I am struggling with which camera to buy. I have sort of narrowed my choices down to the Nikon 900s or the Casio QV-7000SX. I like the mini-movie mode of the Casio, but I do not like that it does not have an optical viewfinder. I have read all the reviews and still have not made up my mind. Any help would be greatly appreciated. I would also like to know what type of stores have the Casio in stock. I have not seen it. I have seen the Nikon at a camera store near me. I would like to "hold the Casio in my hand" before I finally decide.

-- Kenny Trussell (kenny.trussell@thielekaolin.com), December 09, 1998

Answers

More info: I have played with a QV-770 in Wal-Mart and with many other models in other stores, such as the Nikon 900s, the Olympus models (all of them), the Kodak 260 and 220, etc. The QV-770 seemed easier to operate (at a quick trial anyway) and I liked its features. I wanted megapixel quality though and was delighted to find on the web that Casio had the 7000. I couldnt wait for the review to be posted (I had read reviews of Kodak 260 and Nikon 900 and the Casio QV-5000SX). Well, even before the review I noticed that it did not have the optical viewfinder. This made my heart sink because otherwise, it seemed to have everything I wanted.

I am now struggling with the choice between Nikon 900s and the Casio QV-7000SX. Any comments on the following would be appreciated:

Nikon 900s: 1. Has threaded lens to accept optional lenses (Ive seen the 1.8X telephoto on the net that looks like a useful addition.) 2. Color quality in the review pictures seems to be better to me 3. External flash sync 4. Perhaps heavier made, better name, etc. (I have not been able to find a Casio 7000 to actually hold in my hand to compare) 5. 3X optical zoom (the digital part seems to not be worth considering as a feature since you can do the same thing in software, but the optical part seems nice.) 6. According to the spec sheets in Image Resource web site, faster Image recycle time. (Some of the cameras I played with took very long to be ready for the next picture and took too long to playback images)

Casio Qv-7000SX: 1. Mini-movie mode (I think this would be useful, but is it just a gadget Ill never use, like all the digital effects on the camcorder I bought about 12 years ago that I never used. But I DO like gadgets if I will use them) 2. Larger, bright LCD (2.5") 3. AC Adapter included (I would buy the one for the Nikon if I got it)

I guess from reading the above, it looks like the Nikon wins out, but I think I would really like the mini-movie mode and the panorama mode. I also cannot tell which pictures in the Imaging Resource picture comparisons are better. No matter which two cameras, you pick, there are trade-offs between their white balance, indoor vs. outdoor, etc. quality.

Anyone who would like to email some pictures that you feel shows off your camera's quality, feel free. I have a full-time connection to the internet and it will not be a burden to get large attachments. Id love to get some high quality pictures to analyze.

Thank all of you for your help. I hope I can return the favor to others when I get more experience with whatever I buy....

-- Kenny Trussell (kenny.trussell@thielekaolin.com), December 09, 1998.

This is just amazing! I'm struggling with EXACTLY the same question as you, Kenny.

I purchased a QV-5000SX about four weeks ago from Buy.Com. While I was happy with the camera's performance, I really disliked the fact that it didn't support removable media (what's up with that?!) and didn't perform well in dark conditions. I returned it to Buy.Com (and they LIED AND DECEIVED ME... you'll read about this next week) and planned to purchase the 7000.

This evening, I ran the Imaging Resource's Compar-o-meter :) and it suggested the Nikon CoolPix 9000 or 9000s. I came here to the forum to see what others had said... lo and behold, Kenny's already started this thread!

Here are the important issues from my viewpoint:

QV-7000SX: Pros: Has lots of cool features like 12.8-second mini-movie mode and panorama mode. Night and sport modes. Large 2.5" viewfinder. Cons: Has only achieved mediocre ratings from most reviewers, for some reason. No optical viewfinder. Slow cycling (about 8-9 seconds between photos.)

Nikon CoolPix 900: Pros: Has received excellent reviews. Reportedly high photo quality. Fast cycling (about 4 seconds between photos.) Cons: Ugly, boxy shape :) About $100 more expensive.

C'mon, someone, please answer our questions! You'll sell two higher- end digital cameras this way :)

- David Stein

-- David Stein (djs10@po.cwru.edu), December 13, 1998.

The Casio 7000 has more manual operations the the Nikon and at $525 it is a steal! Ken

-- Ken Gray (kengray@televar.com), December 18, 1998.