Casio EX-FR110H Goes Full Night Vision!

Casio EX-FR110H

There was some wild expectation for the Casio EX-FR110H to be a return for the company to it’s innovation roots and offer not only an extremely high sensitivity video and photo mode but a return to a leading role in portable high speed video.  Casio was after all the maker of the innovative EX-F1 which delivered true super slow motion video to the masses in a portable camera package back in 2008.

Now eight years later Casio has not improved when it comes to slow motion specs on their cameras when it comes to higher frame rates and resolution.  The EX-FR110H does have some innovative features for extreme low light but when it comes to slow motion it really is just following along without a high spec.

Important Video, Sensor and Lens Specs:

1.9 Megapixel Effective Sensor 1/2.8 inch back illuminated Sensor.
FHD video actual recording time ※ 1 : about 1 hour 05 minutes.
High-speed video HS240 512X384 240Fps):  Limited to 30min rec time on all modes per file.
Lens: F2.8
Fixed focal length: F = 2.87mm – 35mm film equivalent: 20mm
ISO sensitivity upper limit (ISO400 / ISO800 / ISO1600 / ISO3200 / ISO6400 / ISO12800 / ISO25600 / ISO51200)
Casio EX-FR110H Low Light Video by Casio:

As you can see the camera is touted at the adventure crowd that wants to shoot in dark places.  While ISO 51,200 is not breaking any records by all camera standards it is however a witty move in a small action camera.  The sensor is still small but the pixels capped at 2 megapixels makes the pixel size much larger than other cameras that average 14 or even 18 megapixels in the same sensor spec.

The results are clearly not Sony A7s II quality or DSLR by any means but it does offer an option where a Smartphone, GoPro or Sony Action camera cannot venture due to their low light abilities being capped at lower ISOs.

casio_ex_fr110htiger
EX-FR110H Low Light Image Sample
casio_ex_fr110hlone
EX-FR110H Camera Attached!

 

The ability of the camera to be detached and activated from the portable touch screen is in line with the Casio EX-FR products of the past and it does provide a way to mount the camera in a different place while having the command unit in your hand to activate it’s functions. It also allows for two camera units “Sold Separately” to be controlled by the same screen controller and get dual video angles to record your adventure.

casio_ex_fr110hscuba
As a full HD 1080p camera for Scuba Diving it may be a better fit than a GoPro due to the low light ability. However 4k is absent which might be more desirable.

Full Specs Translated From Japanese with Google Translator:

Effective pixels
1.9 million pixels
Imaging element
1 / 2.8-inch CMOS (back-illuminated)
the total number of pixels: 2.16 million pixels
Image file format
Still image: JPEG (Exif Ver 2.3 / DCF2.0 compliant.)
Video: MOV format, H.264 / AVC compliant, IMA-ADPCM audio (monaural)
Built-in memory
Recording area: about 49.9MB
capacity after formatting the built-in memory
External memory
microSD memory card, microSDHC memory card, microSDXC memory card compatible
Record number of pixels
Still image: 2M (1920 x 1080)
video : FHD (30P) / STD (640X480 30Fps) / HS 240 (512X384 240fps)
There is a maximum shooting time 29 minutes per full video mode once limit
Recording capacity
(At the time of maximum size) Still image: external memory 16GB : about 10723 sheets
Video: Maximum file size: 1 shot per maximum 4GB
once per recording time: 29 minutes
16GB: of SanDisk Corporation made 16GB microSDHC memory card case
lens
F value: F2.8
focal length: F = 2.87Mm
35Mm film equivalent: 20mm
zoom
Digital zoom 2x
focus
Focus system: contrast detection method Auto Focus
Focus Mode: Auto Focus, Macro, Pan Focus
AF Area: Intelligent, multi, spot
Shooting range
AF: about 10cm ~ ∞
Macro: about 3cm ~ about 10Cm
PF: about 35cm ~ ∞
Exposure control
Control method: Program AE
Exposure Compensation: -2.0EV ~ + 2.0EV (1 / 3EV step)
shutter
CMOS electronic shutter
Stop
F2.8
Communication function
[Camera]
◆ Bluetooth
communication standards: Bluetooth ® ver. 2.1 Tasu EDR, output class: Class 2
Bluetooth ® Ver.4.0
◆ wireless LAN
compliant standards: IEEE 802.11b / g / n use Frequency range: 1 ~ 11ch encryption scheme: WPA2[controller]
◆ Bluetooth
communication standards: Bluetooth ® ver. 2.1 Tasu EDR, output class: class 2 Bluetooth ® word mark and logos are registered trademarks owned by Bluetooth SIG, Inc., Casio Computer Co., Ltd. uses on the basis of these mark to license.
Other shooting recording function ◆ shooting / recording-related functions
Auto, Premium Auto PRO, high-speed continuous shooting 30fps, high-speed continuous shooting PAST, interval shooting, make-up, touch shooting (AF + shooting, AF only), face detection, video (Full HD movie, STD movie, HS movie) (with monaural sound, HS movie without voice), video camera shake correction, wind noise reduction, 2 times digital zoom, white balance (auto / sunlight / cloudy / shade / day white fluorescent lamp / daylight fluorescent lamp / bulb / manual white balance), exposure compensation (-2.0EV ~ + 2.0EV (1 / 3EV step)), ISO sensitivity upper limit (ISO400 / ISO800 / ISO1600 / ISO3200 / ISO6400 / ISO12800 / ISO25600 / ISO51200), remote shooting , automatic Submit
Picture monitor
[Controller]
3.0-inch TFT color LCD, 921,600 dots, capacitive touch panel
Clock function
Date and time: The image at the same time as the data recording
automatic calendar: Up to 2049
Input and output
[Camera] micro USB port (Hi-Speed USB compliance, USB charging support, USB powered drive compatible)
[controller] micro USB terminal (USB charging support, USB powered drive compatible)
Microphone
[Camera] monaural
speaker
[Camera] monaural
Power supply
[Camera] dedicated lithium-ion rechargeable battery (built-in)
[controller] dedicated lithium-ion rechargeable battery (built-in)
Battery life Image Storage Capacity (CIPA standard): about 290 Images ※ 1 , about 355 Images ※ 2 (camera alone during operation)
FHD video actual recording time ※ 1 : about 1 hour 05 minutes
FHD video continuous shooting time ※ 2 : about 1 time 30 minutes
FHD video continuous shooting time ※ 2 (high-speed video HS240): about 1 hour 25 minutes
size
[Camera] (diameter) 60.9mm × (depth) 33.3Mm
not included hinge
[controller] (width) 59.2mm × (high) 86.7mm × (depth) 19.4mm
[when combined] (width) 60.9mm × (high ) 154.8mm × (depth) 38.7Mm
including hinge
mass
[Camera] about 76G
without hinge, including memory card
about 103g [controller]
[when combined] about 214G
including hinge, including memory card
The main accessories
Controller (EX-FR100CT)
hinge unit
tripod nut
carabiner strap
USB-AC adapter (AD-C54UJ)
micro USB cable
Quick Start Guide (with warranty)
ex_fr110h_caving
Cave dwelling seems to be a good marketing tool for this Casio Camera.

Final Word:

We like the Casio EX-FR110H as an action camera for places where you need the extra light gathering ability.  However the sensor is not big and the pixel size while large is not monstrous like other low light cameras out there like the excellent Sony A7S series.

If you are in need for a camera in an environment that is extremely dark like a mine, cave or deep scuba diving the new Casio might be an option for you.  However it will not break any new ground for image quality at high sensitivity which is a noise fest compared to larger sensor cameras that can get to half a million ISO.

The Slow Motion capability is weak at  HS 240 (512X384 240fps) which is at this pint in time a low spec by most measures. With a small pixel count sensor such as this one at least 720p 240fps should have been added and maybe even 1080p 240fps since the sensor should be able to record at those levels. A lost opportunity since the low light ability is beyond other cameras in it’s class. We cannot recommend the Casio EX-FR110H as a slow motion camera option. We wish Casio could get back to innovating in the high frame rate space and not just do the bare minimum.  As a slow motion camera option that does extremely well in low light the Sony RX100 V is really the best bet this year.

Pricing and Availability:

The Converted Yen Japanese Price of ¥53,940 is at $469.00 USD but we have no information about shipping in Europe or the USA at this time.  It should be available in the Japanese market this December 9th 2016.

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2 thoughts on “Casio EX-FR110H Goes Full Night Vision!”

    1. With optional waterproof housing, EAM-5 depth is 20 meters. Without housing, we estimate 30ft or 10m which is normal for these types of cameras. We could not find the info other than the housing.

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