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(Review first posted 1/26/2000 |
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1.3 megapixel CCD, 1280x960 images |
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8X (!) optical zoom, plus 2x/4x digital zoom | |
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Time exposures to 64 seconds (!) | |
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Full-manual exposure option |
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Manufacturer Overview
Casio was one of the very first companies to produce digital cameras for consumers,
and their original QV-10 digicam introduced digicam users to the wonders of
LCD viewscreens. What a concept! It's become almost mandatory these days, but
back when the QV-10 was first introduced, the feature was a real eye-opener.
Highlights
- 1.3 megapixel CCD delivering up to 1280 x 960 pixel images.
- 2.5 inch low glare, Hyper Amorphous TFT color LCD panel (122,100 pixels
at 555 x 220).
- F/3.2-3.5, 6 to 48mm, 8x zoom(!), swivel lens (equivalent to a 40 to 320mm
on a 35mm camera).
- 2x/4x digital zoom.
- Apertures of F/3.2, F/4.8 and F/8.
- Shutter speed options from Bulb to 64 (!) to 1/2000 seconds.
- Multi-pattern, spot and center weighted exposure metering options.
- Exposure compensation from -2 to +2 EV in 0.25 EV increments.
- Program AE, Aperture Priority, Shutter Priority, and Full Manual exposure
modes.
- Contrast detect TTL autofocus with manual and infinity focus modes as well
as focus lock.
- Panorama mode supports full 360 degree in-camera display.
- White balance with four modes.
- Built-in flash with four modes (Auto, On, Off and Red-Eye Reduction).Multi-pattern,
center point and spot metering modes
- Movie and still capture modes.
- USB and serial connections.
- Wired remote control.
- DPOF (Digital Print Order Format) compatibility for image printing.
- Image capture in JPEG (Exif.Ver.2.1) for still images and AVI files for movie images
Executive Overview
Casio labels the QV-8000SX as a "versatile" digital camera on its
packaging, and the product certainly lives up to that billing. It boasts a plethora
of features and operating modes, including a full 8x optical zoom lens that
swivels separately from the body, flexible exposure options, including aperture
and shutter-priority autoexposure calculation, time exposures up to 64 seconds(!)
and much more. Here's a quick rundown of the major camera features; see the
individual sections of the full review for more detail.
We really like the rotating lens concept (invented by Casio, introduced way
back in digicam prehistory on their original QV-10), and would like to see it
adopted by more manufacturers. The fact that the lens doesn't protrude very
much from the camera body is another plus, keeping the entire camera reasonably
compact and pocketable (for large pockets, at least). Additionally, the camera
is quite lightweight (due to its all plastic body), adding to its portability.
Control-wise, all the buttons and levers are laid out so that one handed operation
is possible (a definite benefit in some shooting situations).
The QV-8000SX relies solely on its LCD for viewfinder operation, making it harder
to use in very bright conditions, and also eliminating the power-saving option
of using the camera with the LCD turned off. (We're big proponents of the dual
optical/LCD viewfinder approach, as seen in Casio's QV-2000UX, which we reviewed
previously.) The lack of an optical viewfinder also makes it more difficult
to take advantage of the astonishing low-light capability of the QV-8000, since
the live LCD viewfinder display only requires a moderate amount of light to
work. For all that, the LCD is at least big and bright, at 2.5 inches and 122,100
pixels. An information display of camera settings and options can be canceled
and recalled by hitting the Display button, with the exception of the flash
mode icon and center focus target mark, which are always present. We were pleased
with the optional grid function that superimposes a grid of light gray lines
over the LCD image, significantly assisting with image composition and alignment.
The QV-8000SX has a 6 to 48mm, 8x zoom lens (equivalent to a 40 to 320mm lens
on a 35mm camera). As we mentioned earlier, the lens actually swivels a full
270 degrees, enabling you to point the lens all the way back at yourself (useful
during self-timer shots so you can see the countdown on the LCD panel). Filter
threads on the inside lip of the lens accommodate 43mm diameter filters. Focus
ranges from 1.3 feet (0.4m) to infinity at the wide angle end and from 3.3 feet
(1m) to infinity at the telephoto end. In macro mode, focus ranges from 0.4
to 19.7 inches (1 to 50 cm) with auto focus and from 3.9 inches (10cm) to infinity
with manual focus. The aperture can be manually or automatically controlled,
with options of F/3.2, F/4.8 and F/8. A manually controlled 2x or 4x digital
zoom option extends the optical zoom (8x) capabilities up to 32x, but with lesser
image quality as a side effect. Focus options include Manual and Infinity modes.
The QV-8000SX is unusual in that it provides both fully automatic and optional
manual exposure modes. You thus have full auto, aperture or shutter priority,
or full manual exposure options. Programmed modes such as Night Scene, Portrait
and Landscape set up the camera for special shooting, saving time with preset
options.
A built-in flash offers four operating modes: Auto, On, Off and Red-Eye Reduction.
Auto puts the camera in control of the flash; On fires the flash with every
exposure; Off completely suppresses the flash and Red-Eye Reduction emits a
small pre-flash before firing the full flash to prevent the Red-Eye Effect.
Normal flash power provides a working range from 1.6 to 8.2 feet (0.5 to 2.5m)
and from 0.3 to 1.6 feet (0.1 to 0.5m) in macro mode and flash intensity is
adjustable, with Strong, Normal or Weak settings.
Six white balance modes (Auto, Daylight, Shade, Tungsten, Fluorescent and Manual)
are available. Automatic mode lets the camera govern white values based on existing
light. Daylight, Shade, Tungsten and Fluorescent settings adjust white balance
for various natural and artificial light values. Probably the most accurate
when shooting under artificial light, the Manual setting sets the white value
based on a sheet of white paper held in front of the lens.
Other exposure options include exposure compensation (EV adjustment), adjustable
from -2 to +2 EV in .25 EV increments, resetting after each shot. Three metering
options include Multi, Center and Spot settings. Multi averages the exposure
based on the entire image while Center averages the values from a large area
in the center of the image. Spot metering determines the exposure value from
a small spot directly in the center of the frame.
The Quick Shutter and Continuous Recording options enable you to catch fast
paced action shots. Quick Shutter records up to five images in approximately
one second intervals with one multiple presses of the shutter button while Continuous
Recording captures up to five images at approximately 0.25 second intervals
while you hold the shutter button down. Shooting intervals in both modes depend
on the image size and resolution and available CompactFlash space. To capture
moving action, the movie recording mode records up to 10 second movies in 320
x 240 pixel AVI format. An interesting option here is the Past movie mode, which
records events that occurred before the shutter button was pressed (the camera
actually records images to a buffer memory and once the shutter button is pressed,
copies those images to the CompactFlash).
You can also record a 360 degree panorama image (or up to nine consecutive shots)
on the QV-8000SX through the Panorama record mode. A helpful feature is that
after the first image is exposed, the right edge of the preceding image remains
on the screen to help you line up the next shot properly. Images can be linked
together in the camera (for playback only) or on the computer via the included
Panorama Editor software (Windows users only).
Other recording options include the ability to record images in monochrome black
and white or sepia tones, adding a little creativity to your shots. The self-timer
counts down from two or 10 seconds once the shutter button is pressed and a
separate timer function allows you to record a series of images at set intervals
(from one to 60 minutes and up to 250 shots).
For image playback, US and Japanese models of the QV-8000SX come with an NTSC
video connection cable (European models come with PAL) to connect the camera
to your television set. If desired, the TV can also be used as a viewfinder
when composing images, helpful in manually focusing on macro subjects, or in
studio settings where you have to interact with the subject from in front of
the camera. (Kid photography, etc.) Playback mode allows you to view images
individually or as thumbnails, nine to a screen. You can also play back movies
and panoramic images in the camera. A playback zoom feature lets you enlarge
images and scroll around within the enlarged view.
Four AA alkaline, lithium or NiMH batteries keep the QV-8000SX running (you
can also take advantage of the included AC adapter). Since the lack of the optical
viewfinder reduces battery conservation options, we highly recommend keeping
a spare set of batteries with you.
USB, serial and Mac adapter cables come with the QV-8000SX, as well as a software
CD with PhotoLoader, Panorama Editor, Picture Works MediaCenter, QuickTime,
Adobe ActiveShare, Adobe Acrobat Reader, Internet Explorer 5.0 and a trial version
of Picture Works Web Publisher. For some reason, Casio only includes software
compatible with Windows 95, 98 and NT 4.0, so Mac users must fend for themselves,
or order the $10 accessory PhotoLoader program for Macs. When inserted into
your computer, the CD displays a detailed menu with options to install the various
software applications, read about the applications, register your camera online,
go directly to the Casio website, open the accessory listing or fill out an
accessory order form. Most of the software included offers relatively basic
image correction and manipulation capabilities, but the trial version of Picture
Works Web Publisher creates customized web pages that incorporate your QV-8000SX
images. Additionally, Adobe Active Share allows you to post images to the ActiveShare.com
website for easy viewing by family and friends
In the end, the QV-8000SX offers capabilities that both the novice and the expert
photo consumer will appreciate. From the full manual capabilities to complete
automatic control, the camera accommodates a variety of users. Plus, its compact
shape and light weight make it a portable option for those of you on the go.
We confess to some skepticism when we saw the "ultra versatile" billing
on the QV-8000's box, but have to admit it's one of the most flexible digicams
we've seen to date. (January, 2000).
Design
At first glance, the QV-8000SX doesn't look too different from some of the digital
camcorders out on the market. We personally like swivel-lens designs, as they
give the consumer more shooting flexibility in both still and movie modes. The
QV-8000SX's lens actually turns a full 270 degrees, meaning you can point the
lens back at yourself! The lens is protected by a lens cap that avoids being
a nuisance through its ability to clip onto the wrist/shoulder strap. (A nice
little design touch, other manufacturers take note!) As for its other design
features, the QV-8000SX gives you a nice hand grip, via the battery compartment,
and an overall sleek design. The all plastic body makes the camera surprisingly
light weight for its size, at only 11.6 ounces (330g) without the batteries.
It's also fairly compact at 5.6 x 3.1 x 2.8 inches (142.5 x 77.5 x 71mm), excluding
any protrusions.
The front of the camera offers a minimalist design aesthetic, with smooth contours
and few controls or features. The only control on the front is the slightly
awkward optical zoom lever, which we've become accustomed to controlling on
other digicams with our thumb on a back panel control.
The back panel of the camera features the LCD monitor, various function controls
and the Record/Play mode switch. Here too, the design is very minimal with clean
lines and shapes.
Both sides of the camera are feature free, with the exception of the wrist/shoulder
strap attachment on the side opposite the lens.
The top of the camera carries the shutter button, power switch, mode dial, menu
and various other buttons. The I/O and AC adapter jacks are covered by a plastic
flap that snaps closed.
Finally, the bottom of the camera holds the plastic tripod mount, locking battery
compartment and CompactFlash slot. One note here is that the placement of the
battery and CompactFlash compartments makes it impossible to change out either
one while mounted to a tripod (a design issue we notice when doing studio work).
Viewfinder
The QV-8000SX has done away with the optical viewfinder, utilizing the LCD monitor
as its sole viewfinder. In some respects, this makes sense since the LCD viewfinder
provides a TTL (through the lens) view, and is therefore more true to the captured
image. Alternatively, when it comes to power conservation, optical viewfinders
really help squeeze the most out of the batteries. Just keep this in mind and
have some spare batteries handy. Optical viewfinders are also very handy in
both very bright and very dim light, where the image on the LCD can be difficult
or impossible to see. The 2.5 inch, low glare, color Hyper Amorphous TFT LCD
monitor displays images at 122,100 pixels (555 x 220). An information display
can be canceled or recalled by hitting the Display button, with the exception
of the flash mode icon and center focus target mark, which are always present.
There's also a very handy grid function that can be turned on or off, helping
you line up shots. (We really like this optional grid of light gray horizontal
and vertical lines, as we've very often ended up with digicam images that were
slightly rotated, when we thought everything was nice and level. You can always
rotate the photo after the fact in an image editor, but it's preferable by far
to avoid the problem in the first place.)
Optics
A 6 to 48mm, 8x zoom lens comes on the QV-8000SX (equivalent to a 40 to 320mm
lens on a 35mm camera). This is a much longer zoom ratio than is typical of
digicams (most have only a 3x zoom), and we really liked the extra flexibility
it affords. It's interesting to note the impact of a longer zoom on the effective
camera resolution. Consider the situation where you want to capture a distant
object, and want to fill the frame with it. If a 3x zoom will do that, then
a 2 megapixel camera clearly wins the resolution war, with 1600 pixels horizontally.
Suppose though, that the subject is twice as far away: The 3x zoom on a 2 megapixel
camera ends up only delivering 800 pixels worth of resolution on the subject
itself (assuming that it now only fills half the frame). Compare this to the
QV-8000, which could zoom out to 6x, and fill the frame with the subject, devoting
the full 1280 pixels to it. In this case at least, the QV-8000 actually delivers
more useful resolution than the 2 megapixel model. Then consider that the QV-8000
goes all the way out to 8x! For distant subjects (wildlife?), the QV-8000 is
actually a better choice than a 2 megapixel camera with only a 3x zoom (or even
a 5x zoom).
We really liked swiveling lens on the QV-8000, which rotates a full 270 degrees,
letting you point the lens all the way back at yourself, straight down or anywhere
in between. Filter threads on the inside lip of the lens allow you to attach
43mm diameter filters or accessory lenses. Focus ranges from 1.3 feet (0.4m)
to infinity at the wide angle end and from 3.3 feet (1m) to infinity at the
telephoto end. In macro mode, focus ranges from 0.4 to 19.7 inches (1 to 50
cm) in auto focus and from 3.9 inches (10cm) to infinity in manual focus mode.
Aperture can be manually or automatically controlled, with options of F/3.2,
F/4.8 and F/8.
The 1cm minimum focusing distance in Macro mode can produce some really amazing
close-ups. The zoom lens seems to have a much more limited range of focal lengths
in macro mode (we'd guess it's only about a 1.2x zoom at that setting), but
the detail the camera can capture is incredible: The minimum capture area is
an amazing 0.71 x 0.95 inches (18 x 24 mm). The only limitation we found with
this incredible macro capability is that the width of the lens itself can make
it difficult to get adequate light into the subject: You may find it helpful
to make a conical "light tent" out of a piece of white paper or diffusion
material, as shown at right. With this sort of arrangement, you can shine lights
onto the diffusion material from multiple angles, and obtain very even illumination,
despite the extremely short working distance. You do pay one price for the extraordinary
macro capability: At the shortest focusing distances, the lens appears to suffer
from considerable "curvature of field", which means that the corners
of the image will be out of focus when the center is sharp. This effect is most
noticeable at the 1cm focusing distance, decreasing as you move out to greater
distances.
A 2x / 4x digital zoom option extends the 8x optical zoom capabilities up to
32x, but the image quality always suffers as a result of digital enlargement.
Digital zoom automatically saves images at the 640 x 480 pixel size. The QV-8000SX
offers manual focus and Infinity modes, both accessed by a control button beneath
the LCD monitor. Manual focus is adjusted by the plus and minus buttons on top
of the camera, after pressing the MF button under the viewfinder. After a few
seconds though, the +/- buttons return to their normal exposure-compensation
function. No focus feedback is provided other than the view in the LCD: For
fine focusing, we'd like the option of having feedback from the camera, or at
least being able to see a magnified view in the LCD. Infinity mode sets the
focus at infinity for quick shooting of far away subjects.
Exposure
Exposure control on the QV-8000SX can be fully automatic, or you can take advantage
of several programmed modes. Aperture and Shutter Speed Priority modes allow
you to control either the aperture and the shutter speed individually or both
at the same time (full manual). In the menu system, both aperture and shutter
speed have entries with options of "Auto", or several manual settings.
Picking a manual setting for aperture, but leaving the shutter option set to
auto results in "aperture priority" metering. The opposite set of
choices produces "shutter priority" metering. Manually selecting values
for both settings gives you full manual exposure control, a very rare commodity
in the digicam marketplace. Additionally, program modes such as Night Scene,
Portrait and Landscape save time when shooting in special situations. While
in full automatic mode, you have the ability to change white balance, exposure
compensation (EV) and the flash. You also have control over image sharpness,
color saturation and image contrast through the Record Details menu. Here's
a more detailed description of the QV-8000SX's exposure options:
Flash
The built-in flash on the QV-8000SX resides directly on top of the lens, so
that when the lens spins around, so does the flash. This is convenient, and
almost mandatory for a rotating-lens design like the QV-8000, but the close
proximity of the flash tube to the lens makes it much more difficult to eliminate
the red-eye effect in shots of people. Four flash modes are available: Auto,
On, Off and Red-Eye Reduction. Auto mode puts the camera in charge of judging
light levels and whether or not to fire the flash. The On setting fires the
flash with every exposure and the Off setting prevents it from firing at all.
Red-Eye Reduction mode emits a small pre-flash before firing the full flash
to help prevent the occurrence of the Red-Eye Effect. Working range for the
flash runs from 1.6 to 8.2 feet (0.5 to 2.5m) in normal, wide angle mode and
from 0.3 to 1.6 feet (0.1 to 0.5m) in macro mode. An icon on the LCD monitor
clues you in to the selected flash mode, which is changed by pressing the Flash
button until the desired icon appears (Auto mode has no icon). Flash intensity
can be changed via the Record Details menu, with options of Strong, Normal and
Weak.
We'd loved to have seen an option for external flash on the QV-8000, given the
extraordinary flexibility it offers otherwise. The good news here though, is
that its flash is a "single pop" design, producing only a single flash
in normal operating mode. This makes it easy to use with conventional optical
strobe triggers for use with external flash units. (Many digicams produce a
double flash in normal exposure mode, the first "pop" being used for
white balance and metering, and the second making the actual exposure. These
cameras require special "smart" triggers to sync properly with external
strobes.)
White Balance
Six white balance modes are available on the QV-8000SX: Auto, Daylight, Shade,
Tungsten, Fluorescent and Manual. In Automatic mode, the camera assesses light
type and levels and assigns the appropriate white values. Daylight, Shade, Tungsten
and Fluorescent settings all do as they sound by adjusting white balance for
varying natural and artificial light sources. Manual white balance allows you
to set the white value based on a sheet of white paper held in front of the
lens (usually the most accurate in special lighting situations). A little-known
benefit of manual white balance options like this is that you can use them to
deliberately introduce color casts into your images, by using off-white objects
as your reference targets: Experiment with this a bit, and see what happens!
Exposure Compensation (EV adjustment)
To adjust for lighter or darker exposures, exposure compensation (EV adjustment)
is adjustable from -2 to +2 in .25 EV increments. The setting is only good for
one exposure, as the EV value automatically reverts to zero once the shutter
button is pressed.
Metering
The QV-8000SX allows you to change exposure metering options via the Record
Details menu with options of Multi, Center and Spot. The Multi setting takes
readings from the entire image and then bases the exposure on the average of
those values. Center weighted metering averages the values from a large area
in the center of the image. Spot metering takes the exposure value from a reading
at the direct center of the image. Unlike the EV adjustment setting, the metering
setting can not only persist from shot to shot, but from one shooting session
to the next, even if the camera is powered down in the interim. You can select
whether or not the camera remembers the metering preference via a setting on
the "Mode 2" options menu.
Quick Shutter
The Quick Shutter function allows you to record up to five images at approximately
one second intervals (depending on image information and memory card space)
with one press of the shutter button. The mode can be used in Automatic, Night
Scene, Landscape or Portrait recording modes. As you shoot, the camera continuously
processes the images you've already captured in the background, saving them
to the memory card. When you pause, the camera "catches up" with you,
and when you shoot rapidly, you get ahead of it. The camera displays the current
status of the memory buffer (temporary image storage) as you shoot and it processes,
via a set five small circles in the LCD viewfinder. Filled-in circles indicate
full memory spaces, empty ones indicate space available. We found both the Quick
Shutter mode and this memory-usage feedback very useful in our shooting: It's
nice to know what's going on inside the camera, and it helps you plan your shots
a bit.
Continuous Recording
The Continuous Recording option allows you to record up to five images at approximately
0.25 second intervals with one press of the shutter button (depending on the
image information and CompactFlash space). Like Quick Shutter, Continuous Recording
is available in Automatic, Night Scene, Landscape and Portrait recording modes.
Flash is unavailable in this mode and focus and exposure settings are locked
with the first image.
Movie Recording
The QV-8000SX allows you to record movies approximately 10 seconds long in 320
x 240 pixel AVI format. The Past Movie mode allows you to capture events that
occurred before the shutter button was pressed, meaning that the camera actually
continuously records images into a buffer and once the shutter button is pressed,
records the information to the CompactFlash memory card. Normal Movie mode simply
starts recording at the press of the shutter button and stops when the button
is let go. (The Past Movie mode is really mind-boggling for people who haven't
seen anything like it before. "How does the camera know when you're going
to press the trigger?" is a common question. - Great fun for parties!)
Panorama Recording
You can record a 360 degree panorama image on the QV-8000SX through the Panorama
record mode. A total of nine consecutive images can be recorded in the panoramic
series. After the first image in the series is shot, the right edge of the preceding
image remains on the screen to help you line up the next shot. You can actually
record more images in a series by recording the first nine, uploading them to
a computer and then recording more. The images can then be linked in Windows
based computers via the included Panorama Editor software. What's really slick
though, is that you can actually preview the panoramas you've shot while the
images are still in the camera! When the camera is in panorama mode, there's
a playback option by which the camera performs a crude stitching operation all
by itself, and then displays the resulting panoramic image on the LCD for you
to scroll around in at will. Very slick!
Night Scene Mode
The Night Scene mode records subjects with dark backgrounds. The slowest shutter
speed available in this mode is one second, but a slower one can be set in Shutter
Speed Priority mode (up to 64 seconds). We confess to not being sure exactly
what the Night Scene mode is actually doing, since it doesn't appear to increase
CCD sensitivity at all. It does however, bias the camera toward slower shutter
speeds, even when the flash is used. This equates to a "slow synchro"
mode, which allows more ambient light into pictures taken with flash. (This
is useful for brightening backgrounds and avoiding the stark silhouettes that
on-camera flashes can produce.)
Landscape Mode
Per the description in the QV-8000's manual, landscape mode sets the focus and
aperture so that everything from background to foreground is in focus simultaneously.
A more photographic description would be that it biases the camera's exposure
system to use smaller lens apertures, producing greater depth of field. (This
would also be useful for macro shooting, something you'd never guess from the
mode's name and description in the manual.)
Monochrome and Sepia Recording
Monochrome and sepia expand your creative options by letting you record images
in black and white or sepia tones. Once recorded in monochrome, images cannot
be converted back to color.
Portrait Recording
Portrait mode adjusts the focus and aperture so that the subject is in focus
and the background is slightly blurred. (Just the opposite of "Landscape
Mode" above: It biases the camera to use wider apertures, producing shallower
depth of field.)
Self-Timer
The self-timer on the QV-8000SX gives you a two or 10 second countdown before
firing the shutter once the shutter button is pressed. You can swivel the lens
around during self-timer recording to see the countdown on the LCD monitor.
- Very helpful to keep everybody clued in as to when the shutter is actually
going to release.
Timer
The Timer function allows you to record a series of images at set intervals
(from one to 60 minutes) with approximately 250 maximum shots available depending
on the amount of CompactFlash space. (Very neat feature, for time-lapse photography!)
Shutter Speed Priority
Shutter Speed Priority mode allows you to control the shutter speed from 64
to 1/2000 seconds. The Bulb setting keeps the shutter open for as long as the
shutter button is held down (up to 64 seconds). The included wired remote control
works best with the Bulb setting, preventing any slight camera movement due
to pressing the shutter button. Casio also notes that with slower shutter speeds,
the chance of image static or noise increases.
This would be a good point to talk about the QV-8000's absolutely amazing low-light
capability: When we first saw the specs for the camera, we almost laughed -
Who were they trying to kid? 64 seconds? 64 seconds?! All you'd see would be
colored snow! When we actually shot some very long time exposures with the camera
though, we were totally humbled: It really *can* take long exposures like that!
We didn't actually take a 64 second shot, but we did go all the way out to 48
seconds in our studio tests, and the results absolutely blew us away! The images
were cleaner than those from most other cameras when trying for a 4 second exposure,
let alone a 48 second one! We could see some of what Casio's doing, in that
they evidently capture a "black-reference" image immediately after
the time-exposure shot itself, and using it to subtract-out the noise. (You'll
notice that time exposures actually take about twice as long to complete as
the shutter speed selected would indicate. The extra time is that required for
the black-reference image to be captured.) Still, even allowing for this trick,
Casio must have come up with something genuinely new: Other manufacturers have
used the black-reference approach before, but nobody has gotten the noise down
to the level that Casio has achieved here. Whatever they're doing also bodes
well for future, higher-resolution cameras, because image noise becomes an increasing
problem as pixel counts scale higher and the individual pixel sensors become
smaller on the CCD.
Overall, the QV-8000 completely captures the low-light picture-taking crown,
at least as of this writing in January, 2000. Nothing else we've seen to date
even comes close to it: If you're looking for a digicam to experiment with long
time exposures, the QV-8000 is it. Don't even bother looking at anything else!
One fly in the ointment: The QV-8000 does have one major shortcoming for low-light
photography though. As we noted earlier, the LCD viewfinder is completely non-functional
under even moderately dim conditions. Some kind of optical viewfinder absolutely
should have been included on the unit, and its lack makes low-light work rather
difficult. (Plan on jerry-rigging some sort of gunsight-type framing guide atop
the lens housing for any serious low-light work.)
Aperture Priority
An alternative to Shutter Speed Priority, Aperture Priority allows you to set
the lens aperture at F/3.2, F/4.8 or F/8.
Full-Manual Mode
Not actually a separate camera mode, but worth mentioning because the capability
is so sought-after, and so surprisingly rare in current digicams. On the QV-8000,
you can set the shutter speed and aperture completely independent of each other,
and aren't required (as on some cameras) to have one under the camera's control
if you're manipulating the other. Very nice!
Shutter Lag / Cycle Times
When you press the shutter release on a camera, there's usually a lag time before
the shutter actually fires. This time allows the autofocus and autoexposure
mechanisms to do their work and can amount to a fairly long delay in some situations.
Since this number is almost never reported on, and can significantly affect
the picture taking experience, we now routinely measure it using a special electronic
test setup that's accurate to 0.01 seconds.
The QV-8000 is actually fairly quick, as digicams go: A full autofocus cycle
results in a shutter lag of only about 0.85 seconds: Not blazingly fast, but
certainly not bad by comparison with competing cameras. If the lens is prefocused
by half-pressing the shutter button prior to the shot itself, the shutter delay
drops to only 0.15 seconds, a very good number indeed. Using manual focus, the
shutter delay is 0.20 seconds.
Shot-to-shot cycle times are also quite good, particularly when using the Quick
Shutter mode. We clocked the camera at 1.6 seconds shot-to-shot using manual
focus in high resolution mode and 1.53 seconds shot-to-shot in low resolution
mode. Autofocus would presumably add about 0.6 seconds to these times. We never
managed to fill the memory buffer in low-resolution mode, as it emptied quicker
than we could take the next shot. In high resolution mode, we managed 10 shots
before the buffer filled, and even then, cycle time only rose to 3 seconds.
In continuous mode, the camera captured five frames in 1.09 seconds, a frame
rate of 3.67 frames per second, reasonably close to the 4 frames per second
claimed by Casio.
The camera also starts up in only 4.24 seconds (from "off" to the
first shot acquired), switches from record to play mode in anywhere from 1 to
3.5 seconds (depending on the resolution mode and how much processing it needs
to do on the current image), and switches back from play to record mode in 1.4-2.0
seconds (from playback to the first image captured).
Overall, we found the QV-8000 surprisingly quick compared to the current crop
of cameras (January 2000), particularly competing 1.3 megapixel models.
User Interface
The QV-8000SX offers uncomplicated menu navigation through a series of 3D graphic
menus typical of Casio's standard user interface. It shares the visually attractive
interface design we reported on earlier in our coverage of the QV-2000UX. The
placement of function controls allows for one handed operation if necessary,
but two hands is always easier. Here's a look at the individual controls:
Shutter Button
Located on top of the camera, in the center of the circular power toggle switch.
In all record modes, the shutter button sets focus and exposure when half pressed
and fires the shutter when fully pressed. When navigating through menus, the
shutter button acts as the OK button to accept menu selections.
Power Switch
Located on top of the camera, this circular switch toggles back and forth to
turn the camera on and off.
Zoom Control
Located on the front of the camera, about where your right index finger would
wrap around the grip, this slide control operates the zoom lens. If the digital
telephoto control option is set to "auto", pressing the zoom control
toward "T" again after the lens has reached its maximum telephoto
setting engages the digital zoom function. Pressing it again increases the digital
zoom from 2x to 4x.
Menu Button
Located on top of the camera, this button accesses the menu system for whatever
camera mode is currently selected. It also acts as the cancel button when navigating
through the menus.
+/- Buttons
Located on top of the camera, these buttons are marked with a + and - sign.
- In both Record and Playback modes, they navigate through menu selections.
- In Record mode, they control exposure compensation (EV) and manual focus
settings.
- In Playback mode, they scroll through captured images on the CompactFlash
card.
Mode Dial
Located on top of the camera, this notched dial selects between the following
modes:
Timer: puts
the camera in Timer mode for recording a series of images at selected time
intervals.
Panorama Mode:
sets up the camera for recording panoramic images.
Movie Mode:
records up to 10 second movies as 320 x 240 AVI files.
Normal Mode:
puts the camera in standard, automatic capture mode.
Night Scene
Mode: sets up the camera for recording subjects in dark areas and backgrounds.
Portrait Mode:
adjusts focus and aperture for portraits-where the subject is in focus and
the background is slightly blurred.
Landscape Mode:
adjusts focus and aperture so that foreground and background are both in focus.
Rec/Play Switch
Located beneath the Mode Dial, on the back panel of the camera, this switch
selects between Record and Playback, for each of the major camera operating
modes listed above.
Display Button
Located at the bottom right of the LCD monitor, this button cancels and recalls
the information display on the monitor. In the Record menu, this button switches
between the normal and Details menu systems.
Self-Timer Button
Marked with the standard "clock" icon, and located beneath the LCD
monitor, to the left of the Display button, this button cycles between two second
self-timer, 10 second self-timer and self-timer off modes.
Manual Focus / Infinity / Macro Button
Located beneath the LCD monitor, to the left of the Display button, this button
cycles between Manual Focus, Infinity and Macro modes.
Flash / Folder Button
Located at the bottom left of the LCD monitor, marked with the traditional flash
symbol and a black folder icon.
- In Record mode, this button selects the desired flash mode from Auto, On,
Off and Red-Eye Reduction.
- In Playback mode, this button allows you to select a different folder on
the memory card for playback.
Wired Remote
The QV-8000SX is unusual in that it includes a wired remote control unit in
the box with the camera. Few cameras include remotes, but we find them very
handy for studio or macro work, where you don't want to disturb the camera (presumably
mounted on a tripod) by pressing the button. A remote can also give you more
freedom to work with the subject from in front of the camera, without having
to run back and forth. The cable on the QV-8000's remote is only a few feet
long, but still very useful for situations where you don't want to jostle the
camera/tripod setup. The QV-8000's remote is also unusual in the degree of control
it gives you over the camera: Most remotes only provide a subset of on-camera
functions, but the QV-8000's remote lets you control every aspect of the camera's
operation, duplicating all the on-camera controls (except the record/play toggle).
Camera Modes and Menus
Timer Mode
Accessed by turning the mode dial to the black timer symbol, this mode allows
you to capture a series of up to 250 images at anywhere from one to 60 minute
intervals. (Note that you almost certainly will want to run the camera from
the AC adapter when shooting long time-lapse sequences.) Putting the camera
in this mode automatically calls up the Timer Setting menu with these options:
- Shots: choose from one to 250 shots.
- Interval: choose from one to 60 minutes.
- Start Time: sets the start time for recording. (You can delay the start
of the sequence up to 24 hours, using the camera's 24-hour clock.)
Panorama Mode
Sets up the camera to record up to nine images in secession to compose a panoramic
image. Pressing the Menu button in this mode calls up a series of menus. These
menus are identical to those used in the other recording modes, so we'll cover
them here, and then just once, here. The QV-8000SX has two sets of menus: The
default set, providing a somewhat simpler interface, but more limited functions,
and the "Details" version, which gives access to the camera's more
advanced features. In this section, we'll show the default menu first, followed
by some of the sub-menus from the Details mode.
Record Menu
- Quality/Size: selects between Fine, Normal and Economy qualities
and between 1280 x 960 or 640 x 480 image sizes.
- Movie Mode: selects between Normal and Past movie recording modes.
- Color: selects between Color, Black and White and Sepia recording
modes.
- Digital Zoom: sets the digital zoom to Off, Auto, 2x or 4x.
- Time Stamp: sets the format of the time stamp that can be applied
to your images, and turns it on or off.
- Setup: sets the following camera options:
- Card Browser: sets the card browser file type. (A very interesting
feature: See our comments in the "Image Storage and Interface" section
below.)
- Format: formats the CompactFlash card.
- Date: sets the camera date and time.
- Video Out: sets the video output signal to NTSC or PAL.
- Language: sets the camera language to either English or Japanese.
- Beep: turns the camera beep on and off.
Hitting the Display button while in the Record menu pulls up the Details menu
with these sub-menus:
Picture Menu
- Quality: sets the image quality to Fine, Normal or Economy.
- Size: sets image size to 1280 x 960 or 640 x 480.
- Sharpness: sets image sharpness to Hard, Normal or Soft.
- Saturation: sets color intensity to High, Normal or Low.
- Contrast: sets image contrast to High, Normal or Low.
Functions 1 menu
- Aperture: sets the aperture to F/3.2, F/4.8 or F/8.
- Shutter Speed: sets the shutter speed to Auto or Manual (with options
of Bulb and timed exposures from 64 to 1/2000 seconds).
- Shutter Mode: selects between Single, Quick and Continuous shooting
modes.
- Metering: selects between Multi, Center and Spot metering options.
- White Balance: selects between Auto, Daylight, Shade, Tungsten, Fluorescent
and Manual white balance settings.
- Flash Intensity: sets the flash intensity to Strong, Normal or Weak.
Functions 2 Menu
- Movie Mode: selects between Normal and Past movie recording modes.
- Digital Zoom: turns the digital zoom on or off and sets it to Auto,
2x and 4x.
- Color: selects between Color, Black and White and Sepia recording
modes.
- Grid: turns an on-screen alignment grid on and off. (Very handy for
aligning shots!)
- Time Stamp: turns the time stamp function on and off and sets the
format.
Options Menu
- Power Save: sets power save options for conserving battery power:
Sleep (Off, 30 seconds, one minute or two minutes) and Auto Power Off (Off,
two, five or 10 minutes).
- Mode 1: specifies which of the following settings are retained when
the camera is powered off: Focus, Flash and Digital Zoom.
- Mode 2: specifies which of the following settings are retained when
the camera is powered off: Metering, White Balance, Flash Intensity, Aperture
and Shutter Speed.
Setup Menu
- Card Browser: sets the card browser file type.
- Format: formats the CompactFlash card.
- Date: sets the camera date and time.
- Video Out: sets the video output signal at NTSC or PAL.
- Language: sets the camera language at either English or Japanese.
- Beep: turns the camera beep on and off.
Movie Record Mode
Accessed by turning the mode dial to the black movie camera icon, this mode
allows you to record up to 10 second movies (depending on available CompactFlash
memory space). Pressing the Menu button in this mode pulls up the same Record
and Details menu as in Panorama mode.
Normal Record Mode
Accessed by turning the mode dial to the green rectangular symbol, this option
selects the QV-8000's default operating mode. Pressing the Menu button pulls
up the same Record and Details menus, which means you can control aperture or
shutter speed if desired, although the default is a fully-automatic (commonly
called "program") mode, in which the camera controls all exposure
parameters..
Night Scene Mode
Accessed by turning the mode dial to the black moon and star symbol, this mode
sets up the camera for recording images of subjects with dark backgrounds, as
we described earlier in the "Exposure" section. Pressing the Menu
button in this mode pulls up the same Record and Details menus.
Portrait Mode
Accessed by turning the mode dial to the black portrait symbol, this mode sets
the aperture and focus so that the subject is in focus and the background is
slightly blurred. (A bias toward wider lens apertures.) Pressing the Menu button
in this mode pulls up the same Record and Details menus as in the other modes.
Landscape Mode
Accessed by turning the mode dial to the black landscape symbol, this mode sets
aperture and focus so that both the foreground and background are in focus simultaneously.
(A bias toward smaller lens apertures.) Pressing the Menu button pulls up the
same Record and Details menus.
Playback Mode
Accessed by switching the Rec/Play switch to the Play position in any camera
operating mode, this sub-mode allows you to view captured images and movies
in any camera recording mode. Pressing the Menu button in this mode pulls up
the Playback menu with the following sub-menus:
View Menu
- Zoom: enlarges the image on the LCD monitor screen. You can scroll
around the enlarged view by pressing the +/-, flash, or MF buttons.
- 9 Multi: displays nine thumbnail images on the screen at one time.
This is handy for rapidly stepping through all the pictures on the memory
card.
- Slide Show: automatically scrolls through captured images, one at
a time.
Tools Menu
- Protect: protects images against deletion (single image, folder or
all). (Note that "protected" images will still be deleted if the
memory card is reformatted.)
- DPOF: specifies images for printing (single image, folder or all).
- Screen Saver: turns the camera's screen saver function on or off.
Delete Menu
- Select: deletes a single image.
- Folder: deletes an entire folder.
- All: deletes all images on the CompactFlash card.
Setup Menu
- Card Browser: selects the card browser file type.
- Format: formats the CompactFlash card.
- Date: sets the date and time as well as sets the display format for
the date and time.
- Video Out: selects between NTSC and PAL video output signals.
- Language: selects between English and Japanese camera languages.
- Beep: turns the camera beep on and off.
Pressing the Display button with the Playback menu up pulls up the basic playback
menu, offering all of the above options except for the Protect and Screen Saver
settings.
Image Storage and Interface
The QV-8000SX utilizes CompactFlash (Type I) as its image storage medium. An
8MB card comes with the camera, with upgrades available to 15MB, 30MB, 48MB
and 64MB. (Third parties currently (January 2000) offer Type I CF cards in capacities
as large as 128MB.) An interesting feature is that the QV-8000SX creates an
HTML file with four card browser options available (compatible with Microsoft
Internet Explorer 4.01 or later and Netscape Communicator 4.5 or later). QuickTime
3 or later is required to play back movie images on your computer. The four
different card browser formats let you choose how much information is recorded
with each image (a very detailed chart in the manual explains the settings).
We found the HTML image indexes very handy for viewing pictures shot with the
camera, and for seeing the exposure settings they were shot with. The four "card
browser" options provide a range of display options designed to offer as
much functionality as possible with a variety of different web browsers. (The
more sophisticated options even include JavaScript code for a web browser-based
slide-show function!)
The QV-8000SX organizes images into storage folders, assigned numbers from 100
to 998. Within each folder, images are numbered from 0001 to 9900 and each folder
contains up to 100 files. An extremely detailed directory tree in the manual
shows exactly how information is encoded onto the CompactFlash card by the camera.
You can protect individual images on the CompactFlash card through the Playback
menu in Playback mode, preventing accidental deletion of images. (Although,
as noted earlier, it's important to remember that "protected" images
will still be erased when you reformat the memory card.) If you want to erase
images, the Delete menu in Playback mode gives you the option of deleting individual
images, a folder or all images that aren't protected.
Below are the approximate numbers of still images that will fit on an 8MB card
and their compression ratios:
Still Images:
| Resolution/Quality vs Image Capacity |
|
|
||
|
|
Compression |
|
Compression |
|
| Fine Quality |
|
|
|
|
| Normal Quality |
|
|
|
|
| Economy Quality |
|
|
|
|
Video
Out
US and Japanese models of the QV-8000SX come with an NTSC video connection cable
(European models come with PAL) for connecting the camera to a television set.
(Provided the set has a separate "raw video" input.) This connection
enables the TV to act as the LCD monitor when composing and playing back images.
As we noted earlier, this can be helpful in manually focusing on macro subjects,
or in studio settings where you have to interact with the subject from in front
of the camera. (Kid photography, etc.) TV playback can also be handy when using
the camera as a presentation device.
Power
The QV-8000SX runs on four AA alkaline, lithium, NiCd or NiMH batteries. An
AC adapter comes with the camera, useful for conserving batteries when playing
back images, connecting to the computer or television, or capturing long time-lapse
sequences. Casio estimates that a standard set of AA alkaline batteries allows
you to record up to 400 shots (1020 for lithium and 620 for NiMH) and they recommend
keeping the flash turned off when not in use and taking advantage of the power
save settings in the setup menus to help conserve battery power. We feel per-shot
ratings of this sort are of relatively little value in deciding how long you'll
actually be able to use a camera, particularly with ones like the QV-8000 that
rely on their LCD screen as a viewfinder. (How many times do you simply run
off 500 shots as fast as you can trip the shutter?) A more useful rating would
be how long the camera will operate in various modes with typical NiMH rechargeable
batteries. The QV-8000 has fairly low power consumption for a camera with such
a large LCD display, but by the same token consumes more power than cameras
offering optical viewfinders. Overall, the QV-8000 seems to do a good job of
regulating its power consumption (turning off the LCD screen when it's charging
the flash, for instance) to maximize battery life. The 510 mA power consumption
in capture mode leads us to estimate a typical battery life of about 2 hours
with 1200-1300 mAh NiMH cells. (This is a bit less than the batteries' capacity
rating would suggest, because the batteries are rated at a relatively low power
drain, and total capacity decreases as the load increases.) We actually tested
the power consumption of the QV-8000 with a couple of sets of batteries, with
wildly varying results: A set of 1200mAh cells lasted just less than an hour,
while a new set of 1600 mAh units (recently released by Kodak) powered the camera
in capture mode continuously for two hours and 35 minutes!
The table below shows the power consumption figures we measured in various operating
modes, via the external power connector.
|
|
|
| Capture Mode, w/LCD |
|
| Capture Mode, half pressed shutter |
|
| Memory Write (transient) |
|
| Flash Recharge (transient) |
|
| Image Playback |
|
Included Software
The QV-8000SX comes with a USB, serial and Macintosh adapter cable for connecting
and downloading images to a computer. A CD packaged with the camera comes with
Casio's PhotoLoader, Panorama Editor, Picture Works Technology's MediaCenter
with a trial version of their Web Publisher add-on for it, Apple's QuickTime
for Windows, Adobe ActiveShare, Adobe Acrobat Reader, Internet Explorer 5.0
as its main software applications (a USB driver and various other odds and ends
also come on the CD for assistance in installation). Unfortunately for Mac users,
the included software is only compatible with Windows 95, 98 and NT 4.0. The
included cables support the Mac platform, but Mac users will need to order a
copy of PhotoLoader for the Mac for $9.99 extra.
Immediately when you insert the software CD, a menu comes up with options to
install the various software applications, find out about the software, register
your camera online, go directly to the Casio website, open the accessory catalog
or fill out an accessory order form. The PhotoLoader software is responsible
for downloading images and movies from the camera onto your computer. Once the
images have been moved, Picture Works Media Center allows you to organize, enhance
or prepare images for the Internet. The trial version of Picture Works Web Publisher
allows you to create customized web pages in 30 seconds or less (up to 15 pages
in the trial version). Adobe Active Share lets you perform minor image correction
and connects you with ActiveShare.com for instant image sharing with family
and friends. Quicktime 3 is the medium for movie playback and works with the
included copy of Internet Explorer. And finally, Panorama Editor lets you connect
your recorded panoramic shots and play back 360 degree images. Overall, a very
complete software package, albeit one limited to Windows users.
Test Results
In keeping with our standard policy, our comments here are rather condensed,
summarizing our key findings: For a full commentary on each of the test images,
see the QV-8000's "pictures" page.
As with all Imaging Resource camera tests, we encourage you to let your own
eyes be the judge of how well the devices performed: Explore the images on the
pictures page, to see how well the QV-8000SX performed,
and how its images compare to other cameras you may be considering buying.
Well, Casio calls the QV-8000SX a "Feature Rich" digicam, and it certainly
lived up to that billing - It packs more features, options, and capabilities
than any other 1.3 megapixel digicam we've tested to date! (January, 2000)
In our testing, the QV-8000SX produced excellent pictures overall. Its color
and tonal rendition were excellent, our only (slight) criticism being that its
resolution was only average for a 1.3 megapixel camera, testing-out at 600 lines
per picture height in both horizontal and vertical directions. As noted, color
was very good, with clean primaries, good handling of pastels and decent saturation.
The camera handled the always-difficult red/magenta separation of our Davebox
target very well, as well as the tricky blues in our outdoor portrait test.
The only minor shortcoming we found in its color-handling was a slight weakness
with the subtractive primaries. (cyan, magenta, and yellow.)
The QV-8000's lens is quite good, particularly considering it's exceptional
8:1 zoom ratio. (Longer-ratio lenses are much trickier to design optically than
shorter-ratio ones.) As could be expected from such a long-ratio lens, geometric
distortion is a bit higher than some cameras, at 0.9% barrel distortion in the
wide-angle position, transitioning to 0.6% pincushion at the telephoto end.
(While this is more than we like to see, we have to point out that some 3x zoom
cameras show this much distortion.) Chromatic aberration was particularly low,
showing none at all at short focal lengths, and only the barest hint at telephoto.
There were two features we'd really have liked to see on the QV-8000: An external
flash connector, and some sort of optical viewfinder. The LCD viewfinder is
pretty accurate though, showing between 89 and 92% of the final image area,
as the lens moves from wide angle to tele.
The reason we'd so like to have seen an optical viewfinder on the QV-8000 is
so we could take better advantage of its *absolutely amazing* low-light capability.(!)
The QV-8000SX walked away with the low-light crown in our tests, producing usable
images at lower light levels than any camera we've tested to date (January,
2000). Our fancy exposure meter only reads down to about 1/16 of a foot-candle,
and the QV-8000 produced a surprisingly good image even at that light level.
(That's REALLY dark, to the point we have a hard time seeing our way around
the studio!)
The QV-8000SX also offers excellent macro capability, focusing down to an incredible
1 centimeter(!) from the front of the lens. This close approach and the large
diameter of the lens make it tricky getting light into the subject, but the
minimum capture area is a very tiny 0.71 x 0.95 inches (24.2 x 18.1 mm).At this
microscopic level, there's a fair bit of barrel distortion evident, and a goodly
amount of curvature of field as well, but if you need to get really close for
a reasonable price, the QV-8000SX can do the job!
Overall, the QV-8000SX turned in a very good performance. It's incredible feature
list is what makes it a real standout though.
Conclusion
We were frankly surprised by the tremendous functionality offered by the QV-8000SX:
Its fully-automatic exposure mode is perfect for novices, yet it offers one
of the broadest range of exposure options of any camera we've tested. Its 8x
optical zoom lens provides one of the widest zoom ranges in the market today,
and its low-light capabilities go beyond anything we've seen to date (January,
2000). About the only additional features we could possibly ask for are an optical
viewfinder (please!), and an option to connect to an external flash. Overall,
the QV-8000 is one of the most versatile and capable 1.3 megapixel cameras on
the market, and an excellent value for anyone looking for maximum flexibility
in a digital camera.
Do you have a QV-8000SX camera? If you'll post an album of your samples on one of the photo-sharing services and email us at [email protected], we'll list the album here for others to see!
Visit David Bogdan's sample images
at the Photo Album Collection at the Imaging Resource Photo Club!
For More Info:
View the data sheet for the QV-8000SX
View the test images from the QV-8000SX
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