 400, the algorithm gain the dynamic range provides excellent performance, provided that it is not exaggerated mode G2. Shutter speed, accessibility features of video, shooting up to 1,200 fps, single or continuous autofocus mode is video and photo opportunity to record movies in HD quality FHD and implemented in a single device the size and weight content. Generous battery that allows you 540 shots, or 3.30 hours of movie shooting and remote included.

On the other hand, we must find some aspects certainly be improved, first and foremost the problem of encoding FHD and HD movies are not supported by the most popular codec on the market. Moreover, it is particularly uncomfortable result that, in photo mode, the camera should zoom in reset position during wide shots of the review and then extend once again closed the review. When the zoom is to return to fully extended position canvases, the response time of the first camera to be operational again appears too: this in a camera that focuses on all speeds, it is not unimportant, apart from the fact that no allows the photographer to be responsive in times of action and movement.

The verdict is positive, we expect that Casio puts hand to manage HD video to make it more accessible and not tied to a low-level editing executable only by car. Casio Exilim F1 was around 800, many of them think referring to a compact camera on the other hand, the F1 is inserted on a line very particular view of the technical characteristics and potential, the user medium must question whether investing in a single system of this type, or opt for two distinct voted to the first shooting, and shooting HD video and / or FHD second.

[Golfguy]

Hi:

Does anyone know the best settings to record video of a golf swing using this camera? I bought one a month ago, and I have struggled to get FHD to play back on the computer.

THX.