DV Info Net - Micro EX-F1 Review -- part 1

It's painfully clear that THE big problem with all the "DSLR" cameras that shoot HD video is gaining control of the movie shooting process.

The Casio EX-F1 seemed to offer a way of getting control -- Best Shot. Some Casio cameras allow you to create Movie Best Shot settings. These can be created by a computer program -- BestMan.com. If this could be done, one would have the ability to "add" firmware to the camera.

Unfortunately the F1 will NOT accept Movie Presets!

That means only the Best Shot modes supplied with the camera can be used. And, if you modify a Preset, it can NOT be used for Movie making.

OK, there are some BS modes that SEEM useful. Alas, while they may control the picture they have side effects. For example, leaving the Flash active. When used indoors, the flash pops-up when you try to get focus for shooting a movie. But, the worse side-effect is turning OFF the EIS system.

So, after giving-up on image control, I've had to focus on those Best Modes that make operation smooth -- indoors and outdoors.

Bottom-line, there seems no simple way of locking the shutter-speed to 1/60th which is correct for 720p30. Of course, this is no worse than the Sony SR12 where you can't control shutter-speed. (Yes, ND filters can be used -- we've used this with the 3-year old JVC HD1. Really, 3 years and no progress unless you go with Canon. But, then you focus by a joystick.)

I'm now testing out two Best Shots that can be used for Indoors and Outdoors. The indoor setting seems to work well in reasonably bright rooms. (Unlike the Canon DSLR, dark conditions are not great for the Casio. On the other hand, the Casio has both stereo mic. and stereo earphone jacks.)

And, as I said, there seems no way of avoiding strobing on fast motion.

All is not bleak, however. The Casio does offer GREAT pix quality at a relatively low cost. And, one does have the ability to allow AF/AE to adjust during shooting OR be locked. It also allows Manual Focus with a very nice auto-magnification function when adjusting focus.

While everyone says these are "first generation" issues -- I suspect that some companies (Canon) will avoid making a really useful Movie mode. And, other companies simply do not have the chip technology.

The Casio uses a Sony EXMOR CMOS chip which gives it a huge advantage over the D90. This chip is amazing. It will shoot up to 1200fps -- although 300fps seems more than enough. And, no horrible rolling shutter as with the D90! Plus the option of 1920x1080i60 or 1280x720p30.