Casio Unveils Strange 360° Rugged Cam that Splits in Two
This is… different. Casio—not a company we write about much—has just debuted a rugged, outdoor adventure camera in their Japanese market that can actually be broken apart and put back together 4 different ways.
The EX-FR200 is a 360° camera 13.4mm equivalent fisheye lens attached, but only just, to an LCD-screen “body.” We put body in quotes because the lens/sensor unit actually detaches from this body and can be used separately or reattached in different ways.
You can use it separate like the photo above, flipped up for selfies, flipped down for regular or panoramic photos, and you can even attach a second FR100 or FR200 lens unit to capture “omni-directional” 360° photos and video.
Beyond the strange contortions the camera can do, it’s also IPX6 waterproof (that does not include immersion), freezeproof to -10°C, drop proof from 1.3m (4.3ft), and dust proof. And while you’re busy pouring water and dust on it in freezing temperatures, the camera can record 4K at 30fps and transmit it to your smartphone using Bluetooth 2.1 and WiFi.
Unfortunately, you won’t be recording very much footage at full-res. The camera comes with a negligible amount of internal space and only accepts SD cards up to 16GB. Add to that the 29 minute battery life and you start to understand why it doesn’t seem this camera will be making a US debut anytime soon.
For now, if you live in Japan and are looking for a fun-but-not-entirely-functional camera for your kit, the EX-FR200 will hit shelves in September, price TBD.
