The Casio QV-10 is the first digital camera to reach High Street photo
dealers, thanks to distribution through wholesalers like Swains. Digital
cameras like the Logitech Fotoman and Pixtura, Kodak DC40 and Apple
QuickTake go through computer wholesalers who don't sell to photo dealers.
It retails for £799, as a boxed kit with case, strap, Windows and Mac software and all cables. Unlike other digital still cameras, it uses a full colour miniature LCD screen as a viewfinder and playback monitor, like some palmcorders do. The image size is a mere 255Kb file without interpolation but the QV-10, instead of being a substantial 'brick', is like a small, slim 35mm compact.
No other digital camera comes close to its bright, clean colour which looks just like the best quality video. A straight Casio file makes a brilliant screen display or print. Moreover, you can preview the exposure on the LCD screen and adjust it using familiar plus-minus override. The most striking omission is flash; the Casio is so sensitive it can shoot in dim room light and get great results.
There is no viewfinder, just a palmcorder style screen. Your movements
when lining up verticals or following a subject seem at first to be
opposed to the screen display. The lens unit can be swivelled to view at
waist-level or arm's length as you wish.
AF goes down to 10cm, which combined with the very short focal length of the non-zoom lens allows striking close-ups and depth of field effects.
The LCD shows the frame as you shoot, frozen, for the few instants before the camera is ready for the next shot. You can replay pictures at any time, singly or as a slide show. When connected to the computer by a slim serial cable, an 'album' can be built surprisingly rapidly on your monitor. If you prefer to access images by their frame number, the QV-10's own display instantly shows the picture as you select the number on the computer's file retrieval menu.
Selecting high resolution file export creates an interpolated image of just under 1Mb, large enough for a 3 x 4" print of moderate quality. The raw file is only suitable for a print 1.5" (4cm) long. This is the failing of the Casio QV-10. It has the best colour quality, raw sharpness, handling and overall design of any digital camera yet made. The software is simple and flawless, the 99-shot capacity is enough to keep anyone happy, it's as economical on batteries as any AF flash compact, and it's beautifully made.
But you can obtain the same quality at passport-print size using a
similarly priced Hi8 camcorder and the S-Video input of a Power Mac. To
make good 6 x 4" prints, four times as large a CCD area is needed. The
same memory would still hold 24 shots. Add a zoom lens, memory cards, and
a faster PC link, and the next generation of these cameras will signal the
beginning of the end for film.
Our thanks to Hector Innes ABIPP of Kelso for lending us the QV-10 from stock. When digital cameras reach a small independent High Street dealer before we get to see a review sample, it's a sure sign that times have now changed.
David Kilpatrick