Casio QV-R40 4 MP Mini Digital Camera w/ 3x Optical Zoom
By: Casio Average Rating: 4.0 Total Reviews: 33
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 On: 2007-08-14
I breezed through the other reviews and i would have to agree on everything they had said. This casio camera is great. I had mine for four years and it was the most handy and easy to use camera. Although it was 4 megapixels, the picture quality is great and if you dont believe me send me a message and i can show you some of the thousands of pictures ive taken. I love how casio has the photo settings, great feature. Sadly mine doesnt work anymore, the metal casing of the camera is held in by tiny screws and i hadnt noticed i was missing 3 or 4 from the sides and the bottom. Ive been looking for another once since im afraid to invest in a Casio exlm like my brother has incase i drop it, etc. But anyhow, this camera is a great find and unfortunately i havent been able to find it anywhere!
On: 2005-04-07
I bought this camera just before a family vacation in March 2004. I wanted to do more research before I went digital, but the pressure was on to act before the trip. I found the manual to be useful and the camera to be VERY easy to use.
It takes great pictures and the small size is a plus.
Ill look to Casio when I buy my next camera.
On: 2005-03-20
I purchased the Casi QV-R40 digital camera two years ago, and I have not encountered any problems with it thus far. It has very nice picture quality, and ease of use. It comes with two rechargeable batteries and a battery charger, which are both very nice bonuses. The charged batteries will last a long time, but, I did buy a spare pair, in case one pair is charging, or one pair runs out of juice, simply put in the other pair. I would definitly reccomend, along with buying an extra set of batteries, to also buy a memory card that stores more pictures. I always use the highest quality of resolution, and normally take pictures one right after another. So, for me, the higher amount of pictures was a must. This is an excellent camera, and I would recomend the Casio QV-R40 to anyone looking for a digital camera.
 On: 2005-03-10
I have been through a number of the under $250 digital cameras and this is the one I am most happy with. To see a comparison of all of them, see the bottom of the review.
Pros of the qv-r40:
-short lag time (1/2 a second-very good in cheaper digitals!)
-great exposure in all lighting situations-great in low light
-lots of neat features and settings (sepia, b and w, night time, etc.)
-easy to maneuver through menus
-small compact size
-overall good photo quality (see cons)
-durable and long lasting
-great battery life (I keep it in the diaper bag and use it a few times a day. I charge every 2 or 3 weeks)
-Good price (I got mine for $99 on ebay)
Cons of the qv-r40:
-the only con I have with this camera is that the photos are sometimes a bit (though not horribly) grainy and pixelated at 8x10 or larger. I have gotten better quality in this area (though not in exposure) with Canon cameras (see camera comparison at end of review)
-the lack of sound on the video should be noted, but doesnt bother me...thats why I have a camcorder
I have no other qualms with this camera. i really enjoy using it and am happy with it. At 4x6 and 5x7 the pictures are amazing! Bigger and they are still good, but not quite up to par for a 4 mp, but then again, neither is the price.
CAMERA COMPARISONS (and what I paid)
I have had the Casio qv-4000 ($116), the canon a300 ($85), and have used the canon s30 (sell for around $120) a lot because of a family member. The canon a300 had too long of a shutter lag which just got really annoying with my kids (3 seconds lag and they are gone). The s30 is faster on the lag (1/2 second), but has a lower battery life than the 1300 and the qv-r40 and is renowned (like many point and shoot canons) for getting errors where the lens doesnt pop out anymore. My QV-4000 had a very weak flash (though you could buy an extra flash attachment) and was bulky for a point and shoot but had great picture quality because it uses a canon lens. It was a great little camera. Picture quality was higher on the qv-4000 than on this one, but for indoor photography, you would definitely need the flash that can be purchased for it. It also took 4 batteries and still had a shorter battery life.
On: 2005-02-20
ive had over 10 different digicams up to an 8 mp nikon for $1m. i was looking for an upgrade for my wife, and i was drawn to casio because my son has one of the real thin, large lcd exilim models that is very impressive. the r40 is discontinued, but readily available on the used/refurb market. other than the thicker body (still less than 1") and smaller lcd (good enough) this model is a real quality peice. metal, not plastic, 4mp, 3x zoom, lots of good features. takes sd cards, and has some built-in memory. takes real clear, good color pics which can easily be printed well to 8.5x11 and even to 11x14. you can get them used or refurbed in the $125-$150 range. my wife loves it, so i got another for my daughter, and another for myself when i dont want to lug around my primary nikon.
by: gsavella On: 2004-07-10
I really like this camera, it is small enough to be discrete in your pocket yet packs a powerful punch. If you look at price to performance ratio, this camera excels. It doesnt cost that much yet for the price you get a fully functionally quality digital camera. At 4 megapixels I cant complain. I took this camera around during my day to take random pictures and to see how the camera performed. I took pictures in a restaurant and outside, both pictures looked good. I had it on highest setting and it does not differ too much from other 4 megapixel cameras. The LCD screen is average size, not too big but good enough to see without strain. I used AA alkaline batteries just to see how long they would last. Since it was recommended not to use them as they drain quickly I wanted to see for my self. The batteries lasted the whole day (I took around 70 pics) and I never had to change batteries even with using the flash for half those pictures. The charger also can charge other name brand AA and AAA batteries and those worked great for me. Again, I dont know why casio does this but the videos that you record do not have sound. Why? I do not know. Nonetheless it is a camera and not a camcorder but if youre not going to have sound, might as well not even bother with video at all and use those resources towards something else on the camera. The camera does take a couple of seconds in-between shots but not long enough to lower my rating. The newer version of this camera, the QV-R51 takes much longer (probably because it is processing an extra megapixel of info per shot)than this one. Overall all, even though there is a newer version of this camera, it is significantly more expensive than this and the performance of that camera is not worth the price (all you get is a bigger LCD screen that drains the batteries quicker and 1 more megapixel of resolution). This camera on the other hand is a spectacular deal in price for the performance you receive and the portability. I definitely recommend this camera, it sure hit the sweet spot for me.
On: 2004-06-01
I already had a Sharp 4 MP camera, but the only reason that I got this camera is because of its small size. Heres some reason why I choose this camer, It uses AA batteries which NIMH batteries cost about 4 for $10, secondly, it uses SD memory card which is what my Sharp camera uses, and thirdly its very compact for a camera that uses AA battery. Further plus includes its start up time which is only about 1 second, and it includes many useful features such as cropping your photos in your camera after you have taken the photo to free up spaces on the memory card. It also have many color filters such as blue, red, green, etc... useful for enhancing the sky, ocean, etc... There is also 21 pre-settings for different situations. As for the con, there are some noise in the photo, and it doesnt focus well in dark areas. It also doesnt let you manually adjust the shutter speed and the only way to take bright and shadowless photo at night or under a weak tungsten light is to choose from the 21-preshot options which really annoys me. Other than that, this camera is terrific and i love it, because it comes in handy because of its small size and its low cost accessories (batteries, memory card, etc..) The only reason i gave it a 4 instead of 5 because of the noise that is in the photo and sometime the sky came out unaturally bluish-green. Unless youre on a tight budget or doesnt mind the amount of noise in it, I would recommend the QV-R51 because it has much less noise in the image and you can always scale the size down to 4MP to reduce image size. (See www.steves-digicams.com for sample image) For me, I got it at walmart for just $200 during clearance so its definitly a great buy!
 On: 2004-05-25
Ive had this camera for about 3 weeks now and Ive been happy with it up until now. The features of the camera are great for the price but the instruction book is vague about the most important thing I believe a camera owner should have. Repair information. Yes, after three weeks, my great little camera now pops up a system error upon start up without any option to do anything. The manual simply states that it needs repair. On a 3 week old camera?! Ridiculous! However after some playing around with the USB (which BTW my pc was still able to read it) I got display and shooting back. However, any modification to the settings and its back to system error. Mind you the screen is missing some items so I assume the software has been corrupted somehow. Sorry Casio. This camera (maybe a one in a million defect) is just not reliable enough for my memories...
On: 2004-05-24
This is my second digital camera and Im glad with my choice. This camera has so many pros and few cons that it is worth for you to try.
Some of the pros are: Robust aluminum-alloy body, excellent image quality, 4.0 mega pixels, 3x digital zoom, small shutter lag (2/10 seconds), lens retracting completely into the body, flash with red eye reduction, handful preset shooting modes, video mode, two AA-size NiMH 2100mAh batteries and charger included, and many other etceteras.
The only cons I found were: 15 fps video clips with no audio up to 30 seconds each (audio recording would have been great), lack of exposure controls other than program AE, lack of a video output port.
This camera gives an impressive performance and quality for a great price, and definitively you wont regret on buying it.
On: 2004-05-10
Im not a camera expert but I know what I like, and after spending three years with a Digital Elph where the indoor photos looked yellow and 2/3 of the pictures were shaky, I finally bucked up, shopped obsessively to find a new one, and picked this up.Im very happy so far: -Indoor photos are great - skin tones and colors are normal;
-The colors in outdoor photos are wonderful;
-The flash ends up working really well (Ive been using it to take pictures in very dark rooms and its doing great);
-Almost no shakiness;
-The video capability - which is an every-once-in-a-while for me - is just fine.
-Battery life is excellent - though the camera sometimes thinks the battery is low and shuts off. I wish the flash refreshed a bit faster, mostly because Im impatient - and I dont know how any of the complex settings work, because they dont ship a manual and Im too lazy to read it online, so Im missing out on something good - but so far I highly recommend it.
by: Anonymous On: 2004-05-06
I bought this camera a few days ago. I love it. I have been shopping extensively for a camera and finally settled. It takes great pictures, has a fast startup time, very easy to use. One major selling point for me was the size. It fits right into my pocket no problem. The only reason I dont give it a 5 is because it is a little heavy for its size, plus it doesnt have a video mode. Other than that not a single complaint.
by: Anonymous On: 2004-04-29
After researching and shopping for quite awhile, this turned out to be the best for the money.
by: Anonymous On: 2004-04-27
I purchased this camera 2 months ago and have had mixed opinions on it. Build quality and design are great. Unlike other electronic gadgets that have many features that you need to read an encyclopedia to figure out how to use them, the casios features are numerous and easy to use. Good life out of supplied rechargeable batteries(reccommend buying second set to have on hand). Great size and price. Almost no shutter lag under ideal conditions. Thats all of the good.
Now for the bad. Flash, even under low setting overexposes almost half the time. No manual shutter setting to compensate for this problem. Takes way too long to recharge flash(5 to 8 seconds). No video out, sound and slide show. Picture quality great outdoors in normal light. Rest of the time average to poor, especially in low light. End result. Returned Casio and bought Canon A70 for the same price(see Amazons price of $218.00). Canon is a little large and heavier but offers numerous manual settings, better grip,almost no shutter lag, quick flash recharge, video with sound, slideshow and better picture quality.
On: 2004-04-01
I think it takes great pictures in optimal conditions. Outside on sunny days produce excellent color and resolution. I have found that pictures at night or of fast moving things dont turn out well. The shutter lag time is also noticable. It is hard to take pictures of pets unless they sit still which is often unlikely.
On: 2004-03-26
This camera is simply perfect. It is tiny, cheap, and most importantly takes amazing pictures. I use an HP 8550 Color Laserjet and these pictures print out crystal clear on full bleed 8.5 * 11 prints. The clarity is superb. The only thing that I would improve is being able to manually adjust the shutter speed. ITS A GREAT BUY!!!
On: 2004-03-24
Ive finally found a very reasonably priced 4MP digital camera that I like and my wife will use! We both like the 20 best shot modes that include a on screen detail description of each so that you understand how to utilize each mode. The menus are self explanatory and very easy to move through. It also gives me some manual override features that I like.My only con so far is that pictures using the digital zoom appear pixelated on a 4x6 print from a photo lab. I would not expect it so noticeable on print this small with a 4 MP resolution. The only other surprise is that there is no sound with the video. One option I did like was being able to resize a picture to a smaller resolution. This is great when your memory card is full and you dont wont to delete any of the pictures to be able to take another picture. Remember this is a $200 camera. Personally, I think the QV-R40 is easily the best value for the dollar.
On: 2004-03-22
When I bought this camera, I thought it would be durable and at least last me a year before any problems occured.HOWEVER, the optical zoom is now broken for me after only a month of normal day-to-day use. The camera will shut down on me whenever i try to zoom to full extent. ANOTHER bad thing is that this camera has NO SOUND with its video capture. I find that very annoying and for the price, this camera SHOULD have audio capture and SHOULD be durable enough to last in the hands of a college student. After spring break, this camera just gave up on me... looks like they need to go back and make a better model of this camera. Because despite my negative rambling, the pictures are GREAT!
 On: 2004-03-22
Loads of great features but takes some of the worst pictures of any camera I have ever seen. Its almost as if Casio put in an "Add Noise to Picture" feature. If there is a great deal of light the pictures are okay (but mediocre compared to most other 4 MP cameras), but in anything less then the absolute best conditions it is completely subpar. It will be a long time before I purchase another Casio camera.
On: 2004-03-12
Pros:
1)Takes great pictures outside and in situations with alot of light.
2)Pictures taken with flash look good, although more "white" than realistic.
3)Looks really cool.
4)Compact.
5)Very sturdy.
6)Easy to use.Cons:
1)Any pictures not using the flash or in high light situations (sunlight, etc) turn out blurry and are pretty poor. 2)The flash takes FOREVER to recharge. Approximately 7 (SEVEN!!!) seconds for the flash to recharge. This is what really kills it for me. I have a 1 year old and want to take pictures quickly, 3 seconds or less charge time like my old Kodak CX4300, a $129 camera!
On: 2004-03-11
This is a very good camera for the price. It comes with handful of features which we may not find in this category of cameras especially in this price range. It takes very good pictures too.Things I like:
1. Very fast response in power on and autofocus
2. Amazingly, it supports AA sized batteries (which we cannot find in compact size cameras)
3. Sleek and Compact metal body
4. 20 programmed best shot modes. Especially, I like the coupling shot(combining shots of two people in to a single image) and pre-shot(recording a shot on to an existing background). It also supports user-setup best shots (up to 999).
5. Album creation from the camera itself.
6. Calendar, World time and Alarm Things I dont like:
1. Pictures look noisy on flat surfaces such as wall or sky(though the prints came out well even on 8x10)
2. No voice for video recording.
3. No video out for viewing pictures on TV.
by: Anonymous On: 2004-02-23
I will not reiterate what other reviewers have said, however, I would like to add or clarify that the manual says avoid using regular "AA" batteries as they only last 10 minutes. They are right. What it needs are the rechargeable NMH (2 come with it) and they last a very long time. Another point (that another reviewer complained about) is that the default mode of movie is easily changed to picture mode. I purchased mine from Sams Club for $197 and they are including a 32meg. SD card. Greatest Value Ever. Soon to be available though is a QV-R41 with 2" LCD instead of 1.6".
On: 2004-01-20
This is an absolutely AMAZING little camera!!!! I have owned several 35 mm cameras in my day, from SLR to point-and-shoot, from high-end price to disposable. This Casio camera outperforms them all. You can just take it out of the box and start taking pictures, or you can take pictures with features in this camera that otherwise only a professional could attain. The clarity on the photos is great - better than any 35 mm Ive ever seen. The camera is the perfect size...small enough to take everywhere, and big enough that you dont lose it. I am so thrilled! The only downside is that you have to download the complete operation manual from a computer, and its MANY pages long. But really, I was able to play with it pretty quickly without the instructions, and when I did download the manual, it only confirmed what Id already figured out on my own. The screen is small but really shows the true colors of the final print. I cant say enough good things about this little camera.
On: 2004-01-18
I received this camera as a Christmas gift and I have been very pleased with its performance and features. First, it is a very small camera that is easy to use and carry around. I was slightly disappointed with its boxy thickness but the cameras great looks made up for it. Secondly, the 3x optical zoom on a camera of this size is very impressive. (However, dont take my word on it, technology changes so fast these days.) Finally, the cameras sophisticated in-built software and electronic sound effects is almost reminiscent of some special Bond gadget. That alone should be enough for some people to get it!
On: 2004-01-10
This is a stylish, compact, well made camera at an excellent price point. Its simple to use and provides enough creative control for the great majority of people. For those of you dipping your toes into digital photogrpahy for the first time and who generally use a compact camera this is the ideal choice. Operating it is very intiutive and you will pick it up within just a couple of hours of play. Use it; abuse it it; learn fronm it over the next 12-18 months and if at the end of it your interest in photography/digicams grows then go for something with a few more bells and whistles. And in 18 months time the digicam market will have made great strides in both functionality and price.The camera feels solid and produces excellent quality prints. It uses 2 AA batteries and SD cards and is therefore the ideal choice for travellers and those on a tight budget. (incidentally, Ive found the battery life very good). It comes with its own internal memory but I recommend you get a couple of 128Mb SD cards as soon as you are able. Typically at the highest resolution about 65 shots can be stored on a 128Mb card. I find that this is plenty for say a weekend away or for a special occasion. It doesnt come with a case, but i recommend you buy the Tamrac 5690, which will carry 4 extra rechargable batteries and 2 additional SD cards I dont own a computer and so have not used the software that comes with it, although I have heard it is just average and doesnt match the quality of the camera. I simply go to my local photography store and download the images onto a CD or print the ones I want at a very reasonable price. In summary: a great camera that wont become out of date in the near future.
On: 2004-01-09
I bought this camera as a Christmas present for my wife. Weve taken hundreds of pictures with the camera and had few problems (no problem that wasnt the result of an unsteady hand). The pictures are clear and sharp. The owners manual is... extensive (175 pages), but once you learn a few basic things, operation is no problem. The navigation keys (on the back) have a up/down/right/left/set arrangement, with some of the key features (i.e. selecting between "best shot", "manual" and "movie") on the left and right keys. Im guessing the previous reviewer was having problems with this "feature". Best shot works great and allows you to pick from a list of about 15 caned settings. Battery life is excellent (unless your using regular alkaline). The manual states explicitly to avoid doing such, and is only a fall back option (in case you cant charge your regular batteries and really dont want to miss a picture). The camera uses secure digital media. I get about 140 max resolution picture on a 256MB card (on one charge) with battery life to spare. I would recommend buying a "JumpDrive Trio" from lexar to transfer your pictures to the PC. This will save camera battery power AND allow you to use your secure digital media as a USB thumbdrive.
On: 2004-01-03
I bought this camera because it has an extremeley attractive design, it seemed a good value for the money ($250) and the package included NiMH batteries, charger, 32MB memory card and 10MB internal memory. I was very disappointed when I saw the pictures on my computer. Even at maximum resolution in "fine" mode the pictures seemed hazy and some of them had double edges. I took many pictures in dim light and they did not turn O.K. as the other customer stated. I returned the camera to the store.
by: Anonymous On: 2003-12-29
Just bought this at COSTCO for Christmas, after not being able to get the one that I wanted (an Exilim in the right price range). I am definitely bringing it back. It burns up batteries like NOBODYs business -- Im on my third set of AA batteries in three days and Ive taken fewer than 15 pictures! My camera is stupidly preset to the "movie" mode so it starts taking movies when you want to shoot snapshots; and every time you replace the batteries you have to reset this setting or it does it again. I just tried to take a photo of some mold damage in our apt., and the crappy Logitech I had (1 MP) did better, because this one tried to adjust too many things in the picture and lost the contrast. No thanks -- this might be a good camera for somebody, but Im not impressed. I want a slim one thats NOT a total battery hog -- and at least not AA batteries! Yak...
by: Anonymous On: 2003-12-22
This is my sixth digital camera over the past five years. Although I use a professional digital camera for special events, I wanted a pocket size camera for convenience.It fast! Let me tell you - the autofocus speed is faster than most other point and shoot cameras. It also displays photos without delay. Turn it on - the lens is ready in less than a second! Its solid. The body is all metal. The LCD and the optics are recessed (protected). Its easy to hold. Its easy. The controls are minimal and smartly laid out. No fancy bells and whistles. The image quality is surprising. Exposure and color are accurate. Pictures are sharp and clear. Is it the ultimate digital camera? No. Is it the best pocket sized digital camera? For under $350, I think it is.
On: 2003-12-08
The feature that I like the most is the fast startup time (about 1-2 second from pressing the ON switch to taking the first picture w/o flash.) The shutter lag (the time from pressing the shutter till the time the camera actually records the picture) is very small also. Casio advertises the lag time as 0.01 second and I couldnt feel any lag time so I tend to believe them. I bought this camera mainly to photograph my 4 month-old son, so the short startup time and small lag time is very important to me. So far, Im very happy with this camera. The package contains two NiMH batteries and charger. No SD card is included but the camera has 10 MB built-in memory. The camera can use AA alkaline batteries (in emergency situations) but the batteries would not last long. At the default 4 mega-pixel resolution, each image takes about 1.3 MB, so you should definitely buy SD card to store your pictures. The size of the camera is also very compact and light. Very suitable for spontaneous shooting.
On: 2003-11-19
this camera is my third digital camera. it is very small compared to my others but has many more features. it is very capable of producing excellent 8x10 prints. it is easy to use has a menu system that is very easy to use and is self explanatory. just scroll down the screen and you can find just about anything you need. it has a histogram that more or less will tell you in advance if the lighting situation is right for a good pic or if you need to recompose and how. very light but sturdy. i can find nothing wrong with it except it does not have sound in the movie mode and movies cannot be shown on tv, they have to be shown on the computer. this was not a problem with me because i find all digital still camera movies to be terrible anyway. you cant go wrong with this one!!!
On: 2003-11-14
I bought this camera in early September when it first came out, and I love it!! This little camera does everything and it is so compact that I carry it in my purse. I have 2 little kids and this camera is wonderful for catching all the milestones that they reach. Some other reviewers have mentioned the batteries, well I have only had to charge mine 3 times the entire time I have owned it and I take alot of pictures with the LCD screen and the flash. I also just use the batteries when I am downloading the pictures and so far I havent had any problems. My only concern with this camera is the red eye. I have a baby and it seems as though every picture I have to edit to get that out. I never had this problem with my Kodak digital, but it is easily fixed with decent picture software. All in all this is a wonderful camera and I have enjoyed it.
On: 2003-11-11
I spent hours researching digital cameras at ZDnet, epinions, and Popular Photography and I finally decided on this one. I have NOT been disappointed in my choice in the slightest. I normally use this to take pictures of my two young sons, but I have taken some scenery shots as well. The pictures always come out beautifully.Unlike the previous reviewer - I use batteries to download my pictures and have never had a problem. My understanding from the manual was that it is recommended, not required. Batteries are quick to run down when I use the LED readout to take pics, but the charger is quick and Im up and running again in about 3 hours. I would definitely recommend this camera to anyone looking for good value for the money.
On: 2003-11-03
(...)P>Well, for starters Im not an expert on digital cameras (Ive owned them for awhile, but Im a casual pic taker); however, I did a great deal of online reasearch before purchasing this one. I felt this model gave me what I needed in the price range I could afford. I was a little nervous though - as I couldnt find user reviews anywhere (just the pro reviews - which were very helpful).First off - Bad News.... there is virtually no paper users manual. The GOOD NEWS though is they include a digital users manual on CD ROM with the camera (its very in depth). The REALLY GOOD NEWS is you can download the users manual before you even buy the camera from www.casio.com!! (I did this, and by the time my camera arrived - I felt like a pro using it). The camera is not "chinzy" feeling (like some others - Fuji for example) - its solid built and just feels like quality. Its small, but not to tiny that its difficult to use. The LCD screen is a good size (and you can zoom to view pics magnified from the LCD. The camera does everything it promises. I adore it. The bells and whistles are fun (though many of them not necessary for someone like me). I love the 10 second delay shot. This way I can get in the pic myself. Regarding battery life: Keep in mind - I always use the LCD screen and flash (so my batteries wear down faster than other peoples might). Im getting about 50 or so pics per charge from the Sanyo Batteries that come with the camera. Im getting about 24 pics per charge from the Kodak 1700 batteries I purchased. Im happy with this. The batteries charge rather quickly - and with 3 sets - Im never stuck. These NimH AAs are pretty inexpensive - so its really no big deal. I do wonder if my lack of pictures per charge wouldnt be improved with a "better" charger (the one that came with the camera is fine....but I bet it isnt top of the line). Here is something someone might want to know (particularly someone unfamiliar with digital cameras). They say you MUST (MUST MUST) use an AC adapter power whenever connecting the camera to the computer to transfer pics etc. This is NOT included with the camera. So - add about $30 to the price of this camera pretty much since you must buy this "accessory" :) (The camera is STILL WORTH IT). I used my camera to take a full week of pictures in an extremely dim lit setting (halloween theme week). (...)) Yes - another tip: In really really dim lit settings (almost dark) your camera might give the "red" sign (meaning its not focused) - take the pic anyway (all mine came out in focus when this happened to me) The camera is great - Im very glad I purchased it!!
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