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Casio QV-2900UX

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By Reuben Lee
Oct 16, 2001

In digital cameras, there are generally two ways you can enlarge or reduce the size of the subject--through optical zoom or digital zoom. The former uses the lens to magnify the image; the latter takes part of the picture that the lens has captured, digitally enlarges it, and throws away the rest. For this reason, images enlarged using digital zoom tend to be of lower quality.

Optical Zoom Don't Come Cheap
While it is advisable to have optical zoom in a digital camera, this usually does not come cheap. Expect to pay a premium (more than S$1,000), especially for cameras with more than the standard 3x zoom lens, unless you decide on the Casio QV-2900UX.

At S$799, Casio's latest is one of the most affordable 2.1-megapixel digital cameras to offer a powerful 8x optical zoom. Combined with a 4x digital zoom, the QV-2900UX is capable of capturing at a maximum magnification of 32x. As with most Casio cameras, the QV-2900UX also comes with Best Shot and a 1cm macro capture mode, as well as standard automatic and manual capture features.

Swivel Lens Design
The most distinctive feature of the Casio QV-2900UX is the swivel lens which looks similar to the Nikon CoolPix 900 series. Although having a swivel lens results in a larger footprint (121 x 80.5 x 66 mm; 295g), we found this pretty useful as you can take personal snapshots of yourself by turning and pointing the lens at yourself while viewing the LCD.

Ergonomically, the Casio QV-2900UX provides a good grip which should fit most hand types. The camera balances well, with the battery compartment and CompactFlash card slot hidden within the hand grip. Even though the exterior casing is made of plastic, the matt-black finish gives the camera a more professional and sturdy look.

Poor Button Design
We didn't like the placement and design of the buttons. While these were responsive, the buttons felt loose in their slots and felt poorly constructed. The menu navigation buttons were also oddly located beside the shutter button, making them out of thumb reach for scrolling through various camera options.

Another gripe of the camera was the poor 1.8-inch LCD display (which could be another reason for the low cost). In recording mode, the images on the screen turned out noisy and not very sharp, although during playback, the captured pictures turned out fine.

Good Image Captures
For its price, the Casio camera performed surprisingly well in our tests. The captured images were realistic and generally sharp, even at maximum zoom. (You will need a tripod stand, though, as there is no image stabilization feature in this camera.) The QV-2900UX also works well in low light conditions with the flash providing an evenly spread illumination across the pictures.

For snapshots in difficult photographic situations, the Best Shot mode effectively selects the best camera settings for the type of picture you want. Close-ups turned out fine, with the macro shooting mode allowing images to be captured as near as 10mm.

No-Fuss Setup
Like most digital cameras, the Casio QV-2900UX connects to the PC via a supplied plug-and-play USB cable. To transfer the captured images from the camera to the PC, you just need to install the USB driver. However, we found the user interface less-than friendly.

What we liked was the camera's flexibility in terms of the battery and storage media it uses. The QV-2900UX accepts both Type I and II CompactFlash media, including the IBM Microdrive. For power, it can run on either four AA-size batteries or two CR-V3P Lithium battery packs. Battery life was a little shorter than the specified 170 minutes, with the camera dying on us after about 2 hours of use.

In addition to the 8MB CompactFlash card and four AA alkaline batteries, the Casio QV-2900UX comes bundled with wrist strap, lens cap with cap holder, video cable, serial data transfer cable, user manual and CD-ROM. The CD-ROM contains the USB driver and several software applications such as the Photo Loader, Panaroma Editor, QuickTime, Acrobat Reader, MS Internet Explorer and a Best Shot library. AC adapters and wired remote controllers can be purchased separately.

Decent Camera, Affordable Price
If you want more optical zoom in a digital camera but are not willing to pay for it, the Casio QV-2900UX with its 8x optical zoom and sub-S$800 price tag makes a decent buy. Add to that decent image quality captures and a good set of features. However, if you aren't in the market for an 8x optical zoom, consider the Casio QV-2400UX (S$779). It comes with everything that its older sibling has, except for a 3x optical zoom, silver-blue exterior and smaller footprint.