Casio unveils a revved-up
6-megapixel shooter
Casio QV-R62
The product: Casio has plunked its speedy and successful Exilim processing engine into the 6-megapixel QV-R62, hoping to lure photographers who want high-resolution photos and a low-fuss feature set. Consumers choosing between the QV-R62 and Casio's Z series of Exilim cameras must weigh the QV-R62's high pixel count and continuous-shooting capability against the Z series' sleek looks and larger LCD screens; both cameras feature an identical array of Best Shot preset shooting modes. Some of the QV-R62's notable specs include:

• 6-megapixel CCD
• 3X optical zoom
• 2-inch LCD screen
• Burst mode captures three full-resolution shots in 1 second
• Icon help mode assists during settings changes

The price: The Casio QV-R62 ships later this month, at a cost of $399.99.

The prospects: Casio's Exilim engine has a largely brilliant but significantly flawed track record: the Z40, the Z50, and the Z55 all boasted minuscule shutter lag times (hovering around 0.05 second) and phenomenal battery life (up to 1,000 shots in CNET Labs' tests). However, they also suffered from mediocre to below-average image quality. So unless Casio has significantly retooled the Exilim engine for the QV-R62, we're worried that 6 megapixels won't be enough to cover up the defects.

By Robert Dubbin, assistant editor, CNET Reviews