Photo Club

Casio Exilim EX-S5 digital camera : Casio is proud to release the Casio Exilim EX-S5, a digital camera with a compact body based on a new design concept, which makes high-quality photographic functionality simpler to use than ever before. Designed to fit the concept of “Sleek & Sturdy,” the Casio S5 has a compact form, measuring just 3.8” wide x 2.2” high x .7” thin. The edging that frames the body presents a light, casual feel, but at the same time gives the user the sense that this digital camera is tough and reliable. In addition, the camera color is not limited to a single hue. Rather, the control panel, frame, and rear casing boast contrasting colors, presenting a whole new idea in camera color schemes.

10 Megapixel Casio Exilim S5 offers 2.7″ LCD
In addition to offering the ability to reproduce a detailed image of the subject, the Casio Exilim S5 is very responsive and easy to operate. The camera has an effective 10.1-megapixel resolution, and delivers excellent performance. Images taken at high resolution can be enjoyed as beautiful photographs whether printed large or cropped before printing. The Exilim EX-S5 digital camera features an easy-to-see widescreen 2.7-inch LCD monitor. Shooting information is shown in an “operating panel” on the right hand side of the screen, which makes it easy to quickly change camera settings while shooting.

Widescreen movie recording on the Casio EX-S5
Just by pressing the movie button, widescreen movies can be recorded with an aspect ratio of 16:9. The camera also offers YouTube Capture Mode, which records and saves movies at the ideal settings for the world’s largest video sharing site, YouTube. Recorded video can be easily uploaded to YouTube using the special included computer software.

Casio Exilim EX-S5 features customizable photo frames
As well as the rectangular focusing frame usually displayed on the LCD monitor, users can choose designs such as a heart or a butterfly for the frame design. When the camera is correctly focused, a beautiful heart can be displayed, and when correct focus is not achieved the heart pattern breaks up. This makes it easy to ensure correct focus, and it is fun, too. Menu screens can be freely selected from a total of six colors – black, chocolate, cinnamon, rose, sky blue and olive green. As soon as a full production sample will be available you can expect a full Casio Exilim S5 review from us, including our usual test photos.

Casio has launched a competition in conjunction with Best Buy giving budding film directors a chance to show off their dream ‘digs’, ‘crib’ or even just plain old ‘place of residence’, so long as it’s devoted to sport, gaming, movies or hardcore geekiness. Shoot a short film – 2 minutes or less, upload it to Casio’s YouTube channel and you could be in with the chance to win a $3000 Best Buy gift card and Exilim EX-V8 with case and a 4GB SD card. In addition there are 1st and 2nd prize packages up for grabs. Click through for further details.

Press release:

CASIO GIVES VIDEO ENTHUSIASTS A SHOT AT A $3,000 BEST BUY GIFT CARD PLUS OTHER GREAT PRIZES!

Company Announces Launch of Casio Dream Digs Contest on YouTubeTM

DOVER, NJ, OCTOBER 25, 2007 – Casio America, Inc., has announced a consumer contest to promote their new line of EXILIM digital cameras featuring YouTubeTM Capture Mode. Casio is inviting video enthusiasts to create videos that show off their ultimate dream sanctuary and upload them onto Casio’s YouTubeTM Channel at www.youtube.com/casiousa for a chance to win a $3,000 Gift Card from Best Buy. YouTubeTM is the leading online video community that allows people to discover, watch and share originally created videos.”

Contestants have the opportunity to show the world what they envision as the ultimate dream digs. The best part of the contest: there are 4 ways to win! Entrants are given the opportunity to upload a video (2 minutes or less) into one of these categories: the ultimate sporting digs; extreme gaming digs, the supreme film experience digs or digs that bring out the inner-tech geek in everyone. This contest may require a bit of creativity but your dream digs can become a reality thanks to Casio and their exclusive retail partner, Best Buy!

Casio is offering a $3,000 Best Buy Gift Card, a Casio EX-V8 digital camera, a carry case and 4GB SD card to the grand prize winner of each category. The two 1st prize winners of each category will receive a $500 Best Buy Gift Card and a Casio EX-S880 digital camera plus case and 2GB SD card, while five 2nd place winners per category receive a Casio EX-Z77 digital camera with case and a 1GB SD card.

“This is a new and exciting way for Casio to engage consumers and tap into the young, techno-savvy, YouTube generation,” said John Homlish, Executive Vice President of Sales and Marketing for Casio America, Inc. “This contest is a great platform for us to educate consumers as to the benefit of our new YouTubeTM Capture Mode and have fun at the same time.”

The Casio Dream Digs contest begins on October 25th and will run through December 31st. Purchasing an EXILIM digital camera is not a requirement for participation. For more information and to view and post entries for Casio Dream Digs please visit http://www.youtube.com/casiousa.

The contest is open only to legal residents of the fifty United States and the District of Columbia who are at least thirteen (13) years old who upload a clip onto the Casio YouTube page, excluding employees of Casio America, Inc, Zugara, Inc., Best Buy Stores, L.P., ePrize, LLC and any of their respective parent, affiliate and subsidiaries companies and advertising and promotion agencies, as well as the immediate family and household members of each such employee whether or not related, are not eligible. Only one entry per person.

Casio Exilim V7 digital camera review : The name Casio makes most people think of watches and calculators, as opposed to cameras. However, this brand has been actively introducing diverse models since the beginning of digital photography. Indeed, Casio was a pioneer in digital photography and has held a large share of the market since the beginning, when the big traditional camera manufacturers still had to start. In the following years, Casio often introduced very good and unique digital cameras. When the famous photography brands Canon and Nikon arrived on the scene with their digital compact cameras, Casio’s market share declined enormously. In the following years it was evident that the German market share was the highest in Europe, but this was only a couple of percentages more than for example the Dutch or US share. What the ratios are now is not completely clear, but I can imagine that there have not been grand changes.

Casio Exilim EX-V7 – 7x Optical zoom
Casio is trying to increase its market share by introducing the new series Exilim cameras, and I must say that Casio has managed to, as always, introduce something innovative or at least unique. This is also the case with the outstanding Casio Exilim EX-V7 compact camera. To start with, the Casio EX-V7 is a slim camera, but most remarkably, it has an incredible zoom range for such a compact camera. It has a 7x optical zoom, which is equivalent to a 38 to 266 mm zoom. And that in such a compact model! To prevent movement blur, the Casio EX-V7 has a built-in image stabiliser; the image sensor can shift. On top of that, the camera has an Anti Shake DSP, so that as soon as the camera detects movement in the subject, it searches for the ideal ISO rate and shutter speed.

Casio V7 digital camera – Autotracking AF
The Casio Exilim V7 is a middle range digital compact camera with its 7 million pixels. This is more than enough for everyday photography, in fact, it is a standard resolution. The Casio Exilim EX-V7 has Casio’s newest processor, the Exilim Engine 2.0. This processor provides the camera with Autotracking AF, so that the autofocus follows the subject’s movement, controls for clarity so that dark photos are prevented, and controls for colour aberrations. Furthermore, colours can be corrected directly and placed in perspective. The processor is a valuable application, indeed.

Casio Exilim V7 compact camera – Design
Casio has managed to pack all these things into an ultra compact camera. The slimmest point of the camera is only 20.8 mm. The maximum dimensions are only 59.8 x 95.5 x 25.1 mm. It is a real compact camera, but it is solidly built, with a lot of metal in the body. The Casio Exilim EX-V7 is the first Casio that does not have an extendable lens. Thanks to the special lens construction, whereby light is led around a corner, they have managed to equip the camera with 7x optical zoom.

Casio Exilim EX V7 camera review
On paper the Casio is a very interesting camera. It took awhile before an actual sample was available for extensive testing, but we have had the Casio Exilim EX-V7 camera for an extended period of time in our test lab, and outside, to see if its specifications would hold up in practice. Our findings can be read in the next Casio Exilim EX-V7 digital camera review.

Casio 60 fps Digital Camera Prototype : Casio announced that it is developing an entirely new digital camera with hitherto unseen high speed performance and image capture functions that make the most of its cutting-edge digital technologies. The revolutionary Casio 60 fps digicam of the future will be able to take still images at an astonishing shooting speed, to catch fast-moving subjects at the crucial moment. The Casio Hi-speed camera will also take movies that capture movement so fast that it cannot even be seen by the human eye. The first Casio high speed camera prototype was displayed at the IFA, a consumer electronics trade show, in Berlin, Germany, where our team is operating and working to cover the show live.