Casio Exilim EX-G1 12.1 MP Slim-line Endurance Digital Camera with 3x Optical Zoom (Red)

by Casio

Product Details

• Product Dimensions: 5.3 x 5.5 x 3.7 inches ; 1.5 pounds
• Shipping Weight: 7 pounds
• Shipping: This item is also available for shipping to select countries outside the U.S.
• ASIN: B002WC8PKQ
• Item model number: EX-G1RD
• Batteries: 1 Lithium ion batteries required.
• Average Customer Review: 3.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (100 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,330 in Camera & Photo (See Top 100 in Camera & Photo)
  • #34 in Electronics > Camera & Photo > Underwater Photography > Cameras
• Date first available at Amazon.com: November 9, 2009

Product Description

Color: Red

From the Manufacturer

The Casio Exilim EX-G1 shock-resistant, waterproof, dustproof digital camera is the first in the company's new Exilim G brand of digital cameras. With its smart design featuring functional beauty, the EX-G1 embodies Casio's endurance-minded features and specifications in a sleek 0.78-inch low-profile camera.

The EX-G1 is designed with shock-resistant elements throughout the camera, both inside and out, creating a smart look in a slim-line camera with functional beauty. In addition to capturing high-resolution 12.1 effective megapixel images, the EX-G1 also features modes such as interval shooting and multi-image capture which utilize the camera's endurance qualities. The interval shooting function can automatically take still photos or movies at fixed intervals, enabling users to capture great shots while engaged in active sports such as snowboarding or cycling.

Through rigorous testing, the EX-G1 has been designed and created with a shock-resistant shell which passes drop tests including multiple falls from seven feet. Featuring a two-layer construction with a stainless steel outer-casing, the EX-G1 inner body withstands shock and water damage. The camera's intelligent design is constructed with a resin cover to protect the body side near the shutter and a resin lens ring to protect the lens.

The technologically-advanced design features waterproof performance and corresponds to IEC/JIS Protection Class 8 (IPX8) and Protection Class 6 (IPX6) equivalent waterproofing. The EX-G1 can be used at depths up to nine feet for 60 continuous minutes. Water will not penetrate the camera even when directly sprayed with jets of water from every direction. Capable of withstanding temperatures as low as 14 degrees F, Casio's EX-G1 boldly captures images where any adventurer goes.

Casio Exilim EX-G1 Highlights

Slim-line Design with Toughness Construction

Shock Resistance
The Exilim EX-G1 offers the world's thinnest profile of .78 inch (excluding protruding parts) in a shock-resistant digital camera. The camera passed multiple drop tests of seven feet based on Casio's own standard.

Waterproof/Dustproof
The EX-G1 offers waterproof and dustproof performance corresponding with IEC/JIS Protection Class 6 (IPX6) equivalency, and can be used for 60 continuous minutes at a water depth of three meters. It also withstands water jets based on IEC/JIS Protection Class 8 "IPX8," and can be directly rinsed under running water.

Freezeproof
Withstanding ever the coldest of temperatures, the EX-G1 endures through temperatures as low as 14 degrees F.

Shock resistant/waterproof construction and design

Exterior
The outer body of the EX-G1 is made from stainless steel to withstand external shocks while a polycarbonate cover absorbs shocks to the body side near the shutter. The camera's wrist-strap holder is made of die-cast zinc to withstand drops while a rotating lock secures the external memory slot cover. For additional protection, the EX-G1 comes with two types of detachable protectors to absorb shocks.

The EX-G1 is built to deliver stunning photos in even the most extreme conditions.

Internal construction
The waterproof inner body of the camera is made from polycarbonate reinforced with fiberglass while a buckle-lock construction is added to absorb impact, using fewer screws to secure the inner body. Additionally, the camera's frame comes equipped with speaker and microphone filters to prevent water from penetrating the camera.

Lens
To prevent damage to the camera's lens, a resin ring as been added around the glass casing to ease shocks to the lens area. With the addition of a reinforced, glass lens cover, the EX-G1 is tooled with a multi coating that is water-repellent and prevents light reflection from ruining pictures. To further protect the camera from impact, high-performance damping material has been added to protect the lens unit from external shocks.

LCD panel
The acrylic plate to protect the LCD from water pressure and shocks is 1.5 times thicker than conventional point-and-shoot cameras. The LCD panel features a resin mount to ease shocks to the LCD panel area.

BEST SHOT functions befitting a waterproof, shock-resistant camera

Interval shooting
The interval shooting function allows users to automatically take still photos or movies at fixed intervals while engaged in action sports such as cycling, snowboarding, and wind surfing. With the EX-G1, users can take powerful photos from inside the action, the kind which are usually almost impossible to capture. The shooting interval can be set at 10 seconds, 30 seconds, 1 minute, or 3 minutes, and the capture time for movies may be set at 3, 10, 20, or 30 minutes.

Great for a variety of outdoor photography scenes
The BEST SHOT function enables users to take beautiful photos just by selecting the desired subject scene. The EX-G1 includes additional BEST SHOT settings suitable for various outdoor situations, such as "snow" and "beach" scene settings, which automatically adjust to prevent subject underexposure due to the brightness of snow or sun. There is also an "underwater" setting to control the tendency of underwater photos to come out looking too blue.

12.1 effective megapixels
This thin stylish model features a large 2.5-inch monitor with 230,400 dots of high resolution and a non-extending 3X zoom lens ranging from 38-114mm (35 mm film camera equivalent).

Intelligent AF
When the camera is pointed at a desired shot, the Intelligent AF function automatically detects the photo subject even if it is not a human face and determines the focus and exposure area accordingly.

Advanced Dynamic Photo function
Casio's original Dynamic Photo function, which creates composite moving images using the camera's own high-speed image processing technology, now does even more. When a moving subject is cut out of a number of images and combined with a different still shot that forms the background, the size of the subject can be changed to suit the background image. Additionally, the Dynamic Photo video can easily be converted in-camera into a motion JPEG movie file. Moving graphics such as hearts and bouquets of flowers are included so that users can have fun decorating their still images using the Dynamic Photo function. Casio not only allows users to have fun taking and viewing photos, but also provides innovative new ways for them to create original images, right on the camera.

Wide Screen Movies
The camera also features a wide format (16:9) Movie function. Just press the dedicated Movie button to take beautiful movies at 848x480 pixels.

What's in the Box

• Exilim EX-G1 digital camera
• Rechargeable lithium ion battery
• lithium ion battery charger
• AC power cord
• USB cable
• AV cable, strap
• CD-ROM

Product Description

Casio Exilim EX-G1 Point & Shoot Digital Camera - Red EX-G1RD Digital Cameras

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

96 of 100 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Casio EX-G1 Rocks!, December 9, 2009

By 

W. Fuchs (Scottsdale, Arizona, USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Casio Exilim EX-G1 12.1 MP Slim-line Endurance Digital Camera with 3x Optical Zoom (Black) (Electronics)

I'm very impressed with the EX-G1. I've been a long time user of Casio camera products, until an unfortunate camera meets water incident in the Caribbean forced me to buy a Nikon S3 which as performed well for several years, until it died. I bought a Pentax Optio WS-80 and was not impressed, neither with the cheap plastic feel, nor the quality of the photos. Blue sky almost always looked like cloudy sky. So, with Casio's new introduction of the EX-G1, I was intrigued to find out if the almost twice the cost as compared to the WS-80 was worth it. Jumping to the conclusion... yes, it's worth every penny. Here are things I like, and don't like. Slim design. Precision operation of controls. Interval shooting can be set to 10sec, 30 sec, 1min, 3min, and can record photos for 3, 10, 20, 30 minutes. The display can remain on during interval shooting, or you can configure it to be off (presumably to save battery power). The WS-80 didn't have a display on/off option, and the interval settings may be slightly more flexible, but it's insignificant. I also like the video record button, which with one press, starts filming. Casio's Best Shot mode is also accessed with a single button press. The WS-80 has the battery, memory, and USB port under a single cover, which was quite flimsy such that I believe a bad drop would render the camera less than waterproof. The EX-G1 has two compartments. The battery compartment has a substantial and solid stainless steel door that takes quite a bit of effort to get open; a butter knife might come in handy. Perhaps in time it will operate more easily. The memory and USB compartment is accessed via a thumb knob that pops open the compartment cover. I like the precision operation of this compartment, but am a little concerned about an accidental opening while snorkeling, as the thumb knob need only be moved about 15 degrees (1/8 inch) to open the compartment below. A better design would have been more of a screw operation requiring a full revolution. Then again, the real probability of me inadvertently turning the thumb know is probably unlikely. I do have some concern about the tripod mount being off center. I also like the gazillion programmable options to setup and customize the camera to my liking. For example, photo's can be shot in low, normal, or high detail, regardless of the size photo selected. Whereas the Optio WS-80 only took high detail photos in the 10MH mode. Small high quality photos are mostly acceptable for the photos I take. The USB interface is not "standard" such as what I use for my blackberry, or Motorola headset. It's just slightly different... would have been nice if it were the same as the other couple USB cables I have competing for USB ports on my PC, but that's not a big deal. For years I harped on a contact I have at Casio technical support to produce a camera with interval shooting... I'm happy it's here, and that it comes in a waterproof, shockproof design. Even the packaging (the box it comes in) for the camera is cool; it looks sort of like a rock. I do wish they included a printed manual (the included CD contains the manual). The Pentax Optio WS-80 is being returned, but for buyers on a limited budget, it may suffice; however, the EX-G1 is well worth the extra money.
Update one year later December 2010: During the past year I've experienced the following. The flash and shutter release got out of sync, so all flash photos were nearly black. I sent the camera in for for repair, and they needed to replace the main circuit board, which was out of stock. I was leaving for a trip, so Casio jumped in and sent me a refurbished unit, which was a blessing since the original was quite scratched. Very good customer service! I've used it underwater in the Caribbean. Underwater shots look good. One problem, however, is that it appears in high humidity environments, and when left in the sun, condensation builds up inside the lens, thus all photos are foggy until the camera cools. An extended dip in the ocean, or cooling the camera in the shade seems to fix that problem. I've had no problems with leaks in the camera, but would caution that sudden contact with water, or swimming, may well put excessive pressure on the seals and force a leak. So, in my opinion, it is good to walk into water with, but don't dive into the water with it. Daylight photo quality is good. Night time photo quality is disappointing. I had a Nikon S3 which had a night mode where the flash would fire several times to illuminate the background, and always got excellent results, but the Casio doesn't have this feature, so the subject is illuminated, but the background is dark, even using the night portrait scene mode. I really like the compact slim design that is the best of any on the market. I like the actual buttons rather than touch screen technology used in some cameras. I look forward to the next generation of the EX-G1, whenever that might be.
Update January 2011: I'm back from my two week Caribbean vacation and want to report the "new" (actually replacement camera) performed flawlessly and some of the fogging problems I had with the first one must have been related to water leaking, because I had no issues with this one, in or out of the water. In summary, I suppose the original one must have had just enough water leak into the camera to allow it to vaporize and fog the lense and sensor??? Anyway, I continue to be very happy. However, night photos just aren't as good as I've experienced with other cameras, as they tend to be rather grainy, even with the night landscape or night portrait setting. Day photos are superb. I shot all at the highest / largest setting 12 megapixels.

29 of 29 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Rugged and Ready, December 16, 2009

By 

M. Chau - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Casio Exilim EX-G1 12.1 MP Slim-line Endurance Digital Camera with 3x Optical Zoom (Red) (Electronics)

The Casio Exilim EX-G1 comes out of the box as a rugged and ready to go camera. Its build is sturdy, and although a little bit heavier than my previous camera (Nikon Coolpix S55), its slim profile more than makes up for it. Aesthetically, the red color version is beautiful and the aluminum casing makes it feel indestructible despite its small size.

I had no troubles opening the battery or memory card compartments. The instructions are clear and simple enough on the quick start guide that the full manual isn't necessary unless you need more detailed info (FYI, the full manual does come with the camera, it's just loaded on the CD, as opposed to a hard copy). The battery took roughly an hour and a half to fully charge. The user interface is friendly, and the navigation buttons are intuitive and well designed.

The Best Shot options, the alternative to Nikon's "Scenes," are plenty and quite nifty - including ones I've never seen before, like the Ebay and Dynamic modes. The EX-G1 also allows for adjustment of flash intensity, which makes it a plus when a standard intensity level simply doesn't cut it for the different environments the camera is so well suited for. The picture quality, in both color and filtered modes, is comparable to my Nikon, which I thought was great for its price. The movie recording mode works quite well with good contrast and a relatively high resolution. There're quite a few features that I haven't yet figured out how to work, but so far, the EX-G1 hasn't disappoint!

67 of 74 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Casio Exilim EX-G1 design flaw, April 11, 2010

By 

James Siart "Cycling Enthusiast" (Phoenix, AZ) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Casio Exilim EX-G1 12.1 MP Slim-line Endurance Digital Camera with 3x Optical Zoom (Red) (Electronics)

The design issue I have with this camera is the knob you see on the side of the camera, it turns to open the door panel to the USB/Memory card. This knob can be turned by accident and open without you knowing about it. This happened to me when I put the camera in my swimming shorts pocket and went into a pool. My moving around in the pool with my girlfriend caused the knob to turn, opening the door and destroying the camera.

I call this a design flaw, because the door panel that covers the battery requires a pry bar tool that you attach to your camera leash. It's a two hand effort to get that door panel open, yet the USB/Memory card panel can be open with just a brush to the knob. As I found out I can open it with no hands!

When I sent the camera to Casio's authorized repair center. They told me Casio has instructed them that any water that gets into this camera is caused by user error and the warranty does not apply. That is pretty presumptuous, the user is always the cause of the problem...

Moral of this story, beware of buying a newly released product as this is Casio's first entry into the tough and rugged camera line. I'm sure this will be fixed in time and then it's a nice camera to compete with Cannon and Olympus, but until then, I recommend staying away from this camera or you will be like me, out $300 and looking to buy another camera.

Spoke directly with Casio customer service today and they confirmed what the Casio repair had told me. If the camera fails because of a water leak, it is the fault of the owner and not Casio. One brand new Casio camera heading to the landfill...

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