Compact-camera manufacturers have begun testing the waters with a wealth of high-end features as they search for new ways to gain revenue, market share, and recognition.
In earlier digital photography days, a camera with an extra megapixel of resolution, face recognition, or image stabilization could stand apart from the herd. But now that herd has grown larger, most folks who'll buy a digital camera already have done so, the economy has put consumer spending on ice--and camera makers are making some bolder bets with high-end features.
Among them: Nikon's built-in GPS support to record where a photo was taken, Casio's high-speed video, and the Micro Four Thirds camera system from Panasonic and Olympus.
Premium features aren't an easy sell. They tend to appeal to market niches rather than the mainstream. Early implementations are often rough around the edges. And it's hard enough to convince people to buy a new camera, much less one with the higher price of premium features.
But winning those customers can have a good payoff with better profit margins. And that's critical in this day and age. Market research firm IDC expects that after years of growth, the shipments of digital cameras will decline in 2009.
"It's crowded, and it's getting crowdeder," IDC analyst Ron Glaz said of the digital camera market. "We're anticipating that with the slowdown in economy and disposable income, we'll start seeing consolidation of the vendors." In other words, even though something in the neighborhood of 38 million digital cameras are sold annually, some companies will throw in the towel.
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Casio says its $1,000 EX-F1 can shoot up to 60 6-megapixel images in one second.
(Credit: Casio)Casio is unveiling a radical departure from its basic point-and-shoot camera roots Sunday, the $1,000 Exilim Pro EX-F1 that the company says can shoot 60 still images per second or movies at 1,200 frames per second.
The camera has a 6-megapixel complementary metal oxide semiconductor (CMOS) sensor and a 12x zoom range, the company plans to announce at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas. When using the sensor at its full resolution, the camera can take up to 60 images in a high-speed burst, with different frame rates possible. For example, a photographer can set the camera to take 60 shots in 1 second or 5 shots per second for 12 seconds, Casio said.
Casio started touting the high-speed camera in September; it'll go on sale in March, the company said.
It remains to be seen how well the camera works or how many people will want to buy a compact camera that costs hundreds of dollars more than a good entry-level SLR. But if nothing else, Casio deserves credit for finding a feature that departs from the ordinary categories and stretches limits beyond just how many pixels can be squeezed onto a sensor, a trend that for the most part isn't helping people take better or more interesting photos.
The EX-F1 also has some flash abilities to help out the camera. The built-in flash can fire "up to" 20 times at shooting rates of "up to" 7 frames per second, though the company doesn't detail what circumstances are required to hit those peak speeds. In addition, an internal LED can help burst shots at shooting rates from 10 to 60 frames per second, Casio said. It's also got a hot shoe on the top for mounting external flashes.
In the movie department, the camera can record 512x384-pixel video at 300 frames per second, 432x192 at 600 frames per second, and 336x96 at 1,200 frames per second, Casio said. The camera also can record high-definition movies at 1920x1080 pixels at 60 frames per second, has a dedicated movie button like Canon's PowerShot S5 ultrazoom, and has an HDMI port to watch videos on an HDTV.
For still photos, the camera can record with either JPEG or the higher-end raw format with unprocessed image sensor data; for raw, the EX-F1 uses Adobe Systems' Digital Negative (DNG) format.
The lens aperture ranges from a maximum of f/2.7 at wide angle to f/4.6 at telephoto. The focal length ranges from the equivalent of 36mm to 432mm in terms of 35mm film cameras (that's 7.3mm to 87.6mm in real optical terms; the 1/1.8-inch sensor is significantly smaller than a full frame of 35mm film).
Compact line overhaul
Casio also plans to introduce four more ordinary cameras at CES:
• The $250 Exilim Card EX-S10, the latest "product of Casio's relentless pursuit of thinness," has a 10.1-megapixel sensor, a 3x optical zoom from the equivalent of 36mm to 108mm, and a 2.7-inch LCD. It can wait to take a photo until the photographer's hand starts shaking, an interesting alternative to image stabilization used by higher-end cameras.
• The $330 Exilim Zoom EX-Z200 and $280 EX-Z100 both are 10.1-megapixel models with 4x optical zoom ranging from the equivalent of 28mm to 112mm. The Z200 counteracts camera shake by shifting the sensor.
• The $200 Exilim Zoom EX-Z80 has an 8.1-megapixel sensor, a 3X zoom lens ranging from the equivalent of 38mm to 114mm, and face detection to help set focus and exposure.
On Sale Now: $969.00 - $999.99
View the latest prices for Casio Exilim EX-F1
View complete CES 2008 coverage from CNET.
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.
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