Pogue Reviews Casio's 1,200FPS EXIFILM Pro EX-F1 (Verdict: Built for Pure Speed) [Casio EXIFILM PRO EX-F1]

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/266079162/pogue-reviews-casios-1200fps-exifilm-pro-ex+f1-verdict-built-for-pure-speed

We pretty much flipped over the Casio EXIFILM PRO EX-F1's insane rapid fire mode when we get our hands on it: 60fps still shooting, and up to a retardiculous 1200fps video for super slo-mo. David Pogue gives the full review, and spends a page lauding how freakin' fast this camera is. Besides loving the sheer rate of fire, he really digs the pre-record mode, which constantly shoots while you're just halfway pressing the shutter, so even if you're too slow to hit just the right moment, the camera's already got it. But! "Unfortunately, this highly unusual, almost experimental piece of equipment includes nearly as many downsides as breakthroughs."

The low light performance sucks, courtesy of a tiny light sensor, which is half the size of a beginner's DSLR. So you need brilliant lighting to avoid dim or blurry shots. And Casio's solution of "one of the brightest and fastest flashes ever on a consumer camera" ain't much of one, unless you're into harshly lit photos.

Topping that bit of suck off, the digital (not optical) eyepiece is crummy, and both start-up and focusing are sloooow. No zooming, during HD video capture either. And high-speed videos offer no sound or any setting changes mid-filming. But overall, Pogue says that those sniggles are "like complaining that your 7-year-old violin virtuoso is lousy at sports" and that "Casio deserves congratulations for innovating in so many big, bold, industry-defying ways." Buy it for speed, not the other stuff. [NYT]