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Casio Puts Big Zoom, Plenty of Features in Little Exilim
Casio sprints ahead in the race to combine a powerful zoom with a puny build.
By Aimee Baldridge
January 6, 2007
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| Click photo to see more shots of the Casio Exilim Hi-Zoom EX-V7. |
Casio has induced a feeling of déjà vu in camera news-watchers everywhere by unveiling a model it claims is "the world's slimmest digital camera with a 7X optical zoom lens." World records aside, what may interest photographers looking for a capable pocket camera most is the generous range of controls and features that Casio has squeezed into this little camera. Standout features include manual and priority exposure modes, tracking autofocus, and adjustable noise reduction and dynamic range.
About as thick as a frame of 35mm film is high (24.3mm, to be exact), the Exilim Hi-Zoom EX-V7 features an internally zooming lens. Naturally, the EX-V7 is a 7-megapixel model, and Casio has endowed it with a CCD-shifting image stabilization feature to counter the camera shake you will be sure to encounter when shooting with such a diminutive camera. The EX-V7 can also be set to boost ISO settings and shutter speeds to reduce blur, and it stabilizes video footage electronically.
Its other video features are notably strong: It uses the relatively new H.264 format, which provides a good balance between quality and file size, and the zoom lens can operate while you're capturing video with stereo sound.
The EX-V7 will be available in March 2007 at a retail price of $399.99.
Press Release
Casio Introduces the World's Slimmest Digital Camera with a 7X Optical Zoom Lens
New technology reduces photo blur with auto focus, auto-follow and anti-shake functions
LAS VEGAS, NV, January 8, 2007 – Casio, Inc. and its parent company Casio Computer Co., Ltd., announced today the release of the 7.2-megapixel EXILIM Hi-ZOOM EX-V7, the most powerful zoom in the stylish EXILIM® series of compact digital cameras. This new model is the world's slimmest digital camera with a 7X optical zoom lens. Thinness is a defining quality in the EXILIM line, and the EX-V7 is no different as it easily fits in a shirt pocket or small purse.
In recent years, a number of compact, high-performance digital cameras have appeared on the market, but the trade-off between zoom power and camera size was evident in those models. Users who wanted to capture subjects at a distance were forced to buy bulkier cameras while other consumers sacrificed zoom for portability.
"The newest edition to the EXILIM line, the EX-V7, solves this problem, giving users the best of both worlds," said Bill Heuer, Senior Vice President of Casio's Digital Imaging Division. "It's an exceptionally portable, great-looking digital camera with a powerful zoom lens — just what the world has been waiting for."
The new camera also introduces an innovative function for reducing photo blur, made possible by Casio's mechanical CCD shift technology. It also combines Casio's well-received Anti Shake DSP, which reduces blur due to shaky hands or a moving subject by using higher ISO sensitivity and faster shutter speeds, with dynamic subject analysis technology that uses the most appropriate ISO sensitivity and shutter speed to capture a moving photo subject. Even at high zoom settings, the EX-V7 almost always gets it right. Everyone from first-time photographers to seasoned professionals will love this latest marvel from Casio.
Main features
* The world's slimmest* digital camera with a 7X optical zoom lens, as stylish as any EXILIM
* 59.6 mm high, 95.2 mm wide, and 24.3 mm thin (22.0 mm at the thinnest part)
* Incorporates a cutting-edge 7X internal optical zoom lens.
* Offers 10X-equivalent zoom without loss of picture quality (in 3.0-megapixel mode).
* Four blur reduction technologies
* New CCD shift system actually mechanically compensates for camera shake.
* Automatically analyzes the speed and direction of a moving subject and sets the most appropriate ISO sensitivity and shutter speed.
* Anti Shake DSP reduces blur due to shaky hands and subject movement, using high shutter speeds and high sensitivity settings.
* Electronic camera shake compensation function eliminates blur when shooting in movie mode.
* Newly designed EXILIM Engine 2.0 image processor
* "Auto Follow AF" function follows moving subjects, keeping them constantly in focus until the photo is taken.
* Tonal control lets users keep bright areas of the scene bright by limiting the occurrence of dark pixels.
* Offers ability to selectively eliminate noise in designated color regions, such as the sky.
* Boasts faster image processing functions that enable instantaneous color correction or angle adjustment.
* High-quality movies using next-generation H.264 video encoding method
* Creates movies at high compression ratios that save storage space.
* Records about 1.5 times longer, with the same picture quality as MPEG-4.**
* Silent lens motion enables optical zooming while recording movies in stereo sound.
* As of January 8, 2007, for digital cameras with a zoom ratio of 7x or above. Based on a Casio survey.
** Casio comparison, at Normal picture quality setting.
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