Casio Japan has announced the EX-10 - a flagship high-end compact with a 1/1.7" type sensor and a fast 28-112mm equivalent lens. The model, which the company says it will be launching in other markets, features magnesium alloy construction and, like the existing EX-ZR1000, an LCD that flips all the way up, for shooting self-portraits. As usual for Casio, the EX-10 features a range of innovative shooting modes, in this case including a dual bracketing mode that will adjust two variables for each sequence (e.g. exposure brightness and white balance). It also has built-in Wi-Fi and the ability to shoot Raw, and upholds Casio's tradition of offering really good battery life (at 455 shots-per-charge, it's around twice as good as most of its rivals).
We got the chance to shoot with several Casio models earlier this year and found them to be pretty enjoyable to use - especially the range-topping EX-ZR1000, which combined enthusiast-compact levels of control with some pretty sophisticated, automated high-speed shooting modes. The only thing that really counted against it, from a DPReview perspective, was its use of a 1/2.3" sensor, which limited its appeal, when some pretty good enthusiast models with larger sensors exist. The move to a 1/1.7" BSI CMOS sensor makes the EX-10 seem much more attractive. The lens, with its associated control ring looks an awful lot like the excellent unit used in Olympus's XZ-1 and 2, and the Pentax MX-1 (the likelihood of there being multiple 6.0-24mm F1.8-2.5 lenses, all featuring the same two-barrel construction, is extremely small), which bodes well for image quality.
Beyond this, magnesium alloy build, built-in Wi-Fi and a customizable front-plate shutter button that Casio says is for waist-level shooting make the EX-10 a pretty interesting prospect. The existence of several cameras coming towards the end of their product life-cycles (with the consequent price drops that this brings), could make life difficult for this latest Exilim, but we're still pleased to see Casio making a move into making the type of camera we like.
Click here for a more in-depth press release, Google-translated from Japanese
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Casio to Release Flagship EXILIM Digital Camera
Captures Nine Images in a High-Speed Burst at Different Camera Settings
Features the world's first* dual-combination bracketing function that automatically adjusts for a pair of shooting parameters such as focus and aperture EX-10
Casio Computer Co., Ltd. announced today that it will release its new flagship EXILIM compact digital camera, the EX-10, on November 29. The newest addition to the EXILIM family boasts the world's first dual-combination bracketing function. With a single touch of the shutter button, nine photos are captured in a high-speed burst for a unique pair of parameter values for focus, aperture, white balance, exposure, among others. Now anyone can take high-quality photographs just like the professionals without complicated adjustments.
The new EX-10 includes the following features:
- The world's first dual-combination bracketing function. The "Auto Bracketing" function automatically varies a pair of shooting parameters over three steps, producing a matrix of nine images to choose from. The "Manual Bracketing" function enables users to explore the settings of each parameter manually.
- 28mm wide angle zoom lens with a maximum aperture of f1.8 (wide-end): This powerful lens is able to maintain a high resolution even at its peripheries.
- 1/1.7-inch Back-lit CMOS image sensor: The expanded size of the image sensor is optimized for high-speed burst photography. The improved sensitivity increases the amount of light that can be received, while the back-lit system more effectively directs light to the sensor's surface.
- Easy-to-see 3.5-inch tilt-up and tilt-down display, complemented by a front shutter button
The new model will be open-priced.
* World's first compact digital camera featuring a bracketing function that combines two separate parameters. (Accurate as of November 14 based on a Casio Survey)
Casio Exilim EX-10 specifications
| Body type | |
|---|---|
| Body type | Compact |
| Body material | Magnesium and aluminum alloy |
| Sensor | |
| Max resolution | 4000 x 3000 |
| Other resolutions | 4000 x 2656, 4000 x 2240, 3264 x 2448, 2056 x 1536 |
| Image ratio w:h | 4:3, 3:2, 16:9 |
| Effective pixels | 12 megapixels |
| Sensor photo detectors | 13 megapixels |
| Sensor size | 1/1.7" (7.44 x 5.58 mm) |
| Sensor type | CMOS |
| Processor | Exilim Engine HS 3 |
| Color space | sRGB |
| Color filter array | Primary Color Filter |
| Image | |
| ISO | Auto, 80 - 12800 |
| White balance presets | 6 |
| Custom white balance | Yes (1) |
| Image stabilization | Sensor-shift |
| Uncompressed format | RAW |
| File format |
|
| Optics & Focus | |
| Focal length (equiv.) | 28–112 mm |
| Optical zoom | 4× |
| Maximum aperture | F1.8–2.5 |
| Autofocus |
|
| Autofocus assist lamp | Yes |
| Digital zoom | Yes (2X/4X) |
| Manual focus | Yes |
| Macro focus range | 1 cm (0.39″) |
| Screen / viewfinder | |
| Articulated LCD | Tilting |
| Screen size | 3.5″ |
| Screen dots | 921,600 |
| Touch screen | Yes |
| Screen type | Super Clear LCD with 180 degree upward tilt |
| Live view | Yes |
| Viewfinder type | None |
| Photography features | |
| Minimum shutter speed | 250 sec |
| Maximum shutter speed | 1/4000 sec |
| Exposure modes |
|
| Built-in flash | Yes (Pop-up) |
| Flash range | 10.90 m |
| External flash | No |
| Flash modes | Auto, off, fill-in, redeye reduction |
| Continuous drive | 10.0 fps |
| Self-timer | Yes (2 or 10 sec) |
| Metering modes |
|
| Exposure compensation | ±2 (at 1/3 EV steps) |
| AE Bracketing | ±2 (3 frames at 1/3 EV, 1/2 EV, 1 EV steps) |
| WB Bracketing | Yes |
| Videography features | |
| Resolutions | 1920 x 1080 (30 fps), 1280 x 720 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps) |
| Format | MPEG-4, H.264 |
| Videography notes | High speed: 224 x 64 (1000 fps), 224 x 160 (480 fps), 512 x 384 (240 fps), 640 x 480 (120 fps) |
| Microphone | Stereo |
| Speaker | Mono |
| Storage | |
| Storage types | SD/SDHC/SDXC |
| Storage included | 49.9 MB |
| Connectivity | |
| USB | USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) |
| HDMI | Yes (micro-HDMI) |
| Wireless | Built-In |
| Wireless notes | via smartphone app |
| Remote control | No |
| Physical | |
| Environmentally sealed | No |
| Battery | Battery Pack |
| Battery description | Lithium-Ion Li-130A rechargeable battery & charger |
| Battery Life (CIPA) | 455 |
| Weight (inc. batteries) | 384 g (0.85 lb / 13.55 oz) |
| Dimensions | 120 x 68 x 49 mm (4.72 x 2.67 x 1.91″) |
| Other features | |
| Orientation sensor | Yes |
| Timelapse recording | Yes |
| GPS | None |
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