On the back of the camera, you will find a very fine quality 2.8 inch LCD screen (16/9 format) although it’s a bit too glossy for use in full sun.  Luckily, there is an electronic viewfinder which hasn’t changed since previous models: quality is more or less good while the eye point proved to be somewhat impractical for those wearing glasses.  Otherwise, controls are set via a joypad and there is especially a nice wheel for settings.  Well done, Casio! Unfortunately, the zoom ring is electric, but it is used for different controls such as zoom, setting the burst speed and focusing.

Another advantage related the Casio EX-F1’s size is that video controls are found on a single red button on the back of the camera.  A simple press of a button and you immediately record in HD, Full HD, SD or high speed (the video’s field of view is permanently displayed on the LCD screen).
Menus are well conceived and the Exilim EX-F1 is quickly mastered.  Surprisingly, while the F1 is the fastest in burst mode, it one of the slowest in startup (more than 4 seconds) and the time between two photos is rather long. (In Raw+JPEG mode, plan on more than 6 seconds and we were surprised to see sensitivity limited to 200 ISO).  Recording 60 images requires les than 5 seconds, which isn’t bad.  However, a firmware update (recommended) noticeably improves reactivity (the 1.02).  Startup then takes roughly 3 seconds and zooming is faster.  Finally, while focusing is fast and in tele (436 mm) it seems more hesitant, its performance is still respectable.

Quality of images

First and foremost, we should commend Casio’s initiative of integrating DNG as a RAW format.  You may recall that RAW enables processing these files with specialized software in order to get the best results.  In addition, these programs are becoming better.  Otherwise, in JPEG mode, the Casio EX-F1 produces satisfactory images for a 6 megapixel.  White balance is good even indoors, colors are pleasant and the zoom doesn’t have any particular defects (distortion, vignetting, etc.).  However, for a new 6 Mpix sensor, noise control is not extraordinary (Casio engineers clearly favored speed).  Up until 400 ISO, images are relatively clean, but beyond this, ‘’billowing’’ and chromatic noise become easily visible.  As for exposure, it functions well most of the time while the flash also works very well.  Mechanical stabilization (by movement of the sensor) is efficient and produces fine results, although it doesn’t rival the current best cameras in this domain.  In its presentation, Casio showed us interesting and "creative" scene modes such as automatic background blur or the stabilizer that uses the 60 i/s burst mode (stacks up images to reassemble the data).  These modes "finally" proved to function well and guarantee all the interest of an ultra fast sensor.

With the Exilim EX-F1, the quality of video should also be taken into account.  On a compatible television, the Full HD mode produces pleasant images typical of HD video: saturated colors and significant accentuation.  However, there is more compression than with an AVCHD camcorder and the image loses precision in movement.  The 720p mode also gives good results with a very slight lack of fluidity.  Overall, the F1 is a rather good high definition video recorder although it’s still inferior to a camcorder.  On the other hand, no current camcorder can rival the Casio EX-F1 in terms of photography.  Finally, there were two defects that unfortunately sullied all of the above good results.  In video, stabilization is not efficient and in tele, video is practically unusable.  Also, the autofocus is rather fickle in poor lighting.

Video mode 300 fps.