Shocking and smashing camera (Casio QV-10A)

Member Name: andycharger

Product:	Casio QV-10A
Date:	09/05/02 (405 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Good little workhorse, Hardy

Disadvantages: Picture quality

Keyboards? Yes. Digital Watches? Yes.
But do Casio make Cameras???.....Yes and very good they are too.
This is one of 2 digital cameras that I own/use. The other being my more technical Canon S200.
However, the Casio GV-10 is excellent for most applications that I need it for and has several features that you too may find interesting and useful.

For me, I enjoy nothing more than some rather adventurous sports and activities. Most of which involve Water, Ice, Sand and dirt. These are 4 elements that like to play havoc with cameras and have done since the little boxes were invented. With the advent of the digital revolution, things have not changed and your traditional ELPH digital camera will normally take a dislike to this.
i.e., it will stop working.
However, Casio are considerate people and have devised a camera for the most bodacious dudes in the surf and rad lads on the BMX dirt track.
The GV-10.
Just looking at it tells a million stories.
You can see, this is not your typical Silver Cased box of tricks.
Gone is the standard silver shiny exterior to be replaced by a matt looking plastic and rubberised unit in a dark grey and black. The linear shape has also gone to be replaced by a more curvy one. The Jazzy Red logo on the front gives it a more lively feel.
With its more chunky design, handling it is much better. you are less likely to drop it with its hand grip along the right hand side with the lens right over on the left. No worries about getting those fingers in the way. Also the Flash sits nicely in the middle giving it a more symmetrical appearance and a beter coverage with the light.

The new shell is also water resistant, dust resistant and shock proof. Resistant guys means that you can get it wet or splash it, not take it to the bottom of the deep blue sea to photograph Dave Jones' locker or throw it off the top of the multi storey car park.
All of the insides of this excellen
t camera are locked away from the elements in a gasket sealed container. Nothing is getting in there!

So what do you get with it Andy?
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Well being digital, it stores its pictures on memory sticks or flash cards. This one comes with its own 8Mb flash card that can hold about 35 decent sized pictures at good quality. You can go up to 78 but the grain is so awful at this low resolution.

you also get all of the manuals needed to get you going and instruct you on all of the features. Read these as it probably does a lot more than you give it credit for such as record a short video and superimposing.

you also get a small canvas Casio Case which is a bit tacky to say the least. You probably wont need a case anyway due to its durability. The wrist strap was a nice touch though.

Hooking it up to the computer could not be easier to download your snaps thanks to the USB cable provided with the camera. The Software on the CD included is all you need in the way of drivers and editing. There are better editors on the market but this does the basics.

Features/functions?
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One big let down of the camera is its battery consumption. It takes 4 AA sizes batteries which are provided but not rechargeable. You obviously can get rechargeable ones and you can buy a cable to charge them in the camera but it is not part of the original package.
Its thirty for power means that the batteries will be gone in about 2 hours of snapping. I presume this is due to its reliance on processing power rather than its mechanical parts!

It comes with a built in Colour display on the rear of the camera. This is great for previewing or looking at your snaps once taken. You can either use the view finder or the screen to position your camera for a shot.

The on/off button is also on the back of the camera and somewhat awkwardly placed. Its easy to turn the camera on a
nd off in your pocket due to its design. This obviously wastes battery life.

The main mode selector is also on the back and not the top of the camera. This allows you to set the camera to the desired function.I prefer to have an onscreen menu than the turn wheel selector but it is functional enough.
Not forgetting the flash selector and white balance button positioned on top of the camera. These are very fiddly buttons and hard to press if you have big fingers and hands.
All that is left to your fingers is the actual shot taking button located on the top right. Easy to press and recessed enough to prevent "pocket pics"!

Picture quality.
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What you want to know about.
The quality of image can be selected by yourself. At the highest quality it is faultless. However, you can only fit 7 snaps on here due to their size on the flash card. Reducing it to the next setting is still good enough quality to rival traditional cameras. The lowest setting is able to store many more picture but the grain suffers terrible.
Snapping at night is not too hot due to its fixed lense and shutter speeds. Unless it is in a well lit room, dont bother.
Also, close up work is impossible on small objects again due to its lens and lack of macro settings. Your average holiday snaps on the beach will be fine.
Then again, this camera is not built for supreme picture quality. it is built for taking picture s in environments where people dont normally take them. A little lack in quality is made up for by its durability in these conditions.

Overall.
A great snapper at £250 and well worth the money if you are into extreme sports. If you just want a camera to take holiday snaps with, dont bother, there are better cameras for the money with better quality results. Just dont take them White Water Rafting or on the ice during a game of Ice Hockey!

Summary: