For those who love taking selfies, wefies, and now… beautifies, the Casio TR-M11 camera may just be worth the splurge.
The Japanese electronics maker has outdone itself this time. Somewhat combining the mirror-slash-camera model of EX-MR1 and the contortionist EX-TR80, Casio’s newest selfie-centric marvel looks more flip-top makeup-case than hi-tech contraption.
Even so, just like compact powders, the pretty piece of lean machine is packed with functions to cover up and touch up.
Size, shape and specs
But first, let’s talk about its unique design. Clearly made to fit in your bag, clutch, or even pocket, the Casio TR-M11 gives a new definition to compact cameras. It looks nothing like a camera at the outset too, so you can have tons of fun just by fooling your friends.
The palm-sized sly thing is really a 10.5-megapixel wonder with 21mm wide-angle lens, meaning wefies are also part of the picture.
Its laptop-like clamshell position opens up to about 180 degrees, natural to hold and adjust for that perfect self-portrait. It’s easy to take incognito selfies too.
On the other hand, its flat bottom acts better than a tripod, and allows for selfies or wefies to look like they were taken by somebody else. Besides the shutter button on its side, this gadget has a touch shutter and a selfie timer.
Keeping up with social media trends, the camera takes square images and they can automatically be transferred to your smartphone using the Exilim Connect app.
Simplicity and specialty
The compact mirror look-alike really doesn’t come with a mirror. But who needs one anyway? The Casio TR-M11 is instead pimped out with a touchscreen for a viewfinder and eight LEDs encircling its lens. The ring LED lights show that this darling device is serious stuff. Normally used by professional photographers, the ring LEDs illuminate the face evenly and can also be controlled to give various desired lighting for the face.
On full blast, under the ‘Fresh’ mode, shadows under the eyes and around the neck seem to fade a little compared to the other modes, including ‘Sculpt’ and ‘Slim’. Though, we like the ‘Shadow’ mode the most, as it seems to shade one’s best features in a flattering yet subtle way.
The digi-camera is also packed with customisable touch-up features, like brighter skin tone, acne remover and digital makeup, which is pretty standard and easy-to-use, especially for those obsessed with magical beauty app Meitu.
Not so sold?
Okay, we totally get it. The compact camera market is almost going kaput. Brands like Fujifilm and Olympus are hemorrhaging red ink ever since smartphones and their highly calibrated built-in cameras burst onto the scene.
Yet in 2018, Casio is proving that there is still successful fashion in selling compact cameras. The company continues to tap into what many girls today aim to achieve: beauty and the perfect selfie.
We’d be happy though, if there was more to this glamorous gadget than just taking a selfie. Maybe double up as a portable WiFi router? Its svelte shape is more than suitable for such purposes. But we understand that when a camera is designed solely to take pictures, it can be fully optimised to give higher-quality or better optical performance.
Plus, we think even some men could be won over by this fun, Insta-worthy buddy.
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The post A case for the compact: Review of the Casio TR-M11 appeared first on Prestige Online - Hong Kong.