Casio's 2008 high-speed bridge — 9.1MP CMOS, 20x 26-520mm equiv, 40fps bursts, up to 1000fps video
The Casio EX-FH20 was a high-speed bridge camera announced in 2008, bringing the headline slow-motion abilities of Casio's flagship EX-F1 down to a £399 price point. It formed part of the short-lived Exilim high-speed line that traded on burst and video frame rates no rival compact could match at the time.
It is built around a 9.1-megapixel 1/2.3-inch CMOS sensor and a 20x optical zoom spanning a 26-520mm equivalent range, with sensor-shift image stabilisation. Stills can be captured in bursts of up to 40 frames at up to 40fps at 7-megapixel resolution, with a pre-record buffer that fills before the shutter is fully pressed. Video options run from 1280x720 HD at 30fps to high-speed capture at 210, 420 or 1,000fps for slow-motion playback. Power comes from four AA cells (roughly 400 shots on NiMH), and storage is to SD/SDHC or MMC cards plus 31.9MB internal memory.
It suits experimenters more than conventional photographers: golf-swing analysis, wildlife action and slow-motion novelty video were its selling points, and the long 26-520mm reach still makes it a flexible one-camera kit. The trade-offs are small-sensor image quality and low-resolution high-speed footage, which drops sharply in size as frame rates climb.
Used buyers should burst-test the camera at its top frame rates, as the fast CMOS readout pipeline is the whole point of the model. AA power keeps it easy to run today, but check the contacts for corrosion. Confirm the stabilisation unit is quiet and the long zoom tracks straight through its range without sticking, and inspect the electronic viewfinder and LCD, since bridge bodies of this age often show screen wear.