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New Ceramic Lensed Exilim Ex-S100

Posted by samzenpus on from the more-pictures dept.

stuart miles writes "pocket-lint has managed to be the first to review the new ex-s100 3mega pixel from Casio that uses a ceramic lens rather than the standard glass version. "

11 of 209 comments (clear)

  1. This is bad? by stilist · · Score: 4, Interesting

    Since when is a 3.2 megapixel size bad, especially for a small digital camera? Guess I'm just behind the times...

    1. Re:This is bad? by inflex · · Score: 3, Interesting

      My other hobby other than listening to trash on /. is model aircraft - specifically electric powered ones.

      Li-Ion batteries have the lowest discharge rate around, superior to NiMH and definately NiCd. Better yet would be Li-Poly but they're still a tad risky for some people's likings (I have videos of model planes bursting into flames due to a bad lipo).

      The trouble with Li-Ion/Poly is that they have a comparitavely low draw capacity on demand, especially if they're cold. This is where a lot of people pick up the feeling that Li-based batteries are a poor choice relative to NiMh/Cd. Typically if the battery cannot supply the required current the apparent voltage drops and it seems like the battery is 'flat'. The trick is to keep them warm - not always an option I know.

      Incidently, I've had lipo cells have nearly full charge (over 80%) despite having been left after a charge for more than 2 weeks.

      Oh, one other last problem with Li based batteries is that if they drop below a specific voltage then technically you're not supposed to try revive them (else things can go boom!). A lot of laptops with Li based batteries suffer to this, people throw out 'dead' packs which actually just were left too long without a charge.

      PLD.

  2. image noise by spacerodent · · Score: 4, Interesting

    they mention image noise several times in the article and act like it's isn't a big deal. If you can see image noise on a normal 3 megapixel image (assuming its somehwere around 1024x768 or greater) then its probally pretty bad. They mention it twice too. I wonder if it has anything to do with the ceramic lens which seems to be the only interesting thing about the camera. Otherwise it seems pretty average in about every category.

  3. Ceramic vs. Glass by HotshotXV · · Score: 3, Interesting

    You know, the review did a good job of letting you know that ceramic lenses allow you to make the camera smaller... but is the image quality the same through ceramic? Wouldn't it be more translucent, and thus more susceptable to light refractions? Someone help me out here.

  4. Re:ceramic by uberdave · · Score: 3, Interesting

    So, they are using a cheaper, lower quality lens and expecting people to pay 350 pounds for it? That's about US$630! Am I missing something? Is the ceramic lens harder/more scratch resistant? You could buy a 7 or 8 megapixel camera for that kind of money.

    --
    "I'm not impatient. I just hate waiting." - My Dad
  5. What's up with the ceramic lens? by MythoBeast · · Score: 2, Interesting

    What I want to know is why a ceramic len is more useful than a glass one. I presume it's more durable, but I don't remember the last time a lens in a consumer electronics digital camera broke before the CCD went kaput. Does it have a higher defraction index? Is it more transparent to a wider range of colors? What's up with that?

    --
    Wake up - the future is arriving faster than you think.
    1. Re:What's up with the ceramic lens? by Exocet · · Score: 2, Interesting

      Does anyone happen to know if a ceramic lens would be "more" or "better" suited to ultraviolet photography as opposed to a glass one? I know that around, oh, 315nm UV won't penetrate the glass. UV photos supposedly look "fogged" when trying to shoot at or below 315nm with conventional glass-based optics. At that point a UV photographer must invest in hideously expensive crystal-based optics.

      I do a tiny bit of UV photography, BTW.

      --
      Exocet Industries - Taking over the world, one computer at a
  6. What is a ceramic by LS · · Score: 3, Interesting

    Stupid question #1: Why isn't glass considered a ceramic? I've googled around for information on what a ceramic is, and I haven't found anything that precludes glass...

    LS

    --
    There is a fine line between being a cultivated citizen and being someone else's crop. - A. J. Patrick Liszkie
  7. Refractive index by LS · · Score: 4, Interesting

    Here's a picture of the lense. Apparently the cool thing about this lense is that it has a higher index of refraction, allowing it to be thinner and take less space, hence the slim profile of the casio.

    LS

    --
    There is a fine line between being a cultivated citizen and being someone else's crop. - A. J. Patrick Liszkie
    1. Re:Refractive index by JazzHarper · · Score: 2, Interesting

      It seems that the properties of a ceramic lens offer only marginal benefits to a camera, particularly one with such a small lens in the first place.

      Reduced weight and greater resistance to scratches would be of great value in eyeglasses. Where can I get Lumicera lenses to put in front of my eyeballs?
      -

  8. Re:What about other optical properties? by ChrisMaple · · Score: 2, Interesting
    High dispersion is still a problem in digital cameras. Digital processing cannot completely fix chromatic focus errors. Even with three sensors at different focus points, there is an error band across the split spectra.

    High index material also causes more problems with internal reflections. This is solved with coating (and multicoating), but I've read that suitable materials to multicoat high refractive index optics are unavilable.

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