Casio EX-H30 Review

Casio EXILIM EX-H30 Overview

Posted: 01/05/2011

The Casio EXILIM Hi-Zoom EX-H30 is based around a 1/2.3-inch, 16.1 effective megapixel CCD image sensor, which sits behind an EXILIM Optical branded 12.5x zoom lens, and whose output is handled by an EXILIM ENGINE 5.0 image processor. The Casio H30's lens offers a 35mm-equivalent range from a generous 24mm wide angle to a powerful 300mm telephoto. Maximum aperture varies from f/3.0 to f/5.9 across the zoom range, and focusing is possible to a minimum of just 0.4 inches in Macro and Super Macro modes. Importantly, given the telephoto reach on offer, the Exilim H30 includes sensor-shift image stabilization to fight the effects of blur from camera shake.

Images are framed and reviewed on a 3.0" Super Clear TFT LCD display with 460,800 dots of resolution, equating to 320 x 480 pixels, with separate red, green and blue dots at each pixel location. As you'd expect given the extreme zoom range, the Casio H30 doesn't include any form of true optical viewfinder. It also lacks an electronic viewfinder, leaving the LCD as the only option on which to frame and review images or movies.

The Casio EXILIM H30 uses contrast detection autofocusing, and offers several metering choices: multi-pattern, center weighted, and spot. Of course, the H30 includes face detection capability, a de rigueur feature that allows it to take account of subject faces when determining metering and focus variables. Shutter speeds from 1/2,000 to 8 seconds are available, and the H30 provides not only Program, Aperture- and Shutter-priority shooting modes, but also allows fully manual exposure control. There's also a Premium Auto mode, which detects the scene type and can then automatically enable special features such as landscape and makeup modes. In the former, the Casio H30 can capture either Vivid or Mist Removal landscape photos, with two steps of control available for the strength of the effect. In the makeup mode, the Casio EX-H30's face detection function is used to locate subjects' faces, which are then automatically adjusted to yield smooth skin tones and softened shadows, with twelve steps of control over the effect.

The Casio EX-H30's ISO sensitivity ranges from a minimum of ISO 80 equivalent, through to a maximum of ISO 3,200 equivalent. As well as still images, the Casio Exilim H30 can capture high definition videos at 720p (1,280 x 720 pixel) resolution, at a rate of 24 frames per second. Movies are recorded with monaural audio, stored in an AVI container, and use the older and less space-efficient Motion JPEG compression format. Data is stored on Secure Digital cards, including the newer SDHC and SDXC types. Information on the availability or capacity of internal memory wasn't available at press time. Power comes from a proprietary NP-130 lithium ion rechargeable battery, rated as good for 1,000 shots on a charge to CIPA testing standards.

US pricing for the Casio EXILIM EX-H30 is set at around $250, with availability expected from March 2011.