Casio: ultrazoom snaps 60 shots per second
Who gives a hoot about bumping compact cameras from 10 megapixels to 12 megapixels? It's time for some digital camera features that will really open up new photographic possibilities.
A prototype Casio camera that can shoot video at 300 frames per second
(Credit: Casio)Enter a prototype Casio is showing at the IFA consumer electronics trade show in Berlin. The camera can shoot 60 frames per second at its full 6-megapixel resolution, Casio said. And in video mode, it can shoot 300 frames per second. In contrast, even Canon's $4,500 photojournalist-oriented 1D Mark III can shoot 10.5 frames per second (though doubtless with higher image quality) and newer compact cameras' video modes only hit 60 frames per second with a teensy 320x240-pixel image.
This sounds like a lot of fun to me, and some of the sample photos and videos on the Casio site make me want to go try one out. I'm sure any number of parents would love to go capture some new footage of the kids' T-ball progress, and there probably is a golf pro somewhere would could recoup an investment in this camera in two hours by critiquing clients' swings. And how about science fair projects?
As an added bonus, Casio said the camera has a 12x zoom ranging from 35mm to 420mm equivalent--a new direction for Casio. And it's equipped with sensor-shifting technology to compensate for shaky hands and help in dim light. The camera uses a CMOS (complementary metal oxide semiconductor) image sensor.
Casio is mum about when the camera will go on sale, how much it'll cost, or how many floodlights you'll need to get good results out of that high-speed shooting. The company did add, however, that it's working to further improve performance.
Stephen Shankland writes about a wide range of technology and products, but has a particular focus on browsers and digital photography. He joined CNET News in 1998 and since then also has covered Google, Yahoo, servers, supercomputing, Linux and open-source software, and science. E-mail Stephen, or follow him on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/stshank. 
