Digicams to make your Aunt look pretty? Casio to the rescue

Today, Casio announced two new additions to their line, the EZ-Z450 and EX-Z90. These two digicams are coming in time for this year’s holiday rush, availability is said to be October. Casio is building on some exciting concepts they introduced last CES.

Both cameras feature advanced autofocus (“AF”), allowing the camera to focus automatically on faces, but also on static objects. Casio says, “By simply pointing the camera at a desired shot, Intelligent AF ensures a focused, crisp picture without an out-of-focus subject. Taking pictures of your family pet or even beautiful scenery can be done in a snap, utilizing Intelligent AF to help minimize the number of photos that need to be taken to get a perfect picture. ”

Another feature in these cameras is the ability to separate a moving image and replace the background, all on camera without the need for a computer. Casio demoed this as useful for greeting cards, but I had trouble coming up with another use. Regardless, it is impressive tech that Casio is very keen on and they’ve improved the idea a bit with this release by cutting out one step. Now, users don’t need to take two photos – one with the subject and one with just the background.

Both cameras have the ability to record HD video at 720p via Casio’s super easy one touch recording button. This dedicated button makes it easy but in my experience means you’ll be shooting much more video than you would normally.

The $199 EX-Z450 features 12.1MP, 4X zoom and 24mm wide angle. To make this camera stand out, Casio has added a special landscape mode for taking scenery shots and a make up mode to enhance facial features, perfect for your ugly Aunt. This model is available in champagne color.

The $149 EX-Z90 features the same 12.1 MP but reduces zoom to 3X, and is a bit more compact. Casio says it should feel more like a fashion accessory and the color palate should appeal to sophisticated women. This model is available in pink, black, and silver.

Company site: [Casio]