CASIO COMPUTER CO., LTD. has released the world's smallest (as of August 25,2004) digital camera with an optical zoom (2.8X) lens, the "EXILIM CARD" EX-S100. The camera and its lens owe their exceptionally compact packaging to another world first - the application of ceramic lens technology, providing a great advance in optical quality with even greater strength than glass.

In 2002, CASIO launched the first EXILIM digital camera, an ultra-thin business card-sized model with superior portability and highly responsive operation. The camera could be carried easily, and enabled photography for any occasion, anytime and anywhere, having a huge impact on the digital camera market overnight and helping the ultra-slim genre to become a major segment of its own. Since that first EXILIM, CASIO has continued to create even thinner cameras with more rapid responsiveness and superior performance, creating an EXILIM lineup that has expanded to become a trend-setting force in the marketplace.

The new "EXILIM CARD" EX-S100 was developed as the flagship model of the series, and as such, represents all the brand concepts. The key features of the EX-S100 are the use of the world's first transparent ceramic lens within an ultra-slim 2.8X optical zoom lens unit, and CASIO's original EXILIM Engine, an ultra-compact image processing LSI module that enables the camera to achieve high image quality, high-speed operation and low power consumption - all within an extremely slim and compact body package. As a result, the EX-S100 is the world's smallest optical zoom-equipped digital camera, with a volume of just 79 cc and measuring a very compact 88 x 57 mm. Moreover, it is only 16.7 mm thick, and just 14.2 mm at the thinnest point.

The EX-S100 features a stainless steel body, a hallmark of the EXILIM CARD series, which has been polished to a brilliant shine through a special process. It is created entirely of metal, right down to the screws, for a true feeling of high quality. The front of the camera has been given a fresh look, with a theme of circular patterns to highlight the shape of the lens, while the back of the unit features a more square look that matches the impressively large 2.0-inch LCD screen. In keeping with the distinctive form of the other models in the EXILIM CARD series, the lens area itself protrudes slightly from the body of the camera.

With a 3.2 Megapixel CCD for superior high-resolution photo imaging, a unique quick-response design and the Best Shot function making it easier to capture desired scenes, CASIO has again proven that it is the leader in ultra-compact cameras that offer astonishingly advanced performance.