Casio QV 3000 Review

Overall Rating

The Casio QV3000 has many excellent features, easy to use, great quality photos.
Microdrive is a great feature.

Needs a sun shade for macro or manual focus use in many outdoor situations where you need to use the backlit viewscreen on the back of the camera.

Service by CASIO, at least in the US, per a representative at their service center at 201 329 9030 is TWO HUNDRED FIFTY dollars FOR ANY TYPE OF SERVICE.

Armed with four sets of high capacity NiMh batteries, this camera does a fabulous job. It's got plenty of features, and the rear backlit screen allows you to see what you're photographing, is very useful in manual focus and macro modes. The downside is that it is not shaded in any way, so outdoor use can suffer, and it takes considerable power, reducing the useful life of a battery charge significantly. This is important because to see your shot, you need to use the screen; batteries and chargers are "cheap" when compared to the price of the camera, however.

The controls are laid out well, and the pictographs are logical, MF for manual focus, an image of an eye for red eye reduction flash mode, an image of a flower for macro focus mode.

There are several modes ranging from full automation to aperture or shutter automation, night shot mode, panorama, video recording (no sound though), and portrait and landscape modes. There's even an undocumented way to put the beast in full manual mode...it can be found on several review sites.

The real drawback to owning this camera as I see it, is the area of after warranty service.

First, I wrote to Casio's service group using their web site asking specifically for the cost to replace the florescent lamp that provides the backlighting for the viewer. I received an evasive answer, suggesting I send the camera in, despite specifically stating that my camera is NOT in need of repair, but I am questioning service costs as part of considering a second digital camera for family use.

I was informed that for ANY service on the camera the cost is TWO HUNDRED FIFTY dollars. That indicates to me that they might replace the unit rather than fix it. Based on prices as I write this, the cost of a repair is a third of the cost for a new camera...but since you would probably keep the microdrive for use in a second camera, the repair cost becomes over 50% of replacement cost.

I will look for a second camera; chances are it will not bear Casio's trademark.