Photo Club

To say the 6MP Casio EXILIM Pro EX-F1 ($999, street) is a breakthrough is an understatement. As we’ve said before (April 2008), and the Pop Photo Lab confirms, the F1 is a far-reaching achievement on several fronts:

• It’s an impressive 12X zoom (36-432mm f/2.7-4.6 equivalent) electronic-viewfinder (EVF) still camera with optical stabilization and Excellent image quality.

• It’s the camera equivalent of a machine gun, packing a breathtaking 60 frames-per-second burst rate (7 fps with flash) and 1/4 0,000 sec top shutter speed.

• It’s a full-HD (1920×1080 pixels at 60 fps) video camera with stereo audio, zoom while recording, and HDMI output.

• It’s a high-speed/low-resolution video camera, shooting up to a blistering 1200 frames per second.

That last quality — high-speed video — means 1 sec of real time equals up to 40 sec of ultra-slow-motion video. Scientists and sports trainers will find practical uses for this, but the “Wow!” factor is universal. Check out our high-speed videos at www.PopPhoto.com/EX-F1.

In HD mode, the F1 serves up crisp, sharp, full-HD videos on an HDTV (connect it using your own HDMI cable).