Casio Exilim EX-H10: Hang 10 with a 10x zoom and 1,000 snaps

Casio has waded into the compact superzoom scrap with the Exilim EX-H10, a pocketable camera with, you guessed it, a 10x zoom.

Panasonic used to have the market to itself with its outstanding TZ series, among which the Lumix DMC-TZ6 and Lumix DMC-TZ7 blew the roof off our review scoring system. But the 12-megapixel EX-H10 is the latest in a recent spate of undersized superzooms, such as the Samsung WB500 and Canon PowerShot SX200 IS, attempting to muscle in on TZ territory.

The EX-H10, not to be confused with the Sony Cyber-shot DSC-H10, is trumpeted as Casio's first superzoom. Technically the high-speed Exilim EX-F1 and Exilim Pro EX-FH20 also qualify, but who are we to quibble?

As well as the long zoom, the EX-H10 packs in a 24mm wideangle lens, to squeeze more in when you're zoomed out. Features include all the usual automatic settings, a handy soft flash, a 4-frames-per-second burst mode and face recognition.

On top of all that, there's 720p high-definition video, and Casio also claims the EX-H10's long-lasting battery will stretch to 1,000 shots. As ever, we'll believe that when we see it. Click through our gallery for more shots of the EX-H10, and to get the lowdown on pricing and availability. Ten-four.