Thin is In For Casio Cams

By Greg Scoblete On Sep 4 2006 - 6:00am

Casio pinned its holiday hopes on lucky number seven, unveiling a trio of svelte new 7-megapixel digicams set to ship this month.

All of the company's new Exilim compact cameras will incorporate the recently introduced eBay scene mode for properly framing and exposing images of products destined for auction, with a file size appropriate for uploading. They'll also be available in multiple colors.

The Exilim EX-Z70 joins the 6-megapixel Z60 with a similar feature set, including a dedicated “easy mode” which streamlines the camera's menu, an anti shake DSP for reducing photo blur, a 2.5-inch LCD and the company's Best Shot scene modes. It will also feature a 3x optical zoom and be available in black or silver for a suggested $249.

The EX-S770 also joins the Exilim line offering a 3x optical zoom lens, 35 scene modes, a 2.8-inch wide screen LCD and MPEG-4 movie recording. New for Casio's camera line is the ability to capture VGA movies in 16:9 with electronic video stabilization. Stabilization is also available in still image mode.

A new data storage feature works with included software to convert documents, e-mail and Web-pages to JPEG images for display on the camera's LCD. The EX-S770 is available in silver, red, and blue for a suggested $379.

Finally, Casio will debut two new Best Shot scene modes in its EX-Z700. An Auto Framing mode lets users keep moving subjects properly framed. In the mode, an outlined frame will appear centered around the subject, when a user depresses the shutter, the area within the frame will be saved. Another new mode is Layout Shot, which can combine several shots with the same background into a composite image in one of two predefined templates.

The Z700 will offer a 2.7-inch LCD with increased brightness for viewing in the sun, a battery capable of shooting 460 images on a single charge, and an anti shake DSP. It will be available in silver, gray and blue for a suggested $299.