QV-3000EX
User Review

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The QV-3000EX proves that Casio is not just satisfied to be a minor player in the digital camera business. Their QV-2000UX was the first digicam to be bundled with an IBM Microdrive and now they've done it again with the new QV-3000EX Plus.

The QV-3000EX features a 3.34 megapixel CCD imager that yields 2048 x 1536-pixel images of very high-definition and natural looking color. It can also capture still images at 1024 x 768 resolution and 320 x 240 AVI movie clips up to 30 seconds in length. To insure superior low-light picture capability it uses a F2.0 Canon 3X optical zoom lens and has a special Night Mode with a CASIO original noise reduction system. Image storage is on CompactFlash Type I or II devices. There's a generous RAM buffer that allows capture of up to 3 full-size images at 2.5 fps. It processes and stores Large/Fine mode images in seconds and has a fast USB port for downloading image data to the host computer.

Exposure options include the usual Program "point-n-shoot" mode as well as Shutter and Aperture Priority. It has special modes for Portrait, Panorama, Landscape and Night.  Still image capture resolutions of 2048x1536 or 1024x768 with three different JPG compression levels and a movie mode that captures up to 30 seconds of 320x240 action. Metering options include Multi, Center and Spot.

Read all of the QV-3000EX specifications here.

On the back is a bright and readable 1.8" HAST color LCD display with a refresh rate close to 30fps, it does not blur no matter how fast the camera is panned. The display will slow down in low-light conditions and get a little grainy as it increases its gain. There is no adjustment for the backlight however.

A large optical viewfinder is coupled to the 3x zoom lens and can be used for most picture taking tasks except macros.

The optical viewfinder has a diopter adjustment and is useable even by those wearing eye glasses. Be warned though that it only shows about 90% of what the camera actually captures.

The Focus OK green LED and the Flash Status LED are on the right hand side of the viewfinder.

The QV-3000EX uses an all-glass, 8 element Canon 3x (33-100mm 35mm equivalent) optical zoom lens with a fast F2.0 - F2.5 maximum aperture. It also features a 2x digital zoom option. The aperture can be adjusted manually with settings of 2.0, 2.3, 2.8, 4, 5.6, and 8

The autofocus functions from 1 ft to infinity in normal mode and 2.4 inches to 1 ft in macro mode. The closest focusing in macro mode is achieved at the lens' widest focal length setting. Manual focus is available from 2.4 inches to infinity but it must be judged by looking at the color LCD, there are no distance indications. To me it would only be useful if sending the camera's video output to a larger monitor.

The tripod socket is badly positioned on the lens side and near the front edge of the body. It is not particularly stable or anywhere near the center of the balance point. The CF card door is on the side, memory cards can be removed without taking the camera off of the tripod.

Replacing batteries couldn't be simpler, move the safety latch to open and then slide the battery door open and all four batteries drop out in your hand. I like this type of "easy to swap" arrangement along with the sturdy door and a safety latch to prevent it from accidentally opening at the wrong time.

The documentation indicates that alkaline, lithium or nickel metal hydride (NiMH) types of batteries may be used. We prefer NiMH type and wish that Casio would have included them and a charger.

The I/O ports are easy to get to and well hidden behind a securely closing door. There's a 6 VDC input jack, RS-232 serial "digital" data port, USB port and Video out with selectable NTSC or PAL ouput format.

Using the USB port with my Acer 340-T laptop (Pentium III/500) I was able to move the 1.4MB (average) JPGs from the camera to the hard drive in about 2 seconds each. I used Windows Explorer and accessed the camera as "Removeable Drive E" and did a simple drag-n-drop Copy operation.

The QV-3000EX has a single CompactFlash Type II slot that accepts all existing CompactFlash Type I cards as well as the newer CF/2 devices like the IBM Microdrive.

The base QV-3000EX package includes a 16MB CF card, the QV3000 Plus package substitutes a 340MB Microdrive for the CF card. Casio does not include the PCMCIA adapter for the Microdrive but the camera's USB port is as fast as any card reader.

On top of the camera is a monochrome data LCD that indicates the number of pictures remaining (there's a Microdrive in there for sure!), battery level, flash mode, selftimer and focus mode.

The most used controls are located on top. The power switch is recessed so you won't be accidentally turning it on or off. The large button is for changing the recording Mode and activates a graphical menu on the color LCD. The other buttons cycle through the flash modes, focus modes and the selftimer.

Extended Shutter Speeds & Aperture Control Similar to the Casio QV-2000UX, the QV-3000EX has extended shutter speeds and they go all the way out to 60 seconds (plus Bulb) *with* full aperture control. To get into extended shutter speed mode: While in S-Mode press the SET button and (down) on the 4-way switch - you can now go beyond the normal 2 second maximum shutter speed barrier. Change speeds using the (up) or (down) switch as usual. To manually set the aperture while in this mode press SET and (left) or SET and (right) and the f/stop will be indicated on the LCD along with the shutter speed.