Image Quality & Value

Casio EX-FH100 review – Image quality

Despite the high promise of the FH100’s backlit sensor, image quality is a bit of a letdown overall. Even at ISO 100 the JPEG image quality is coarse and over-sharpened, with artifacts visible throughout. Images are fairly flat, and lack any real punch of colour, with Auto White Balance leaning towards the cooler end of the spectrum. As the ISO increases, so the quality decreases – image noise is well handled through the camera’s noise reduction, but this is at the expense of sharpness, where ISO 3200 lacks any real definition.

The 24mm wide lens is great in practice and yet the corners show considerable softness that is prominent on screen or in print. Chromatic aberration, light streaks and haloing is also an issue around some object edges, particularly when shooting towards the direction of light.

Certainly, for day-to-day real world pictures, the FH100 is more than capable of a wide variety of shots thanks to its 24-240mm lens. But it’s under closer scrutiny that its images lack where many competitors may provide a more resolved offering. If the lower ISO settings proved to provide a cleaner, more crisp images then the FH100 would be one step closer to a commendable camera.

Casio FH100 review – Value

At around £270 the Casio FH100 isn’t a budget compact, yet this is a fairly well priced option considering the wealth of features that come in tow. Competitor cameras around this price-point include models such as the Sony HX5 (which may have a higher RRP, but can be found competitively for under £300) that give the Casio a run for its money. There are a couple of positive clinchers in the FH100’s favour however -the high-speed shooting & movie capture and Raw shooting bode well and offer a unique experience above and beyond competitors’ models.