Casio Casio 3.34MP Digital Camera

WHAT'S HOT: Compared with cameras offering similar specifications, the QV-3500EX is a bargain, and it doesn't scrimp on the important features. You get a full set of exposure controls--shutter priority, aperture priority, and full manual--plus a Best Shot button that takes you well beyond the usual Program mode. To use it, you pick from among 28 sample images the one that best represents the type of shot you want to take. The camera then sets the appropriate focus (macro for a flower, for example), white balance, and exposure settings, and even adds framing lines for composing the scene. Judging from our limited number of test shots, the feature seems to work well.

The QV-3500EX scored well in our image-quality tests. Our detailed charts looked crisp and the camera captured our mannequin's skin tones and brightly colored clothes. However, desktop items and our outdoor shot looked a little dark.

WHAT'S NOT: The combination of layered menus, multiple-function buttons, and partial labeling make learning to use this camera a fairly tedious process. Figuring out how to turn off the Best Shot mode, for example, demanded a trip to the manual. There are also so many different ways of controlling the camera that it's hard to recall quickly the steps for specific tasks. The configuration also means that you can intend to do one thing and end up doing another: We often left the self-timer on and the flash mode in an unintended setting, for example.

The overall look of the camera is not especially pleasing. Looking a bit like it was designed by committee, its many control buttons have different shapes (but with no ergonomic rhyme or reason). The buttons, along with the lightweight but large plastic case, give the camera the feeling of having been cheaply made.

WHAT ELSE: The QV-3500EX lasted 298 shots on one set of four AA batteries. Some of this Casio's features are a cut above what we usually find. For example, you can run through all your images in playback mode, mark the ones you want to delete, and then delete them all at once. It's a small benefit that can save you time managing your images.

Like most digital cameras with aperture- and shutter-priority modes, the LCD viewfinder displays both settings for the shot you're about to take, but only after you press the shutter release halfway down. If you're in aperture priority, you can see whether you have an acceptable shutter speed before you take the shot. But in marginal light, you may have to do a lot of careful button pressing while you change settings.

The movie mode works well enough, though the camera lacks audio capabilities. When you press the shutter to start a movie, a small REC message displays in the LCD viewfinder and a counter shows the time remaining, starting at 30 seconds. An unusual feature is the Past Movie mode: You press the shutter button and the camera starts recording, but it doesn't commit the movie to memory until you press the shutter button a second time, at which point the camera stores the prior 30 seconds of footage.

Another novel feature is the camera's ability to detect automatically whether it's being held horizontally or vertically and to record the image's orientation accordingly. When you download the shots through the camera's Photo Loader utility, vertical shots are displayed vertically. Unfortunately, this feature does not work with other image editing or image management applications. (The manual also mentions that the feature can fail if the camera is tilted too far up or sideways.)

Useful extras include a diopter adjustment for the optical viewfinder and a panorama mode that helps you stitch images together in your PC. And because the camera has a Canon lens, it takes that brand's accessory lenses.

UPSHOT: The QV-3500EX is not a very appealing camera to look at or use, but it gives you a lot for the price.

SUMMARY

Casio QV-3500EX 3.34 megapixels, 2048 by 1536 maximum resolution, 33mm to 100mm focal range (35mm equivalent), f2 to f8 aperture range, shutter speeds from 60 seconds to 1/1000 second, optical and LCD viewfinders; USB, serial (with optional adapter), and video connections; bundled 16MB CompactFlash media, four AA batteries, 15.9 ounces with batteries; Ixla Web Easy Express, trial version of Qbeo's PhotoGenetics, plus various utilities. One-year parts and labor warranty; toll-call support for 13 hours, seven days a week. $499 800/836-8580 www.casio.com