It takes tens-of-thousands of dollars and very sophisticated equipment for the TV networks to produce the fantastic high definition, super slow motion video seen on their golf telecasts. So, for a few hundred dollars, don’t expect anything like that from the EX-FC100 digital camera.
First, the good news.
It’s inexpensive, with a 4 GB memory card, about $300.
It produces nice still photographs with plenty of controls and options. It’s versatile, takes pictures, standard and high-def movies, and high speed video.
The bad news.
It’s versatile, takes pictures, standard and high-def movies, and high speed video. The EX-FC100 “does it all and might be master of none.”
The main reason golfers would want this Casio model is its advertised 210 to 1000 frame-per-second video feature. The casual player might think the high-speed movie works OK, but, serious golfers wanting to do a real swing analysis will be disappointed.
What’s the problem?
The golf club head and shaft look blurred when the video is paused. Even the player’s hands may not look clear. This is a problem when doing an analysis. (See the Exilim EX-FC100 Video Frame Samples post.)
Why the problem?
The EX-FC100 video suffers because, like other digital cameras, it is missing the same very important function. That is, lack of a SPORTS mode or high speed shutter control when recording/playing video. This missing feature is what makes digital camera video inferior to that of a normal camcorder for analyzing the golf swing or other sports performance.
Virtually ALL camcorders have a SPORTS mode and this feature allows them to produce blur-free video.
FEW dual-purpose digital cameras have a SPORTS mode or other useful video settings.
Update: 12/8/09 See the Casio FH20 Review.
That being said, photo-video “convergence” is happening fast. It’s getting harder to tell whether a device is a camera or camcorder.
Don’t be confused when looking at a digital camera’s features and other technical specifications. You’ll see a lot of things, including shutter numbers, BUT they apply ONLY to PHOTOGRAPH taking, NOT to VIDEO recording.
I contacted Casio support in the unlikely event they had a firmware update to correct the video blurring, or that the manual is missing info on how to set a video high speed shutter.
(4/23) Casio eventually did respond to High Speed Movie blurring…
“I would recommend trying the Best Shot High Speed movie as described on Page#71 of the Users Manual which is located on the CD that came with your camera.”
Suggestion was not useful because the FC100 does not have a Best Shot High Speed Movie option, and page 71 of the manual concerns Anti-Shake.
In fact, the FC100 manual (page 68) says Best Shot scene selection is completely ignored when using High Speed recording.
(4/27) Casio support…
“There is no shutter priority for the EX-FC100 so you can not adjust for this. The only way that you might be able to is to lower the EV …Usually the camera adjusts the shutter speed. This is the only suggestion that I have.”
Aside from Casio support, the EX-FC100 does have a lot to offer…
One attractive feature is its MJEG AVI video format. Although the files are large, no format conversion is needed for use with Windows’ XP, Vista or 7.
Transferring files from camera to computer is very simple, just insert the Memory Card or attach the USB cable. Installing software is not necessary.
Watching the swing in super slow motion is “cool,” even though its real usefulness is questionable.
You can’t ignore the price. For the money, the camera is packed with features.
The Casio EX-FC100 has some notable minuses…
High Speed video: Fast moving objects are blurred.
High Speed video: Only the 210 FPS (480 by 360 pixel) setting might be useful. The higher speeds are not good because of the reduced picture resolution and the amount of “pixelation.”
High-def (720p) movie recording needs a lot of light or the picture will be snowy.
The camera does not have an HDMI or component video connection, only a composite port and cable.
Bottom line
The Casio EX-FC100 is a neat, very small package with lots of features. It’s good for a quick, in-camera look at the swing, but is not recommended for doing serious analysis work with golf swing analysis computer programs. However, if you can live with Casio’s faults and only want to do a more general evaluation, it’ll work well with a computer performance analyzer application like digiCam Analysis.
