Tech Shout!

In the first week of January, 2007 Casio Inc. together with its parent company Casio Computer announced the launch of the slimmest digital camera in the world, the EXILIM Hi-ZOOM EX-V7 digital camera, which has a 7.2 megapixels optical zoom lens.

Gone are the days when people actually had to sacrifice zoom for portability. Users who wanted to capture subjects at a distance were forced to buy bulkier cameras. Now, in recent years, a number of compact, high-performance digital cameras have crowded the market.

Measuring just 3.76” (W) x 2.35” (H) x 1.0” (D), Casio’s EX-V7 digital camera is indeed the thinnest and slimmest digital camera in the world.

The Casio EXILIM Hi-ZOOM EX-V7 digital camera has an innovative function for reducing photo blur, which has been made possible by Casio’s mechanical CCD shift technology. The Casio 7 megapixel EXILIM digital camera also combines Casio’s Anti-Shake DSP, which helps reduce the blur cause by shaky hands or while capturing a moving subject by using higher ISO sensitivity and faster shutter speeds, with new motion analysis technology that uses the most appropriate ISO sensitivity and shutter speed.

Even when using high zoom settings, the Casio EX-V7 reduces most occurrences of image blur. So, even amateur photographers can start of with this camera.

Exclusive to the Casio EXILIM line of digital cameras in the U.S., is the eBay® Best Shot mode. The eBay Best Shot mode is one of 33 Best Shot Modes featured in the EX-V7. eBay Best Shot takes photos at a size that is image optimized for display on eBay, allowing picture takers to more quickly and easily create photos for selling items on eBay. eBay Best Shot mode also includes Auto Macro, an ideal setting for capturing images of small items such as jewelry, tags, etc., thus automatically adjusting the focus from acquiring fine details in close up shots to capturing large items from a distance. eBay Best Shot mode allows users to capture optimized images at an ideal size for eBay. For ease of use, eBay photos are stored in a special eBay directory.

Listed below are the main specifications of the Casio EXILIM Hi-Zoom EX-V7 digital camera:

Effective Pixels: 7.20 million

Imaging Element: 1/2.5-inch square pixel color CCD (total pixels: 7.41 million)

Image File Format: Still images: JPEG (Exif Version 2.2), DCF standard, DPOF compliant

Movies H.264/AVC, MOV format (Motion JPEG AVI format when the image quality setting is “LP”)

Audio: WAV (stereo)

Recording Media: Built-in flash memory (image area: 11.6 MB), SDHC Memory Card / SD Memory Card / Multimedia Card compatible

Image Size (Pixels): Still images: 3072×2304, 3072×2048 (3:2), 2560×1920, 2048×1536, 1600×1200, 640×480
Movies 848×480 (UHQ Wide/HQ Wide), 640×480 (UHQ/HQ/Normal), 320×240 (LP)

The Casio EXILIM Hi-Zoom EX-V7 digital camera will be available at a suggested retail price of $399.99 by March 2007.