Casio QV-3000EX Review, Phil Askey, April 2000

Casio managed to be the first manufacturer to announce a 3 megapixel digital camera, beating Canon with their S20 by two days. Back in January it was to open the floodgates of 3 megapixel digital cameras into the market. The camera had good specifications, not least of which was the large fast (large aperture) lens system from Canon (when I first translated the press release from Japanese I was sure this was a typo, but no.. it's a Canon lens).

They didn't stop there, loading the camera with features such as an innovative menu system, support for Type II CF cards (IBM Microdrive), USB, a movie (MJPEG) mode and all the manual control you'd ever need (aperture priority, shutter priority, manual focus, flash compensation). On paper it's a good looking camera.

Later on this year they announced an excellent bundle (for US customers), the QV-3000EX with an IBM (340MB) Microdrive for just $999 (the Microdrive alone retails for about $399)... Making the QV-3000EX bundle the best value 3 megapixel digital camera yet announced, best still it's already making its way onto shelves. The unit I'm reviewing is the QV-3000EX/Ir which is identical to the QV-3000EX with the addition of IrDA Infrared communications (especially for the European market).

If you're new to digital photography you may wish to read the Digital Photography Glossary before diving into this review (it may help you understand some of the terms used).

This review is Copyright 2000 Phil Askey and the review in part or in whole may NOT be reproduced in any electronic or printed medium without prior permission from the author. For information on reproducing any part of this review (or any images) please contact: Phil Askey.