Casio has been collaborating with Google which owns YouTube to develop digital cameras that capture YouTube optimized video and come with software that can upload the videos to your account with a single click.

The two cameras belong to Casio?s line of super-thin Exilim cameras. The EX-S880 and EX-Z77 will be available for $300 and $230 respectively. The EX-S880 is the superior of the two, featuring an 8.1 megapixel sensor, 3x optical zoom, seven still image modes and six video modes. Video is recorded in the .MOV Quicktime format.

Unlike other cameras on the market both the EX-S880 and EX-Z77 have two shooting buttons, one for stills and one for video. Initially this can be confusing but not having to switch between still and video modes is quite convenient.

The YouTube optimized mode shoots video at a resolution of 640 x 480 at 30 frames per second until you stop. Shoot as many videos as you like and the head to your computer to begin uploading them.

Plug the camera into the included dock which works with Windows 2000 SP4, Windows XP SP2 and Vista only. The included video management application will start and after configuring it to access your YouTube account, adding video details and a title.

PCWorld tested the camera and software and while it is easy enough to upload to YouTube manually, the software included with these cameras makes it easier, especially for multiple clips. After using the software to upload clips, there was a gap of 10 minutes before they appeared on YouTube.

Casio and Google have an exclusive deal so that no other manufacturer can include these features on their cameras until the end of the year.

Related:

Entry was posted on Thursday, July 12th, 2007 at 8:01 pm under Casio, New Products, Point and Shoot, YouTube.

Read more entries by Jonathan Schlaffer.