“Unique” is an overused word when it comes to gear and gadgets, but what better way to describe a camera that can shoot 60 photos in a single second? The Casio Exilim EX-F1 looks and feels like it belongs in Elmo Jetson’s backpack, but it’s here now, and it works exactly as promised. It’s an expensive camera at $999, and top resolution is limited to 6 megapixels, but how often can you buy anything that produces an audible “Wow” from family and friends?

The EX-F1 actually delivers two marquee features, though after playing with the camera for the first few days we’d developed a marked preference for one over the other. The camera can shoot both stills and super-slow-motion videos; a quick side trip to YouTube will quickly reveal the giggle-inducing potential of the latter. There are several available slow-mo speeds, along with standard-definition and full high-def 1920x1080 video that plays back at normal speed, with stereo audio. Shooting slow-motion video requires capturing lots of frames per second, and the faster you record, the lower the available resolution. At 300 frames per second, you’re basically slowing down reality by a factor of 10, and achieve a respectable 512 x 384 resolution, which is close to standard-def TV. Cranking the speed all the way up to 1200 frames per second lets you see every detail of popping balloons or dripping raindrops, though it comes in a 336 x 96 video sliver.

Where this camera became nearly irresistible for us, though, wasn’t shooting goofy video, but taking advantage of the extraordinary continuous-shooting rate. Run-of-the-mill SLRs shoot three pictures a second, high-end pro SLRs can reach 9 or 10 frames. The EX-F1 can blast 60 frames a second, at full 6-megapixel resolution, and the results look good. What’s more, you don’t have to use up all 60 shots in a single second: you’re free to space them out to fit the action at hand. That makes the Casio EX-F1 the all-time champion for sports photography. Want to catch the precise moment when your kid’s foot hits the soccer ball, or the expression of joy when it goes into the net? The EX-F1 lets you shoot first and ask questions later, choosing just the right image from dozens of choices.

And to make that sports photo scenario even more practical, the EX-F1 is equipped with a 12x optical zoom lens, and built-in image stabilization to help keep your handheld long-range shots nice and sharp. The camera is about the size of your typical small SLR, easy to hold comfortably and very responsive.  The 2.8-inch LCD isn’t a great performer in low light, but it holds up to bright sunshine well, and there’s a separate electronic viewfinder if you’d rather hold the camera up to your eye.  The flash is bright, effective and when shooting in high-speed mode, frankly amazing. You can shoot up to seven flash photos in a second, an exceptional  flash rate. And when you want to go faster, there’s an LED illuminator that isn’t as powerful, but is still effective at relatively close range.

Performance (read in-depth lab performance at DigitalCameraInfo.com)
Sure the EX-F1 can take a lot of photos fast, but are they photos worth having? And, for that matter, is it a good choice when all you want is to grab a single snapshot?? Our lab tests revealed the camera holds its own against more standard-issue gear. Color accuracy is so-so but acceptable, and image resolution is quite good, outscoring several other ultra-zoom models we’ve reviewed. Image noise – the grain-like speckling seen when images are enlarged drastically and in solid-colored areas shot in low light – is  exceptionally low, and dynamic range, which measures the ability to maintain detail in both very bright and very dark areas, is impressively high.

Comparison (read in-depth comparison at DigitalCameraInfo.com)
For the price of the Casio Exilim EX-F1, you could buy yourself a high-quality SLR like the Canon Rebel XSi, which list for $830 complete with a 35-70mm lens, and  is compatible with a tremendous variety of Canon-mount interchangeable lenses. The XSi delivers overall photo quality that’s certainly superior based on our lab testing (though not when it comes to image noise, interestingly enough), and the Rebel’s 12.2-megapixel resolution leaves the 6-megapixel Casio spec far behind. On the other hand, 6 megapixels is plenty for making good-looking prints a reasonable sizes, and the Canon 3.5-frame-per second burst rate seems almost quaint by comparison. Also, while the Casio shoots standard, high-def and slo-mo video, the Canon SLR offers none of the above.

You could also spend much  less on a more routine ultra-zoom, like the Olympus SP-560UZ. It’s smaller and lighter than the EX-F1, includes an 18x zoom lens versus 12x for the Casio, and costs less than half as much.  Image quality was slightly superior for the Olympus in our lab testing, and image stabilization was more effective.  This Olympus, and other similar ultra-zoom rigs, offer significant price and portability advantages over the EX-F1; they’re just nowhere near as much fun to shoot with, and can’t deliver anything like the can’t-miss action photography capabilities of the Casio.

Of course, there is another Casio to consider, the recently released EX-FH20, which shoots a little slower at 40 frames per second (what a laggard!) and sells for $400 less. You’re losing more than speed when you trade down, though. The EX-FH20 uses a different images sensor and, in our labs, delivered unimpressive image quality.