Casio EX-ZR10 Review

Casio EXILIM Zoom EX-ZR10 Overview

Posted: 09/20/2010

The Casio EXILIM Zoom EX-ZR10 is based around a 1/2.3" 12.4 megapixel backside illuminated CMOS image sensor coupled to an EXILIM Engine HS image processor. This combination allows the camera's standout feature -- the ability to capture 30 ten megapixel images at a whopping 40 frames per second rate. The sensor sits behind an EXILIM Optical branded 7x zoom lens which features a useful 28mm wide angle. Maximum aperture varies from f/3.0 to f/5.9 across the zoom range, and focusing is possible to a minimum of just two centimeters in Macro mode. Images are framed and reviewed on a 3.0" LCD display with 460,800 dots of resolution, and the Casio ZR10 doesn't include any form of true optical viewfinder.

The Casio EXILIM ZR10 uses contrast detection autofocusing, and include face detection capability. Metering choices are multi-pattern, center weighted, and spot, and shutter speeds from 4 to 1/2,000 second are on offer. The Casio EX-ZR10's ISO sensitivity ranges from a minimum of ISO 100 equivalent, through to a maximum of ISO 3,200 equivalent. Images are stored on Secure Digital / SDHC / SDXC cards. Power comes from a proprietary NP-110 lithium ion rechargeable battery. Information on internal memory, and on battery life, was not available at press time.

A couple of more unusual features on the Casio EXILIM EX-ZR10 are its HDR and HDR-ART modes, which capture multiple source images with varied exposure, combine them in camera, and then output a single image with increased dynamic range. Compared to the standard HDR mode, the HDR-ART mode tweaks local contrast and saturation to produce the bold, high-contrast look that's become synonymous with HDR of late..Perhaps even more unusual is the Multi SR Zoom mode, a 2x digital zoom which relies on multiple source images to provide improved image quality over a traditional digital zoom. Since these modes all rely on multiple shots, they're most appropriate for use with relatively static subjects.

The ZR10 was initially announced at the Photokina tradeshow in 2010, and at the time slated for availability only outside the US market. This plan was revised a few months later, and the ZR10 begins shipping in the USA from January 2011, priced at US$250.