Casio have announced the introduction of the QV-8000SX (1.3 megapixels, 8 x optical zoom), QV-2000UX (2.1 megapixels, 3x optical zoom) and officially announce a camera we've known about for a while the QV-5500SX (1.3 megapixels, fixed focal length lens).

Casio QV-5500SX

Casio, Inc., Dover, NJ, in conjunction with Casio Computer Co., Ltd., Tokyo, Japan, today introduced the QV-5500SX, an LCD digital camera with a built-in 1.31-megapixel CCD. The QV-5500SX is capable of recording and playback of digital images at 0.5-seconds intervals. The product will be introduced at MacWorld that will open at the Jacob Javits Convention Center in New York City tomorrow.

The new QV-5500SX is designed and engineered for the ultimate in operating ease and efficiency and you can use your computer's Web browser to view both still images and movies.

Casio said the resolution available from digital cameras in recent years has improved dramatically, along with the increase in the pixel count of CCDs. Most of today's digital cameras make beautiful, near photographic quality digital imaging a reality. However, improved resolution also means larger image data files, and longer waits when storing and recalling images. The latest challenge to face the digital camera industry has been to provide high resolution images without the wait. The innovative ``Quick Shutter'' feature of the new Casio QV-5500SX lets you record an image in as little as 0.5 seconds after recording the previous image, dramatically reducing the time you have to wait between shots. During playback, it takes only 0.5 seconds to scroll from one image to another, so you can find the image you want much more quickly and easily.

Casio QV-5500SX Key specifications

• 1.3 Megapixel CCD (1280 x 960, 640 x 480, 320 x 240)
• Fixed 36mm (equiv.) F2.8 lens
• Aperture range: F2.8 - F16
• Shutter speed range: 1/8s - 1/500s
• Fast operation (16MB internal buffer)
• Four flash modes
• CompactFlash storage (8MB supplied)
• Movies stored in AVI format (3.2, 6.4 or 9.6 seconds)
• Three metering modes
• Monitor gridlines for perfect horizontal or vertical alignment
• E-mail optimized images (320 x 240)
• Settings stored after power-off
• Sharpness, saturation and contrast image controls

Casio QV-8000SX

Casio, Inc., in conjunction with Casio Computer Co., Ltd., Tokyo, Japan, today introduced the QV-8000SX, a 1.31-megapixel CCD digital camera with optical 8X zoom lens that is capable of zoom up to 32X when the optical and digital zoom combination is used. The camera, which features USB cable connectability for easy transfer of images to a computer, was introduced at MacWorld that will open at the Jacob Javits Convention Center in New York City tomorrow.

The new Casio QV-8000SX comes equipped with the QV Series unique swivel lens, plus 8X optical zoom, which is equivalent to 40 to 320mm zoom on a 35mm film based camera. Its macro features allows intimate close ups -- up to 1cm from the subject. Other features include a Night Scene Mode with an original image processing algorithm that eliminates noise from the image; selection between shutter speed priority and aperture priority recording; a B Mode (Bulb Mode) for keeping the shutter open up to 64 seconds; a Continuous Recording Mode for recording up to five images at an interval of about 0.25 seconds, and much more. These features make the QV-8000SX the perfect tool for just about any type of digital image recording imaginable.

Casio QV-8000SX Key Specifications

• 1.3 Megapixel CCD (1280 x 960, 640 x 480)
• 8x Optical zoom lens: 40mm - 320mm (equiv.)
• Close 1 cm macro mode
• Very long exposure shots (up to 64 seconds with Bulb mode)
• Night scene mode automatically removes noise from night exposure images
• Fast operation
• Four flash modes
• Wired remote control
• CompactFlash storage
• Three metering modes
• Landscape mode (infinity lock)
• Portrait mode (soft focus background)
• Self-timer, Timer and Time-lapse modes
• USB connectivity
• Panorama mode
• Settings stored after power-off

Casio QV-2000UX

Casio, Inc., Dover, NJ, in conjunction with Casio Computer Co., Ltd., Tokyo, Japan, today introduced the QV-2000UX, a high resolution digital camera with 2.11-megapixel CCD with F2.0 wide aperture, 3X zoom lens and support for the IBM microdrive super-compact hard disk. The product was introduced at MacWorld that will open at the Jacob Javits Convention Center in New York City tomorrow.

Sliding open the front cover of the new Casio QV-2000UX causes the zoom lens to extend from its compact body, and an icon-based graphical user interface makes the recording of perfect digital images easier than ever before. In addition to CompactFlash card storage for images, the new QV-2000UX also supports use of the IBM microdrive super-compact hard disk, which is capable of storing approximately 400 1600 x 1200-pixel UXGA images.

Casio QV-2000UX Key specifications

• 2.1 Megapixel CCD (1600 x 1200, 640 x 480)
• 3x Optical zoom lens: 35mm - 105mm (equiv.) F2.0
• Close 1 cm macro mode
• Night scene mode automatically removes noise from night exposure images
• Shutter Priority
• Aperture Priority
• Fast operation
• Four flash modes
• CompactFlash storage (CF type II compatible)
• Three metering modes
• Landscape mode (infinity lock)
• Portrait mode (soft focus background)
• Self-timer, Timer and Time-lapse modes
• USB connectivity
• Panorama mode
• Settings stored after power-off