New Test: Casio Exilim G1, a G-Shock watch turned into a camera?

Casio Exilim EX-G1 Product Unavailable Our suggested alternatives: Editor's Choice Sony Cyber-shot HX9V Lower-Cost Superzoom Canon PowerShot SX230 HS Quality Budget Snapper Canon Ixus 220 HS

Despite its reputation as one of the world's leading manufacturers of waterproof watches, Casio waited a long time before branching out into rugged digital cameras.  It's made the move with this Exilim EX-G1, whose unusual ultra-flat frame contains a 12 Megapixel sensor and a 3x zoom.

Tough cameras really took off in 2009, so will Casio be a success in 2010?  On paper at least, it starts off on the back foot: there's no wide-angle (38 mm minimum), or image stabilisation, both features offered by Casio's rival Olympus for roughly the same price.  But the G1's much thinner and lighter, and can still get down to 3 m under water, resist falls from heights of up to 2 m and work at -10 °C ...

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