Casio QV-8000SX

Opinion: I bought this camera 1n August 2000 and it was my first digital camera. Until then I had 35mm cameras

(Yashica FR1 and Canob EOS500) but after very short time I simply felt good with this model.
My choice for this model was mainly because of the swiwel lens, which is very handy and offers a lot of

opportunities for creative photography and because it is using normal AA-cells.

The price then was DM 699 (€ 350). I've been using it quite a lot since then neglegted my Canon EOS 35mm

ever since.
For an LCD display camera it is reasonable on battery usage. An Epson Photo Smart lasts not even half the

time.

I don't print my photos anymore but send them to an online-photo service for real prints and they are

absolutly amazing. Better then the once I've printed with my Epson Stylus Photo EX.

Lately I bought a Fisheye lens (0,43x) to make indoor photographing in small rooms even better. You have

to use an servo/slave flash though but for less then € 10 you get a Wireless Slave Flash Shoe that is

triggered by the flash from the Casio.

I have nothing to complain regarding the features and functionality of this camera, except the missing

optical view finder because the LCD is just out of the question in bright light. You shoot an guess and

look in view mode what you got. Surprisingly the view mode works fine in bright light.

Using NiMH 1800 and 2000 mAh rechargeables I had no power problems. With 2x 64MB and 2x 48MB CF-Cards

I've never ran out of space.

I've just bought a QV-3500EX (second hand) as a second digital (with a view finder!) but will certainly

keep my QV-8000SX!!

Summary:
Top features, top quality, top performance, easy to use and a nice size and weight. Some newer cams are

for children fingers only, like the latest mobile phones...

The power-on time is something you have to get used to but for the price I paid I can live with it.

Negative:
LCD is miserable in bright light
Power-On time is too long
When focusing is on mulit, the QV-8000SX sometime has problems finishing focusing (change setting to

center helps).

Opinion: I also own this camera. Indeed, it is a good camera, if there is a way to upgrade to 2 or 3 megapixels, I will keep this camera forever. It does produce good images for web pages and e-mails. I am debating whether to buy a 4 megapixel Cannon G2 or Casio QX4000 use for printing.
Go to Casio's web page, they sell an LCD hood and lens filters. The price is very reasonable.

Opinion: i FIND THIS CAMERA TO BE A VERY GOOD ONE. EASY TO USE IN ALL CONDITIONS EXCEPT UNDER THE SUN ON A CLEAR DAY. I MISS A SHADINGSCREEN FOR THE DISPLAY BUT5 OF CAUSE ALLSO A CONNECTIO FOR EXTERNAL FLASH.

Opinion: The 8000Sx is one of the easiest digitals I have used.
I find it easy to hand off to staffers and have thme have a good level of comfort taking pictures with little instruction.
I have used the images in several of our publications with success.

Opinion: Love it. You can't find more features on other cameras for any price. This camera does panaramic easily, 10 sec movies, macro to 1 CM (less then an inch), zooms to 8X optical and 32X with optical and digital, takes long exposures to 64 seconds, has a wired remote control, swivel lens which is good for shots over crowds and different perspectives and for turning around and doing self portrats but for also putting the camera down on a flat object and using it as a tripod. The camera has fully automatic modes or shutter or aperture priority or fully manual. It even has manual or auto focus. The shutter speed goes up to 1/2000 of a second which is good for freezing a drop of water...

The 64 second exposures make increadable night shots. I have done pictrues of trees with the stars in the background. Really amazing.

Macro gets as close as you can get the lens and not block the light from the lens. In other words you can get as close as you want to.

The lens is even threaded at 43mm for additinal filters and add on lenses.

The 8X zoom lens is great and I have not noticed any distortion from it.

Thsi camera is great. No other camera offers a 8X xoom and a long exposure of 60-64 seconds. And the camera does so much more and the pictures look great, even printed up to 8x10.

This is teh second camera I have owned. I love it enough that I am going to upgrade to the Casio QV-2900UX.

Opinion: I have owned this camera for over a year, and am very happy with it. I use NiMH batteries, and carry three sets of spares wherever I go, enough for 100's of photos - they were cheap and value for money. I use the zoom a lot, and this camera has an amazing Figure of Merit, almost the best available for a 1.3 megapixel camera, (see http://www.mav-magazine.com/Jun2000/FigureofMerit/ ). I always photograph with a tripod, and even in low light inside have had excellent results. I seldom have had occasion to use the flash. The multi shot feature makes photographing action shots simple, as does the quick setting. I also appreciate the ability to operate the camera on manual settings. I don't often print up images, so the resolution of this camera is perfect for my purposes. I don't find the brightness of the lcd a problem, as in bright light I can always shade it with my hand - remember- I use a tripod, so I have hands free. Also, I almost always seem to use the remote, especially when photographing people, as the large lcd enables you to stand quite far from the camera and still see what is going on, and so take much more natural unposed shots. The night facility is also useful when photographing into a setting sun.

Opinion: I have been using QV 8000 since March 2000
I searched a lot before I bought this one,
8x zoom is the most important issue on it,
I took many impossible photos with it,
action photos, quality photos, etc. Even I used it for my wedding, and other special places successfully.

Opinion: I've had this camera since Dec 1999, so well over a year. It is my third digital and I did a lot of looking before I bought it. I wanted something with the moveable lens system (or a flip and twist LCD) and this camera seemed to offer the most for the money. I found it on the internet for just over $500.00 and the Nikon was still nearly twice that with less than half as much zoom! I don't print large pictures, so the reduced number of pixels is not a problem for me. The 8x zoom works very well and the macro (something I really use often) is spectacular -- focuses easily and precisely at just 1cm!!! Other features work well also, like timer and time lapse (the comparison charts says it doesn't have one but it does and it works great -- one shot a minute or on shot an hour up to the amount of memory you have in the camera). Another reviewer complained about a lack of Mac software, but that's also wrong ... you just have to pay $9.95 for the CD, but I've had is since Jan. 2000. I do agree with getting rechargeable batteries, but the poor fellow who complained about $40.00 at Radio Shack got taken -- I got four rechargeables and the charger at Radio Shack for about $17.95. Even bought an extra set and they last for about 400 shots with the flash before recharging, so hard to complain about that. I also like the thread barrel -- immediately bought polarizer and UV filter and they work great outdoors. Colors are very good, too. This is a really good all around camera, although the 2800 with more pixels is probably worth the price difference.

Opinion: I've had my QV-8000 since Nov. '99 and have plenty of opportunity to evaluate it's functions. My Dad has the Casio QV-770, that's what put me on to the 8000 initially. I also am into astronomy so I was looking for a camera capable of long exposures >30s. With the 8000 you get a MAX of 64s even with the remote (according to Casio techs I spoke with this is due to software limitations in the camera itself.)

Anyway, after extensive web research and some hands on at a local CompUsa I ordered my camera off the internet and haven't looked back. Though the image quality is not on par with a film camera, it is more than adequate for reproduction via a computer/printer setup. Careful attention to setup will reduce unwanted color tinting, and tinkering with all the settings will allow some very creative photo ops.

A viewfinder is a waste in my opinion, and the swivel lens allows me to get shots a fixed camera never could, like over a crowd, reverse shots, ground to sky shots, etc. One of the nicest features is the timed exposures (1min >) I've used this feature for shooting the Christmas Eclipse of 2000, and other similar actvities.

The wired remote is a nice feature, allowing the camera to be kept stable while taking awkward angles, etc. Also, with the myriad of adjustments to time, apeture, focus, etc this camera is versatile to the point of overkill. But working through the menu system is so easy that I can make changes in seconds and get creative right away.

The newer 2800 would be a good choice too as it has a better LCD (visible in daylight) and higher resolution.

As far as batteries go it will eat rechargables and alkalines, but I have found Lithiums are the way to go if you don't want to lug around a batter pack. A set of Energizer Lithiums are worth 5 sets of Alks easy.