What’s with the New Exilim from Casio?

Last year, several companies, led by Pure Digital with its Flip Video, came out with very small, lightweight, and portable camcorders that made it possible to record video almost anywhere with just the push of a button. However, these camcorders lacked the ability to take high quality still images like consumer level point-and-shoot cameras. Recently, Casio announced a new line of Exilim cameras (scheduled to release in August) that function both as point-and-shoot still cameras and portable digital camcorders. The combination of these features is another step toward the “one device does all” trend and can save the user both time and money.

There are four new Casio digital cameras that combine the features of a digital snapshot camera and a digital video camera similar to the Flip Video. The four models in order of price are the Exilim EX-Z77 ($199), the EX Z1080 ($280), EX-S880 ($300), and the EX-V8 ($330). All of the models contain both a digital snapshot feature (7.2 to 10.1 megapixels depending on model) and the ability to shoot H.264 formatted video that integrates well into online video sites like YouTube and MindBites. This is a great way to combine features and allows the user to record compressed video on the fly, while taking high quality photos from the same device. The cameras connect via USB to your PC and come with software that allows you to upload selected clips directly to various websites.

Besides its dual functionality, the other advantage of the Casio Exilim products over the Flip Video is the fact that you can use SD memory cards of varying sizes instead of being limited to either the 512 MB or 1 GB with the Flip. However, the Casio Exilim products require more memory that the Flip series because of slightly less compression. The Flip Video records at a slightly lower bit rate than the Casio cameras, which accounts for the difference in the amount of video you can shoot per gigabyte. The result is only being able to capture 23 minutes of video on a 1 GB card as opposed to 60 minutes on the Flip. The upside is less compression, which means slightly higher video quality than the Flip, and since you have the ability to buy larger SD cards you can compensate for the larger video file size.

Editing the video after recording can be done with the software that comes with the Casio Exilim products. Also, Windows Movie Maker, Apple iMovie, and most semi-pro to professional editors (Final Cut Pro, Premiere) can handle the H.264 format if the user prefers one of these.

It is important to realize how the Casio Exilim is different than standalone camcorders. Most consumer and professional level digital camcorders record to tape, which allows for higher quality uncompressed digital video. The Casio Exilim (and Flip for that matter) does not record to tape, but instead to a Secure Digital flash memory card. To fit as much video as possible on a relatively small card, the camera compresses the video. Compression is a give/take relationship. You take away quality through compression, you get a smaller file. You take away compression for higher quality, but you give up more space because files are larger. What this means is the quality of the video you capture with the Casio Exilim is not high enough to view on a large screen without seeing pixilation. For online video sites, it works great because these videos are highly compressed to save space. However, if you plan on recording video to burn to DVD or show on a projector, you need to get a camcorder that is capable of higher quality video. For an example of footage taken on the Exilim you can visit this website.

For MindBites authors, we would still recommend getting a standalone digital camcorder that records to tape (MiniDV, Digital 8) because of the video quality difference and inclusion of more video-related options. However, the Casio Exilim products are a great solution for the average person who wants an all-in-one system for documenting events in multiple formats and the ability to quickly upload their work for online viewing.

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