Reviews (12)

Goods and Bads
Ive had this camera for about a month now, and i'd like to say im pretty pleased with it. I'd say just ignore the other review, which ends up being one or two lines about how horrible the image quality is and how he (she?) wasted their money. First and foremost, this is an extremely cheap digital camera, with a lot of neat little funtions. However, i do agree that the QV-2900UX (the camera youre reading a review for) is well aimed at amature and beginners in the digital photography world.

This *is* my first digital Camera, so i have no real bases to compare it to, however as an amature, i think its a nifty little bugger. It comes with all the regular accessories (mine only came with a 4mb card TT) and also an easy to use 'photo loader' program, for obviously, transporting your photos from the camera to the computer.

Feature wise, the 2900 is well off. Supporting a few different shooting modes (normal, portrait, landscape, night scene) and also the 'Best Shot Gallery' (which helps you take higher quality pictures based on the situation your in.) You can also adjust the filters and white balance which helps you get better lighting (personally, i like to play around with these features instead of using auto, it usually gives a better picture in the end.) This camera also supports an 8x optical zoom, plus a 4x digital zoom. Most people usually use the optical (which can get you EXTREMLY close to whatever you're taking a picture of) and the 4x digital doesnt seem to distort the picture at all.

I agree that when recording the pictures the lcd does apear 'grany' or 'sandy-like'. however this has NO EFFECT on the picture itself, and when you play back the picture on the camera, its cyrstal clear. Another cool feature about this camera is that you can turn the lens all in all dirtions! this was a charming feeature when i got bored and decided taking picture of myself (which i know we all do) The camera also has the ability to shoot 15 second silent mpeg movies. You also have the choice of shooting in two different ways, starting after pushing the shutter button, or recording until you hit the shutter button... i have no idea why they included the second one, i hardly use it (infact, i hardly use the mpeg mode anyway, i have a digital camcorder!)

But this camera, just as all cameras, is not without it's problems. it does not have a little hole to look out of when taking the pictures... i have no idea what its called... a manual view finder? and of course, there is also that lcd recording problem which i just spoke of (however, its completly able to live with). Another shameful thing that i found was that this camera does not support MANUAL FOCUS! i love have the option of being able to focus in on objects at a high zoom manually, because although the auto focus works fine, i just dont find it 100% reliable. Another problem i descovered was when uploading the pictures to the computer, they apear a little darker then they were on the camera, so thats something else to watch out for as well. and the last problem, occurs with all high zoom capable cameras, is that when you are in the 8x zoom, its really hard to keep the camera steady, i found myself having to use the burst option (which lets you take 3 pictures in order, right after eachother). I really wish Casio included a optical or digital imaage stabalizer like most Digital CAMCORDERS do now.

So in the end, the is a pretty good camera, with no REAL annoying problems (except the picture comming out darker on the computer, that may turn out troublesome. But you can always fix it with a computer program, i.e. Photoshop). And im overal quite pleased with the camera so far.

Excellent digcam
I just purchased the Casio QV-2900 and have found it to be an
excellent camera. It's my first attempt at digital photography
and was hesitant to spend even this amount of money to enter
the digital medium. However I have been pleasantly surprised
with the 2900. Too bad Jon from Singapore didn't read the
instruction manual, he would have found on page 57 that manual
focus is very much available. As far as image quality, it is
more than satisfactory. The flash is very adequate for indoor

shots, don't know what some of these people have been doing to
get poor results. Works every bit as good as any film camera
that I have used. Software is easy to use (once I figured out
that the USB function in "setup" on Win98 was "disabled" and
corrected that.) Using MS PictureIt! (included in the MS Works
Suite) for photo manipulation and email transfer, works great!
Wouldn't hesitate recommending this camera to anyone.

Features

• Optimized for use in PDAs, MP3 players, or digital cameras
• Write speed guaranteed to exceed 1.2 MB per second (8X) with independent test results exceeding 2.25 MB per second (15X)
• High quality components guarantee steady performance, the utmost durability, and breadth of compatibility
• Individually tested to ensure each product works the first time, everytime
• Five year replacement warranty and 30-day money-back guarantee

Reviews (18)

Great Card...Good price!!
Just got my Kodak DC3400 camera and added the Viking 32mb card as a second card. Images are perfect...and a good value from Amazon.

Great Deal!
This isn't the first Viking Components memory card that I've bought... and it certainly will not be the last! I purchased this card for my new Panasonic PV-DC2090 Palm Cam... it is the perfect addition for the second card slot. I was pleased with the amount of storage capacity for the price... nearly twice as much for the same price as other brands. I've never had any problems with any of the Viking products I've used. Viking always comes through with Superior Quality at the BEST price. The bottom line - this is a great deal!

Features

• Optimized for use in PDAs, MP3 players, or digital cameras
• Write speed guaranteed to exceed 1.2 MB per second (8X) with independent test results exceeding 2.25 MB per second (15X)
• High quality components guarantee steady performance, the utmost durability, and breadth of compatibility
• Individually tested to ensure each product works the first time, everytime
• Five year replacement warranty and 30-day money-back guarantee

Reviews (34)

Excellent Product
Bought two 64MB cards about a month ago and have taken hundreds of pictures since, so far so good, was hesitant to purchase this brand because I never heard of them, but after reading some other review from epinions.com and photographyreview.com, I thought I would take a chance. Also bought the CF card adapter which is incredible, lighnting fast downloads of all pictures, way faster then the USB plug into the camera itself. Could not beat the price, 30 bucks less than Sandisk and so far cannot see any difference other than graphics on the card itself. Worth the purchase and I will buy future cards from Viking if they continue to stay cheap.

64MB card - 155 pictures for a 1MP Kodak DC240 camera
Well, I had no idea how much room a 1 MP picture would take up on a CF card. I know it is a combination of compression and format, but I never really did the math.

GREAT PRICE: I bought this card, number one, because the price was great. Now the price is even greater when you get it for about 2MB for $1.

NUMBER OF PICTURES THAT CAN BE STORED:
155 in a DC240 with 1MP.
55 in a DX3900 with 3.1 MP.
I never knew the MP versus MB formula, this practical application helped me out. I understand however, much depends on your compression and format. This was all .jpg files and on Kodak cameras.

SEEMS COMPATIBLE FOR PDA AND PC:
I know one of the concerns on these cards is compatibility. Since I have had it, I have put it in an @migo Pocket PC, on the PCMCIA card on an IBM laptop and a Kodak DX3600 and a HP315. It worked great.

Nice card and a nice size, I'm set for awhile now.

Features

• Optimized for use in PDAs, MP3 players, or digital cameras
• Write speed guaranteed to exceed 1.2 MB per second (8X) with independent test results exceeding 2.25 MB per second (15X)
• High quality components guarantee steady performance, the utmost durability, and breadth of compatibility
• Individually tested to ensure each product works the first time, everytime
• Five year replacement warranty and 30-day money-back guarantee

Reviews (188)

Buy this or a microdrive
If you've had a 2 mega-pixel or above camera for more than a few days then you've realized that an 8 or 16 mb memory card is not going to cut it. In my opinion, you really have two good alternatives. (1) a good capacity compactflash memory card like this Viking card, or (2) one of the microdrives.

This 128 mb Viking memory card is a good value on a cost per megabyte basis (I have not seen a better compactflash value anywhere), and it offers more peace of mind since it has no moving parts. However, the microdrive does cost less per megabyte (in fact, for the same cost you'll get 340 mb of storage vs. 128 mb with the Viking), although you'll have a miniature hard drive to worry about in terms of potential lost photos.

I've got both, but I'll only use the microdrive on long trips where I know I'll need the storage space. And then I'mn exceptionally careful with it. Most people will be happier going the compactflash route, in which case this Viking card is the best value and very reliable. I'm very pleased with it. Go ahead, it's pretty much an essential accessory.

Viking Makes a Quality Compact Flash Product
Since getting a 128 MB Compact Flash card by Viking to use with a 3.3 megapixel Canon G 1 digital camera this past June, my whole family has been pleased with the quality of the card and the fairly rapid data transfer from the card to our PowerBook computers. So far, so good. The warranty on the card is for five years per the website. We use a different mfgr's PCMCIA device to hold the card for data transfer and it is so easy to use. We just hope the card continues to work as easily in the future (5 years down the line) as it does now with no data loss. (We prefer equipment that uses compact flash to smart media technology as compact flash cards hold so much more in less space).

A recent afternoon of picture taking (about 33 shots) by part of our household (outdoor waterfall and state park panorama photography, but without the wide angle lens) at highest resolution only filled up half the card, so we were pleased. If they had brought the wide angle lens, they still could have gotten all the shots. The card is comparable in speed to another card made by the originator of compact flash technology (SD), but not the fastest speed on the market, yet good enough for us (we are talking mere seconds for data transfer with that PCMCIA device!).

We've found that if you take pictures for fun and are a serious hobbyist, but not a pro, a good size card is 96 to 128 MB--so this 128 MB card is a handy size to have (pros need a bigger card of at least 256 MB due to non-stop shooting). We carry a couple of 96 or 128 cards and can then take enough pictures on each card without having to change cards per se while shooting a lot of pictures at one location.

...

Features

• Optimized for use in PDAs, MP3 players, or digital cameras
• Write speed guaranteed to exceed 1.2 MB per second (8X) with independent test results exceeding 2.25 MB per second (15X)
• High quality components guarantee steady performance, the utmost durability, and breadth of compatibility
• Individually tested to ensure each product works the first time, everytime
• Five year replacement warranty and 30-day money-back guarantee

Reviews (153)

More memory than I know what to do with.
I popped this into my Canon S100 and with the default resolution, got a reading of 1478 shots available! That's an incredible amt of space and for someone heading off on an extended trip, it should be quite a boon. I have been following CF costs on a dollar-per-meg basis for some time, and while the newest & largest cards have tended to carry a premium, this one does not. It is roughly fifty cents per meg, less than 1/4 of what it cost per meg only 18 months ago!

Best Performance and Minimal Price
This is an outstanding card. It is one of the best performing cards on the market and also one of the most reasonably priced. I wouldn't spend the money on Lexar or some of the other over marketed cards. This card works flawlessly in my Canon S40 and is *very* fast. I also bought the Viking PCMCIA reader for my notebook and it's awesome as well. It plugs in and works. What more can you ask for?

I did a lot of research before buying this card and if you have time, go to dpreview and check out the reviews->digital media. They have a very straightforward and comprehesive analysis of compact flash media while cutting through the marketing hype. You'll learn a lot there and save yourself some money.

According to Viking's Rules...
In my informal comparison of the transfer rate of 256MB compact flash cards by Viking, SimpleTech, and Kingston, the Viking card came in a distant third. The Viking card took about 40% longer to transfer identical data. My card at least, did not meet the stated specified transfer rate.

So where speed of transfer is important, the Viking card may not be the best choice. For other less critical tasks, the Viking card has proven perfectly adequate.

Features

• Optimized for use in PDAs, MP3 players, or digital cameras
• Write speed guaranteed to exceed 1.2 MB per second (8X) with independent test results exceeding 2.25 MB per second (15X)
• High quality components guarantee steady performance, the utmost durability, and breadth of compatibility
• Individually tested to ensure each product works the first time, everytime
• Five year replacement warranty and 30-day money-back guarantee

Reviews (50)

Nothing better than a half-gig hard drive for your Pocket PC
It's probably a little early in the CF card's lifespan to write this review, but I'll focus on potential uses rather than reliability.

I basically bought the card for my HP Jornada 567 Pocket PC 2002. It already had 64 megs of memory, but I wanted more. I also already had a 256 MB card for my Nikon Coolpix 775, so this one was more for the handheld than anything else.

My HP can playback MP3's directly off the CF card without modification, and with drag-and-drop functionality from my notebook's hard drive, which is nice. That way I can store around a hundred songs for music on the go, which I typically listen to in the car, using a cassette adapter through the HP's headphone jack.

I also enjoy watching movies on the go, and with the downloadable Windows Media Encoder, I can reformat almost any movie file into .WMA format, and bring it with me. The card could conceivably store three full-length feature films at 192 x 144 resolution without much problem.

It's also great for carrying large text documents with you wherever you go...like, say, your novel, technical manuals, the Bible, as well as a couple dozen songs, and still have room for a movie or two...amazing! I don't know how I got around without this baby.

Another plus is that you will *never* run out of space while taking photos on vacation with your digital camera, even at the highest settings, unless you do field work for National Geographic.

So far, this card has changed my definition for personal entertainment and functionality. Viking makes pretty good hardware, too. Just watch out for any rebates they offer (there was no offer on *this* card, but be careful).

Now I'm just waiting for the Gigabyte card...

Not a bad card for the price
I've had three Viking Compact Flash cards now that I've used with two cameras: a Canon Digital Elph S330 and Powershot G5. Although people have reported seemingly higher-than-average failures and errors with Viking's cards, neither of my 128MB cards or the 512MB I have for my Powershot have ever had a problem.

However, Viking doesn't exactly make the fastest cards on the market; higher resolution camera users will find the limited (1.5 Mb/s) transfer rate way too slow unless their cameras have a fairly large buffer; users needing exceptional speed may be advised to purchase a Sandisk Ultra II card (or better). Still, Viking's cards are an exceptional value for the price.

Problem with card or camera?
After reading some of these reviews, I thought I would add my two cents. I had some of the same problems with error corruption. I lost a few pictures after several weeks of use. I thought that it was due to the CF card. I actually got a quick response from Viking and after trying what they suggested (and failing to resolve the problem), they issued an RMA number and I had a new card within the week. Today, while perusing through some reviews of my camera (Canon Powershot s400), I read a review that suggested that the camera corrupts images with CF cards above 256MB. I don't know if this is true, but I don't have any other CF device to test this theory. So far, I have started using my card again, but I haven't reached above 256MB (the problem apparently occurs above 256MB of storage).

Editorial Review

Features

• Reads and writes to: ATA Flash, CompactFlash, and SmartMedia
• Reads and writes at 1.5 MB per second (10X) allowing fast file transfer to and from your flash card
• Compatible with most Windows and Macintosh environments
• Computer recognizes the card reader as multiple additional drives on your computer; allowing the utmost in flexibility and convenience
• One year replacement warranty and 30-day money-back guarantee

Reviews (111)

More than what's advertised
I first bought (and have reviewed) the ScanDisk reader, with which I had too many drive conflicts and installation problems. The Viking unit is better thought out, and this is apparent from the moment you open the box and notice how it is neatly and carefully packaged. I installed the Viking software (30 seconds, no options), rebooted and plugged the drive into my USB port. It was recognized by the OS and the correct drivers were installed and, voila, I was in business! I seems to read a little faster than the ScanDisk drive, has better indicator lights for on/active & reading, and includes an adapter that allows you to use the CompactFlash card in your laptop without need of the larger drive. As a last little bonus, the drive can also read SmartMedia cards!

A good product; needs better support
After trying to get my IBM laptop to download pictures from my Nikon digital camera via the serial connection and discovering that the two units were incompatible, I decided to buy this card reader. It works well, but I have to follow a particular procedure or else I get a Windows 98 protection error or, barring that problem, the computer refuses to read the card.

1) Make sure the computer's USB hub has been disconnected before shutting down.

2) Plug in the USB hub (but keep the card reader unplugged for now).

3) Power up the peripherals, including the USB hub.

4) Boot up the computer.

5) Plug card into the card reader.

6) Plug the card reader into the USB hub.

7) Watch as Windows becomes confused because it also has a Zip drive attached to the hub.

8) Copy the pictures off the card in the reader.

9) Unplug the reader from the hub.

I had to do something similar when I tried using the reader on a Mac G3 tower.

It's a rigamarole, but it works. When I talked to the folks at Viking, they said it was a software problem (the usual contention made by hardware manufacturers--and vice versa) and said they couldn't help me.

So, it's basically a good unit, but Viking needs to work harder on compatibility and support.

Satisfy your need for speed!
Assuming that spending the bucks on a memory reader isn't going to cause any heartburn, you won't be disappointed by the USB Flash Memory Reader.

Essentially, what you are buying is speed. The USB Flash Memory Reader is fast, fast, fast. I've experienced a screaming 25-50X improvement! Transferring jpeg images files from my Nikon CoolPix to my Windows laptop previously took many minutes via a serial cable connection. Comparable transfers now require just a few seconds.

The USB device is plug-and-play and pretty funky looking (think: iMac cool). The drivers for Windows and MacOS are available.

CAUTION: I'm told there are unique technical issues surrounding the Diamond Rio MP3 Player's proprietary audio files.

Features

• Optimized for use in PDAs, MP3 players, or digital cameras
• Lightning fast read and write speeds allow you to get the best performance from your PDA, MP3 player, or digital camera
• High quality components guarantee steady performance, the utmost durability, and breadth of compatibility
• Individually tested to ensure each product works the first time, everytime
• Five year replacement warranty and 30-day money-back guarantee

Reviews (28)

buy online
I bought a digital camera and I would like to add some memory. Because there are so many different cards, I was afraid to buy online. The search engine is very good and I was able to find a card matching my camera. The card fits well and add 99 pictures above a card holding 24. The pictures are similar if not identical in quality compared with the one purchased with the camera.

Want to know how many pictures a smart media can hold?
Here is general guidline of about how many pictures a smart media card can hold. This list was made up using a 2.1 mega pixel camera at 1600x1200 resolution. (The Fuji Finepix 2300). So if you have a higher mega pixel camera the amount of pictures it can hold will decrease and you will be able to hold a few more pictures with a lower mega pixel model. But these numbers will give you a basic idea so you will know what capacity of smart media card is for you. (1600x1200 resolution) Example: Listed is the card capacity with the amount of photos it can hold in the camera's Fine (best mode), Normal, and Basic photo modes. (Fine,Normal,Basic)

8 MB (9,19,39) 16 MB (19,39,75) 32 MB (40,82,155) 64 MB (82,170,330) 128 MB (168,350,700)

*Most camera's normal mode takes pictures of good enough quality for most photos you will take, unless the camera is under 1.3 mega pixels.

*Many cameras come with a 8MB memory card. But that usually isn't enough memory for most people, here is what I would suggest purchasing:

My suggestions:

1-1.9 mega pixel camera - 8MB or 16 MB

2-2.9 mega pixel camera - 32 MB

3 mega pixels and up - 64 MB

Works great
I've ordered three of these things. They work great. Never had any problems. They come with a nice plastic case that is perfect for storing the cards in my camera bag.

Features

• Optimized for use in PDAs, MP3 players, or digital cameras
• Lightning fast read and write speeds allow you to get the best performance from your PDA, MP3 player, or digital camera
• High quality components guarantee steady performance, the utmost durability, and breadth of compatibility
• Individually tested to ensure each product works the first time, everytime
• Five year replacement warranty and 30-day money-back guarantee

Reviews (68)

Who could ask for more?
I have the fuji 40i digital camera with mp3 player built in and movie camera with sound feature also. What a super camera, so small. But I found after loading my mp3's and taking my movies, I had no memory left for pics. (fuji comes with a 16meg card) So I read the reviews on Amazon and noticed people said the Viking cards worked on the fuji cameras. (fuji needs a special ID memory smartcard for audio) So I purchased my Viking 64 meg smartcard from Amazon and I'm thrilled. According to what I have read , this is the maximum card you can use with this camera. Everything works. I can now take 51 pics in the 2400x1800 mode while holding my favorite mp3's and movie in the camera. Life is beautiful! Super price (can you believe the drop in smart card pricing?) Thank you ,Amazon and Viking!

1000 PICS in a match book that is as thin as a dime !
This card enables me to take about 1000 pictures (at the lowest resolution) with my Olympus 460. This is the largest smartmedia card you can currently buy and only has one minor draw back. The panorama feature is not available on Olympus cameras that have a panorama feature since this is not an Olympus brand card. Over all this is a great product. With such a high data capacity card as smartmedia USB reader is almost a must. I can download the 64 MB that are on this card in under 2 Minutes with a USB reader. Before with the serial connection that came with my camera it took (or felt like) hours! This is also the cheaper of the 2 64MB Smartmedia currently on amazon now.

Want to know how much smart media cards can hold?
Here is general guidline of about how many pictures a smart media card can hold. This list was made up using a 2.1 mega pixel camera at 1600x1200 resolution. (The Fuji Finepix 2300). So if you have a higher mega pixel camera the amount of pictures it can hold will decrease and you will be able to hold a few more pictures with a lower mega pixel model. But these numbers will give you a basic idea so you will know what capacity of smart media card is for you. (1600x1200 resolution) Example: Listed is the card capacity with the amount of photos it can hold in the camera's Fine (best mode), Normal, and Basic photo modes. (Fine,Normal,Basic)

8 MB (9,19,39) 16 MB (19,39,75) 32 MB (40,82,155) 64 MB (82,170,330) 128 MB (168,350,700)

*Most camera's normal mode takes pictures of good enough quality for most photos you will take, unless the camera is under 1.3 mega pixels.

*Many cameras come with a 8MB memory card. But that usually isn't enough memory for most people, here is what I would suggest purchasing:

My suggestions:

1-1.9 mega pixel camera - 8MB or 16 MB

2-2.9 mega pixel camera - 32 MB

Features

• Optimized for use in PDAs, MP3 players, or digital cameras
• Lightning fast read and write speeds allow you to get the best performance from your PDA, MP3 player, or digital camera
• High quality components guarantee steady performance, the utmost durability, and breadth of compatibility
• Individually tested to ensure each product works the first time, everytime
• Five year replacement warranty and 30-day money-back guarantee

Reviews (67)

Great Value
Have owned 4 months. Bought 2 128MB cards. no problems for 3 months. camera stopped recognizing 1 of the cards, but Viking promptly replaced. Best customer service I,ve seen for a long time. rebate was extra slow to arrive, took about 3 months.

At least this one works
In another review, I describe the negative experience I had with a Sandisk 128MB card. In summary, the card was defective and I lost 240 pictures. More recently, I have been using this Viking card and it has worked flawlessly, at least so far.

I have a 2 megapixel camera, and in HQ mode each photo is approximately 500K, and in SHQ mode 1MB. This means you can fit 256 or 128 photos in the respective modes. In my brief experience I have found the HQ mode sufficient for most photos, so for me this card stores the equivelant of 10 rolls of film. For my 2 megapixel camera, this has been a convenience. For those who plan to save even larger files, I would say that the 128MB size is essential. And with the falling prices on these cards, it makes more sense than ever to invest in a card this size.

The cheapest Smart Media on the market
I recently received a Fuji Finepix F601 as a gift; the giver, a professional photographer, included a Fuji 128MB Smart Media Card as a matter of course. Thank goodness he knew what he was doing in terms of storage needs, at least -- the 601 only comes with a 16MB card, which on the 601 is only enough for 5 images at the highest recording level. If you're getting a compatible Fuji, Olympus, or other-brand camera, you really need the highest storage card possible.

But it turns out these cards are fragile, and fingerprints can short them out or cause problems with the camera or reader being able to access their contents. So the best way to keep them around forever is to get a 128 MB card and never remove it! Ideally, then, this should be a solution coupled with the purchase or ownership of a camera which interfaces directly (USB or firewire) with the PC, so there won't be a need to remove the card. Ever. That security, and the ability to store over a hundred 8x10 print-quality pix on one wafer-thin card, makes the bigger sized card easily worth the extra cost if you're getting a Fuji or other-brand digital camera.