The "ultimate" H.264 camcorder? The CASIO EXILIM Pro EX-F1

[cannuck]

CASIO EXILIM Pro EX-F1
Number of Effective Pixels > 6.00 million
Image Sensor >1/1.8-inch high-speed CMOS
Total Pixels : 6.6 million
File Format > Movies MOV format, H.264/AVC, IMA-ADPCM (stereo)
Recording Media> SDHC Memory Card / SD Memory Card / MultiMediaCard / MultiMediaCardplus compatible

STD Movies > 640 × 480 (30 fps)
HD Movies > 1920 × 1080 (FHD HQ/FHD Normal, 60 fields per second), 1280 × 720 (HD LP, 30 fps)
Hi-Speed Movies > 512 × 384 (300 fps), 432 × 192 (600 fps), 336 × 96 (1200 fps)
http://www.exilim.com/intl/ex_f1/spec.html

1200 fps
http://www.exilim.com/intl/ex_f1/features2.html

1920x1080 pixels, at a rate of 60 fields per second.
http://www.exilim.com/intl/ex_f1/features3.html

[Sagekilla]

Perhaps.. It's a very tiny sensor though: Only a little over half an inch big. The high end video cameras use much, much larger sensors (less noise and always better image quality when you use larger sensors)

For a handheld though, this might be an awfully good camera. I wish I could go and try it.

[foxyshadis]

No idea how these posts got stuck in the AQ thread, but I've split them out.

[Ranguvar]

I'm waiting for a good 3CCD/1080/60GB HDD(+) one.

[Sagekilla]

I'm waiting for a good one like that with a nicely sized CCD sensor. All those are fine and good, but having the huger sensor means better low light performance = Less noise! Woo!

I'm going to look around to see if I can demo this camera somehow. Highly doubt that'll ever happen though.

[odditory]

I'd much rather get a cam and capture full HDV (ie my Sony HDR-FX1) rather than have a cam doing realtime H.264 encoding via a cheapo chip. Full HDV transferred to computer and then crunched to H.264 with x264 or similar would have to yield better results than an onboard chip.

Aside from all that, the sensor is too small for gorgeous looking HDV. I mean, let's say you just brought home a girl from the bar and she's just in the bathroom freshening up before the fun - you go and reach under a pile of dirty clothes to turn on the camera you have hidden. Realizing this is a rare one-time opportunity, do you want that camera to be one engineered for still pictures with video as an afterthought? Or do you want a cam capturing full HDV with great low light compensation shooting her every slutty move? I think you get the idea.

I have yet to see a picture camera shoot any kind of decent video, and vice versa. They keep trying to erase the line between videocams and digital still picture cams, and they keep failing.