The QV-2900 features a F3.2-3.5 6-48mm (Equivalent to 40-320mm on 35mm camera) 8x Optical zoom. The lens is threaded for 43mm filters and add-on lenses. It also has a 2x/4x Digital Zoom.

The working range of the focus is 50cm to infinity in normal mode with the lens set to wideangle, in telephoto the minimum distance is one meter. In macro mode the working range is from 1cm to 50cm.

The 8x zoom lens can be swiveled 270 degrees to enable self-portrait shots. Those of us with swiveling-lens Nikon Coolpix cameras can tell you, that swiveling lens is really handy when taking macro photos. It also allows you to use the camera "over your head" in a crowd or between your legs to get a dog's eye view of the world.

On the back of the QV-2900 is a 1.8-inch HAST color LCD monitor with a resolution of 122,100 pixels. There is no optical viewfinder so the color LCD is used for framing your shots as well as reviewing them after they have been captured. It also serves as the data display for accessing the menu system and changing camera settings. More on the menu system and onscreen displays on the next two pages of this review.

Located on top of the handgrip is the shutter release and the MENU button. The "-" and "+" buttons let you move up and down the menu screens, you accept selections by pressing the shutter release. Along the back edge of the camera is the Power switch and the zoom lens control lever.

These four buttons are found below the color LCD on the back. The labels in white indicate the functions in Record mode and the labels in blue are the functions they perform while in Playback mode.

The SHIFT button brings up options for changing the exposure mode (Program AE, Shutter speed priority, Aperture Priority and Manual), metering mode (matrix, center or spot), and white balance settings. In playback mode it becomes the INFO button and brings up an overlay showing the recording mode, exposure mode, metering mode, white balance, flash mode, aperture and shutter speed.

The button with the lightning bolt icon is for changing the flash mode in Record. In playback it lets you select the desired folder for storing and reviewing pictures from.

The next button selects the desired focusing mode (Macro, infinity or manual focus) in record mode. In playback mode it lets you resize pictures to VGA size.

The button on the right enables the selftimer in record mode and acts as the Delete button during playback.

Here's another view of the Power switch, the zoom controls which also function as the zoomed playback and thumbnail index mode buttons in playback mode. Below that is the Mode switch for going quickly from Record to Play mode.

One of the unusual features of the QV-2900 is a standard PC sync connector for using external flash units. You need to have an "L" type flash bracket to attach an external flash to the camera as it lacks any kind of accessory shoe mount.

The QV-2900's I/O ports are located on the top of the camera, tucked away behind a small plastic door. It has both a high-speed USB port and a slow RS-232 serial connection for transfering images to the host computer. The Video Out port is for connecting the camera to a television for viewing your photos, the format is user selectable for NTSC or PAL video. An optional AC power adapter or external battery pack can be plugged into the DC IN jack.

Like most of the Casio digicams the QV-2900 is equipped with a CompactFlash Type II card socket and is fully compatible with the IBM Microdrives. The camera comes with an 8MB CF card.