The High Speed Casio EXILIM Pro EX FH20 is all about speed. 40fps continuous shooting for stills and up to 1000fps video capture, all tied in with a 20x optical zoom makes this one beast of a high speed superzoom. But is it any good, or a mere gimmick? The What Digital Camera Casio EX-FH20 review…

Product Overview

Overall rating:

82%

Casio EXILIM Pro EX-FH20

Overall score:82%
Features:90%
Value:85%
Performance:75%
Image Quality:75%
Design:85%

Pros:

  • 20x super zoom, HD video, high frame rate video,

Cons:

  • Higher frame rate videos lack quality & resolution, slow startup, small buffer makes processing batches of images slow, white balance inconsistent

Product:

Casio EXILIM Pro EX-FH20 Review

Manufacturer:

Price as reviewed:

£342.00

Casio EXILIM Pro EX-FH20 review

The High Speed Casio EXILIM Pro EX-FH20 is, as the title suggests, a high speed 9.1megapixel superzoom compact – but one with a difference; not only can it shoot 40 frames per second stills on a continuous burst, it can also capture video at up to 1000 frames per second. The most frequent frame rate found in stills cameras is 30fps, so when you’re adding an extra 970 to the concoction the EX-FH20’s results have the potential to take your usual motion and transform footage into an unseen world of super slow-mo. It’s clear that the EX-FH20 is all about speed, but it also comes equipped with a 20x optical zoom too, making it a superzoom compact/bridge camera not to be messed with, or at lease on paper. But is the Casio EX-FH20 a mere gimmick with less-than-useful video, or the kind of product that other manufacturers should aspire to follow? The What Digital Camera Casio EXILIM Pro EX-FH20 review reveals all…

 

Casio EXILIM Pro EX-FH20 – Features

Casio EXILIM Pro EX-FH20 review sample image 26mm wide-angleHigh speed is the name of the game, and the Casio EX-FH20 isn’t short of options here. To begin with there are the stills – with a possible 40 frames per second continuous shooting mode, you’ll require very decent light to capture frames that don’t show blur – don’t expect to be firing off 40fps down a dark alley as, irrelevant of the subject, you wont have sharp capture. Its use is much more targeted at a ‘stop motion’ type playback, so picking out the files and saving them as something like an animated gif for the web is ideal, if that’s what you’re looking for. Step the mode down a few notches however, and having a compact shoot 5fps with a burst flash (at 8MP max) is undoubtedly impressive. It’s not a weedy flash either, proper foreground illumination makes for sharp continuous shots – not something many other compacts can claim to offer.

Moving on to the video front, the Casio EX-FH20 has a 30fps HD 720 mode which shoots crisp, smooth video in 720P high definition. Other modes have considerably higher frame rates, but capture at considerably smaller resolutions. There’s 210fps (480×360), 420fps (224×168), and 1000fps (224×56) – the latter being so letterbox-like and noisy that it will have limited use for most.

It’s not all about unusual high speed modes however, as the EX-FH20 is still a superzoom compact at heart. Casio haven’t just chucked away a wealth of standard photographic needs in preference of video modes and burst rates – the 20x optical zoom lens offers a wide 26mm through to super tele 520mm. That’s a wide range, further complimented by the EX-FH20’s full manual control. Be that ISO, shutter or (limited) aperture adjustment. Casio’s ‘Best Shot’ mode also features a multitude of automated scene modes designed to tackle any scene at hand.

More info:

Casio EXILIM Pro EX-FH20 – design & performance

Casio EXILIM Pro EX-FH20 – image + video quality & value for money

Casio EXILIM Pro EX-FH20 – verdict

Casio EXILIM Pro EX-FH20 – specifications

  1. 1. Casio EXILIM Pro EX-FH20 review
  2. 2. Design & Performance
  3. 3. Image + Video Quality & Value For Money
  4. 4. Verdict
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