The Casio Exilim Ex-FR100 is a continuation of Casio’s foray into “Freestyle” photography, and largely follows the same form factor as before, with the exception of a larger 3-inch LCD with touch. The camera also gains improved protection from the elements, as it is now dust proof (equivalent to IPX6), water proof (equivalent to IPX8, IPX6), and better sealed to take cold (down to -5C) while being able to sustain drops from up to 1.3m when connected (1.7m separate).
Casio Exilim EX-FR100.
The Casio Exilim Ex-FR100 is a continuation of Casio’s foray into “Freestyle” photography, and largely follows the same form factor as before, with the exception of a larger 3-inch LCD with touch. The camera also gains improved protection from the elements, as it is now dust proof (equivalent to IPX6), water proof (equivalent to IPX8, IPX6), and better sealed to take cold (down to -5C) while being able to sustain drops from up to 1.3m when connected (1.7m separate).
The EX-FR100 also gains a brighter, wider lens than before as you now get the equivalent of a 16mm f/2 lens (versus the 21 mm f/2.8 lens from the EX-FR10).The new lens now allows you to get as close as 3cm in Macro mode, and adds a pan focus mode which helps the camera in its high speed capture modes by fixing the focus point such that the lens is always in focus.
Casio has improved the LCD brightness and resolution of the controlunit, as the new modelboasts 920,000 dots compared to 230,400 dots on the EX-FR10. That’s close to the resolution of their ZR3500 (921,600 dots), and so is a welcome change, but we do wish the camera would take advantage of the better screen by updating to reflect focus while shooting. Especially when you’re trying to take pictures in macro mode and want to know that you’ve got the focus point right!
The camera needs to be able to update its interface faster though, as trying to do things like swiping left or right, or zooming in on the controlunit seems a little laggy even now. That aside, the camera certainly seems to focus fast enough, and the tweaked antennae placement seems to have improved the connection between controlunit and camera module even further, so you now have an even wider variety of options in placing the camera.
Which is essentially the whole point. With the FR100, you can now place the camera under water without fear, use it in the snow or in gusty winds. Casio seems to have heard our callfor a flash unit too, as they’ve released a LED ring flash attachment that runs on AAA batteries. And there’s now also a marine case that allows you to take the camera down to 20m underwater, allowing you to add yet another dimension to your photography.
Overall, we’d say the FR100 is a nice update to last year’s FR10 that lets you have more fun with even less hassle.
CONCLUSION
The welcome upgrade that gives freestyle photographers even more options.
