Casio EX-F1 720p30 video- impressive! at DVinfo.net
DV Info Net

Go Back   DV Info Net > High Definition Video Acquisition > Photo for HD Video (D-SLR and others)

Photo for HD Video (D-SLR and others)
HD from Nikon D90, other still photo cams (except EOS 5D Mk. II, LUMIX GH1).

Reply
 
Thread Tools Search this Thread
Old October 6th, 2008, 03:57 PM   #1
Trustee
 
Join Date: Jan 2002
Location: Pembroke Pines, Florida
Posts: 1,418
Casio EX-F1 720p30 video- impressive!

Hey guys, the new Casio high speed cam (Exilim) shoots very good HD video at both 720 and 1080 resolutions. Check out some raw video here (you'll need to be a Vimeo member for full HD video downloads- FREE)
It's encoded internally using X.264 which means native video editing on Macs & PC's- unlike AVCHD (yuck!)

SteveNunez's videos on Vimeo
(Click the Video Title text- don't bother with the small inline clips.)
__________________
Steve Nunez-New York City
www.stevenunez.com
Steve Nunez is offline   Reply With Quote
Old October 7th, 2008, 12:18 AM   #2
Space Hipster
 
Join Date: Oct 2001
Location: Greensboro, NC
Posts: 1,508
What about manual control in videos or is it the same issues as D90, 5D Mk II?
__________________
stephen v2
www.insaturnsrings.com
Stephen van Vuuren is offline   Reply With Quote
Old October 7th, 2008, 05:20 AM   #3
Trustee
 
Join Date: Jan 2002
Location: Pembroke Pines, Florida
Posts: 1,418
You can control many aspects of video shooting manually, such as; focus, frame rate (up to a point) EV (+/- 2.0 in 1/3 steps) aperture & shutter speed (as well as WB etc.) So there are many variables you can control for movie shooting. You can set the camera to Auto, Shutter Priority, Aperture Priority, Best Shot (video optimized presets) and full Manual!
There is a histogram to monitor highlights/shadows and exposure as well as AF/EL lock- so the cam is quite good for video.
It also has a "Mic In" -it's quite a little gem and produces some of the best 720p & 1080i60 video (which can easily be de-interlaced for beautiful 1080P30 video) I've seen in a SD card camera.
Check out the Vimeo videos and download the full res 720p clips and judge for yourself the quality it produces. For $999 I find it more useable than the current crop of AVCHD cameras.
The Casio shoots with a X.264 codec meaning small file sizes yet many NLE's CAN edit the footage without transcoding- unlike AVCHD!
(Data Rate is 8.8mbps for 720 and 14+ mbps for 1080)
__________________
Steve Nunez-New York City
www.stevenunez.com
Steve Nunez is offline   Reply With Quote
Old October 7th, 2008, 11:20 PM   #4
Space Hipster
 
Join Date: Oct 2001
Location: Greensboro, NC
Posts: 1,508
Quote:
Originally Posted by Steve Nunez View Post
You can control many aspects of video shooting manually, such as; focus, frame rate (up to a point) EV (+/- 2.0 in 1/3 steps) aperture & shutter speed (as well as WB etc.) So there are many variables you can control for movie shooting. You can set the camera to Auto, Shutter Priority, Aperture Priority, Best Shot (video optimized presets) and full Manual!
There is a histogram to monitor highlights/shadows and exposure as well as AF/EL lock- so the cam is quite good for video.
Interesting. The clips do look good. Have you tested the mic in?

So, from what you are saying you set a 1/30th or 1/60 shutter speed, check exposure, set iris manual, lock focus and roll clip and it will stay at that, period? Is the histogram RGB or individual channels?

This does appear to give it a major advantage over D90 and MK II. I wonder if Casio will add 24p mode.
__________________
stephen v2
www.insaturnsrings.com
Stephen van Vuuren is offline   Reply With Quote
Old October 8th, 2008, 05:52 AM   #5
Trustee
 
Join Date: Jan 2002
Location: Pembroke Pines, Florida
Posts: 1,418
You have "some" control over the HD shooting modes but not full manual.
Since there is a "Live" LCD, adjustments are instantly viewable while making them. You can use the EV +/- to adjust for highlight clipping or shadow crushing- you can also control ISO settings.

Overall it has been producing some of the best video I've seen anywhere within it's class- matter of fact I can't think of a single still camera that shoots better video aside from the new DSLR's! I also prefer it's video to those of the AVCHD camcorders. The clips are not AVCHD they are X.264 encoded which many NLE's can handle with similar file size and data rates to AVCHD (why bother?)

I wish they'd allow full manual control but then again I can't think of a video look/exposure I can't achieve with the settings allowed at this time. I bought this camera specifically for the video mode and it's been fantastic!
Highly recommended but download the user's manual and make sure it's for you!
__________________
Steve Nunez-New York City
www.stevenunez.com
Steve Nunez is offline   Reply With Quote
Old October 8th, 2008, 06:22 AM   #6
Trustee
 
Join Date: Sep 2004
Location: Bristol, CT (Home of EPSN)
Posts: 1,192
Really cool Steve. Does it look good on a big screen tv?
__________________
Paul Cascio
www.pictureframingschool.com
Paul Cascio is offline   Reply With Quote
Old October 8th, 2008, 02:38 PM   #7
Trustee
 
Join Date: Jan 2002
Location: Pembroke Pines, Florida
Posts: 1,418
Paul, I have yet to connect it via HDMI to my big screen- I'll post it when I do~ thanks!
__________________
Steve Nunez-New York City
www.stevenunez.com
Steve Nunez is offline   Reply With Quote
Old November 14th, 2008, 08:43 AM   #8
Regular Crew
 
Join Date: Dec 2003
Posts: 43
Casio F1

I am very impressed with the Video quality of this camera. I have been doing some tests with it. Here is a link to some video I shot. Auto focus works in HD video mode.
Casio F1 on Vimeo Casio F1 on Vimeo
Daniel Thornton is offline   Reply With Quote
Old November 15th, 2008, 06:15 PM   #9
Tourist
 
Join Date: Oct 2007
Location: Milwaukee, WI
Posts: 2
Thanks for the input, Daniel. A question for both you and Steve: What about low light performance? Everything I've read about or seen from this camera indicates it has some serious problems with low light performance, not just in video mode but in still mode as well. I've seen some stills that should have been handled without difficulty that were covered over with noise (surprisingly so). What is your experience?
Scott Kuiper is offline   Reply With Quote
Old November 17th, 2008, 07:29 AM   #10
Regular Crew
 
Join Date: Dec 2003
Posts: 43
Casio Low Light

I had a problem in low light with the noise produced by this camera until I learned how to control it. The only way I have been able to remove the noise in low light is to shoot in BS mode. Every other setting produces lots of noise in the shadows. When I set the camera to BS (Best Shot Mode) and choose Portrait, I get very little noise and proper white balance. I almost gave up on this camera until I learned this. Now my video has no noticeable noise in it. Here are some low light tests. Download the videos.

Noise test Casio F1 on Vimeo
Low Light Noise Test on Vimeo
Daniel Thornton is offline   Reply With Quote
Old November 17th, 2008, 07:39 PM   #11
Tourist
 
Join Date: Oct 2007
Location: Milwaukee, WI
Posts: 2
Very interesting, Daniel. Thanks for the clips. They do look quite a bit better than previous low light clips from this camera. So the trick is to use BS + Portrait.

I wonder who at Casio decided to use the designation "BS" Mode. (!)
Scott Kuiper is offline   Reply With Quote
Old November 17th, 2008, 08:09 PM   #12
Trustee
 
Join Date: Jan 2002
Location: Pembroke Pines, Florida
Posts: 1,418
BS=Best Shot
__________________
Steve Nunez-New York City
www.stevenunez.com
Steve Nunez is offline   Reply With Quote
Old November 17th, 2008, 11:18 PM   #13
Trustee
 
Join Date: May 2004
Location: Knoxville, Tennessee
Posts: 1,669
So .... does "some" control mean you can, or can't, fix the shutter at (say) 1/60 in video mode?
For me at least, that's probably the key determinant of whether a camera like this is a contender.
Graham Hickling is offline   Reply With Quote
Old November 18th, 2008, 08:15 AM   #14
Regular Crew
 
Join Date: Dec 2003
Posts: 43
1/60 Shutter

Yes, you can set the shutter speed and shoot video. I do not like the way the video looks. There is too much noise for my tastes. I believe that Casio optimized the picture quality for video in BS mode only. The noise is reduced and the quality is better in BS (Best Shot )mode.
I will upload two videos later today. The first is video shot in Shutter priority 1/60. The second will be the same shot taken in BS mode.
Daniel Thornton is offline   Reply With Quote
Old November 18th, 2008, 09:13 AM   #15
Regular Crew
 
Join Date: Dec 2003
Posts: 43
1/60 shutter

Here are two shots:
1/60 Shutter Casio F1 on Vimeo 1/60 shutter
BS mode on Vimeo BS mode
Daniel Thornton is offline   Reply
Reply

DV Info Net refers all where-to-buy and where-to-rent questions exclusively to these trusted full line dealers and rental houses...

B&H Photo Video
(866) 521-7381
New York, NY USA

Scan Computers Int. Ltd.
+44 0871-472-4747
Bolton, Lancashire UK


DV Info Net also encourages you to support local businesses and buy from an authorized dealer in your neighborhood.
  You are here: DV Info Net > High Definition Video Acquisition > Photo for HD Video (D-SLR and others)

Thread Tools Search this Thread
Search this Thread:

Advanced Search

 



All times are GMT -6. The time now is 08:42 AM.


DV Info Net -- Real Names, Real People, Real Info!
1998-2024 The Digital Video Information Network