LAS VEGAS – Call it the Instagram Effect.
With more than a million iPhone users around the world hooked on bringing life to humdrum images with the tap of a filter, Casio has created not only a digicam optimized for such artistically inclined users but also announced plans to launch an online digital imaging service where anyone can upload photos and give them a new flair.
Along with a unique housing which allows the user to pop the camera body and grasp a handle (in the style of a traditional camcorder), the Casio Tryx boasts 12.1-megapixel resolution, a .59-inch thickness, full 1080 HD video at 30 fps, a 21mm wide-angle lens, and a bright 3-inch LCD display. But those are specs you'll find on loads of other cameras. The real innovation here is in the exterior, the ability to pop out the camera body and rotate the screen back around, which gives you a sense of freedom and flexibility found on few, if any, other models.
"There are no set rules for how to use this camera," said Jin Nakayama, head of Casio's digital camera division, during the CES announcement.
The UI also boasts some nifty enhancements, such a touchscreen timer option, where you slide your finger down the left-hand side of the LCD screen to indicate how many seconds the camera should delay before snapping, say, a group photo of you and your friends. In that vein, there's also Motion Shutter, which shoots automatically when it detects movement in the frame, such as the wave of a hand.
And with a single click, users can also transform ordinary photos into "digital art," as Casio puts it. Indeed, normal urbanscapes and rural settings can gain an effect that echoes rotoscoping more than any filter you might find on Instagram. The effect does seem to work best on outdoor scenes rather than group shots with lots of people – then you really feel like you've stepped inside those freaky Charles Schwab commercials – but it's a good thing the Tryx has more going for it design-wise than just the ability to turn your kid's birthday party into a faux-Impressionist work.
Of course, Casio is hoping you'll upload your collection of painting-inspired pics to its new Imaging Square service, which will allow anyone (not just those with a Casio-brand camera) to upload photos online from most any source and tweak them to look like those that can come out of the Tryx's "digital art" functionality. Those who sign up will have more than a dozen art conversion options, and will be able to not only upload their photos but "display" them for other users to see. And later this year, you'll be able to order items off the service and give them as gifts to those you know, so if you want to put your art-enhanced kids on a handbag and give it to Grandma for her birthday, a few clicks is all it'll take.
The Casio Tryx goes on sale in April and will retail for $250, while the Imaging Square service is slated to go live in the US next month.
Images: Above: Casio; Lower, Erik Malinowski/Wired.com
