EX-FS10

Product Features
9.1-megapixel resolution
3x optical image-stabilized zoom
30 shot-per-second high-speed burst shooting (6 MP images)
HD Movie function
Capture images to SD/SDHC memory cards (not included)
Technical Details
Brand name: Casio
Model number: FS10 Gray
Color: Gray
Image Resolution: Still Images: 10M, 16:9, 4M, VGA; Movies: 848x480 (wide), 640x480 (normal)
Image Sensor: 10.34 megapixels
Power Source: Rechargeable Lithium Ion Battery (NP-60)
Storage Media: 11.8MB Built-In Flash Memory, SD Memory Card
Optical Zoom: 3x
Digital Zoom: 4x
Minimum Focal Length: 6.3 millimeters
Maximum Focal Length: 18.9 millimeters
Focus Modes: Auto Focus, Macro Mode, Pan Focus, Infinity Mode, Manual Focus
Focus Type: Contrast Detection Auto Focus
Focus Range: Auto Focus: 15.75 inches to infinity; Macro: 5.91 inches to 19.69 inches; Infinity Mode: Infinity; Manual Focus: 5.91 inches to infinity
Microphone: Monaural
Exposure Metering: Multi pattern, center weighted, spot by CCD
Effective Pixels: 10.1 megapixels
Exposure Control: Program AE
Exposure Compensation: minus 2EV to plus 2EV
Shutter Type: CCD electronic and mechanical
Shutter Speed: Auto: 1/2 - 1/2000 second; Night Scene: 4 - 1/2000 second
Maximum Aperture Range: F/2.8 to 7.9
White Balance: Auto WB, Daylight, Overcast, Shade, Day, White FL, Daylight FL, Tungsten, Manual WB
Light Sensitivity: Auto/ISO50/ISO100/ISO200/ISO400/ISO800/ISO1600
Minimum Flash Range: 0.66 feet
Maximum Flash Range: 9.19 feet
Included Flash Types: Auto, Flash Off, Flash On, Soft Flash, Red Eye Reduction
Monitor: 2.7 inch TFT color LCD
Viewfinder: LCD Monitor
File Formats: Still Images: JPEG; Movies: MOV; Audio: WAV
Width: 3.71 inches
Depth: 0.59 inches
Height: 2.15 inches
Weight: 3.9 ounces
What's in the box: FS10 Gray, Rechargeable Lithium Ion Battery (NP-60), Lithium Ion Battery Charger (BC-60L) with AC Power Cord, USB Cable, AV Cable, Strap, CD-ROM, Reference Manual, Quick Start Guide, Accessories Order Form
EX-FS10 user reviews
1) The battery life is horrible. I haven't counted the number of photos or videos per charge, but it is very low. I took this camera to the Zoo and the battery was dead by the afternoon after maybe a 40 photos and a few short videos. My previous Casio camera would last for several days between charges.
2) To charge the battery, you must remove it from the camera and put it into a separate charger. Removing the battery is a little tricky for people with big fingers. My previous Casio could charge the battery without removing it.
3) The high-speed video is a neat gimmick, but it isn't practical in real life for two reasons. First, the resolution is drastically reduced. At the highest speed, the video is a very thin sliver that is so small, you can almost not see what is going on. Second, the high speed video is very grainy and requires a ton of light. There is no way that you can get a usable high-speed video indoors. It's just too dark. "
Finally figuring out most of it, I am particularly fond of Slow Motion View, which is great when you're waiting for your granddaughter to kick the soccer goal, the hummingbird to feed on your flowers, or the salmon to jump up the waterfall. You know, the kind of shot you always miss because the camera shutter was too slow. With this Casio, you just hold the shutter button halfway down and the camera will start recording in a buffer up to three seconds of 10 to 30 frames-per second photos at 6 megapixels (NOT the camera's full 9). The buffer doesn't fill up your SD card, but stays in the camera memory until you push the shutter button all the way down. At that point, you've captured up to 30 still pics of what just happened in the last few seconds. Later on (or immediately, if you want), you can pick out the best one or two freeze-frame shots of that rare event.
Haven't tried the High Speed Night Scene function or the Multi-Motion Image Procedure, but I like the idea behind each of them. The Night Scene takes a fast series of stills of a night scene, any one of which might be underexposed, and then combines them to give a single shot with vivid colors and lighting. Multi-Motion takes a series of shots of a moving object -- like a skier getting air -- and places several images of that object against a stationary background.
I like the camera and will continue to explore its many features, especially for taking pics of my fast-moving granddaughters. "
The overall feature set is very impressive, considering its size and shape. The actual implementation of some features is a bit off though.
PRO's:
* Very small -- smaller than I expected, and I was expecting small. I like to carry a camera with me 24/7 and insist on one that takes full motion video, etc. The small size, HD video features, and rapid shoot features of the FS10 make it perfect for me.
* The slow-motion features are VERY cool. I have been having a lot of fun, often with my young niece & nephew, videoing all kinds of simple things and watching their slo-mo details in playback. Granted, you lose resolution the slower you go but considering this feature isn't available at all in most (any?) other pocket cameras, I'm willing to accept this.
CON's:
* Images captured under even moderately low light conditions are very grainy and noisy. This is looking to be a big problem! You've got 9MP but when you look at them even a little bit closely you'll see a LOT of multi-color sensor noise/grain. Using the flash helps but I don't always want to use the flash. My MUCH older and cheaper digital cameras seem to do better in these same dark conditions! Perhaps I need to explore the custom settings some more BUT, per my next note, all of your custom settings seem to revert back to defaults every time you turn the camera off.
* The camera forgets all(?) of your custom settings when it is turned off and returns to default settings when turned back on. I think most of the problems I am reporting here could be minimized by tuning the camera's settings to my particular likings and personal shooting styles. But having to customize my settings, and remembering to even DO this, every time I turn the camera on is a MAJOR hassle. Example: I prefer to disable the flash/auto-flash and manage lighting myself, but every time I turn the camera back on, the flash will go off if the lighting conditions are even slightly darkish unless I remember to explicitly disable the flash again (and again and again).
* Auto-focus for video is sloppy. It goes in and out of focus even when videoing environments which are pretty much totally "at infinity". I have resorted to always manually focusing to infinity if my subject is more than about 4' away; perhaps I need to try some of the other auto-focusing schemes -- unfortunately the fact that the camera forgets custom settings every time it is turned off makes the use of other focusing schemes or using fixed focus very inconvenient.
* Battery charging requires the battery to be removed and inserted into a separate charger. My other, older/simpler/cheaper cameras generally let me charge via the USB port -- I would often simply leave these old cameras plugged in after downloading images to "top off" the battery. Having to pop the battery out is a total hassle! Also, the hardware associated with this battery access seems a bit flimsy to me...
* The cover over the USB port is poorly implemented. Rather than popping out the SD card, I prefer to download pix/vid from the camera via the USB port. Note first of all that the camera's jack is NOT the standard small USB port that you usually (always?) see -- it is a slightly smaller version that I'd never seen before. I don't know if it is custom to the Casio brand or what -- I hope not. The plastic cover over the camera's USB port is on a thin plastic leash but this leash is SOOO short that it is EXTREMELY difficult to hold the cover out of the way and get the USB cable plugged in. It is such a struggle to plug in the cable that I suspect/fear that it won't be long before the little plastic leash for the USB port cover breaks.
Over all I have mixed feelings about this camera. This is my first Casio camera. So far I am less than thrilled with some problems I've discovered. Under OPTIMAL conditions, the automated settings seem to work well and produce great pictures and HD video. If you deviate from OPTIMAL conditions at all, the automated settings produce mediocre results at best; and any custom settings are consistently forgotten between power-up's.
I'm HOPING that I'll either learn/discover some methods on this new camera to address my problems OR that a firmware upgrade will be released that fixes them. Fingers crossed. "
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