Casio EXILIM Pro EX-F1 announced

Casio unveiled its long-awaited, phenomenally fast EXILIM Pro EX-F1 at a press conference in Las Vegas this afternoon.

True to prototypes seen last summer, the production EX-F1 offers full-resolution shooting at a staggering 60 frames per second, making it the fastest continuous-shooting camera currently in production at the time of this writing. Other specs and features include a high-speed 6.0 megapixel CMOS sensor and a 12x (36-432mm) optical zoom.

(view large image)

The camera's continuous recording functionality means that a maximum of 60 images can be saved to the camera's buffer before the shutter button is pressed, meaning that a delayed response on the shutter button doesn't necessarily equal a missed photo. Shooting frame rate is also variable between 1 and 60 fps, and with the 60-shot buffer the EX-F1 can shoot for a solid minute at 1 fps – assuming you have the available memory to support it.

A Rapid Flash function allows the camera to shoot up to 20 continuous flash shots at 7 fps, making the EX-F1 equally fast in low light. And for ultra-slow-motion movies, the Casio records video at either 300, 600, or 1200 (!) fps.

Not all specs have been finalized yet, but the Casio should be available by March with an estimated retail price of $999.

Time to invest in those 16 GB SDHC cards...

Casio EXILIM Pro EX-F1 specs and features:

• Effective resolution: 6.0 megapixels
• 1/1.8 high-speed CMOS sensor
• RAW (.DNG), JPEG, MOV file formats
• SD/SDHC memory format
• 12x (36-432mm), f2.7-4.6 optical zoom
• ISO range: 100 to 1600
• Contrast-detection AF
• Multi-pattern, center-weighted, and spot metering
• Program Auto, Shutter Priority, Aperture Priority, and Manual exposure modes
• Shutter speeds of 1/4000 to 60 seconds